The Devil's Colt: A Ten Winged War
by Megawrath
Summary: Jonathan Hyodo's past comes back to haunt him, leading to a confrontation with a loved one turned enemy. This in the midst of trying to balance a relationship with three gorgeous women. An old enemy rears his ugly head, and a brand new one threatens to undo everything the ORC has worked so hard to build. (Part three of The Devil's Colt Series. Lemons, Limes, and plenty of violence)
1. Chapter 1

**::Author's Note::**

**Alright ladies and gentleman. Here we go. It's time to start, once again, with a new Arc. This time around it's Arc Three. And I promise you all I intend to do this Arc the justice it deserves. **

**Whether you liked the third Arc of Highschool DxD or absolutely despised it, I think we all agree it had some problems. Problems I hope to correct with my writing. **

**After the success of Arc Two, I've been very excited about beginning this Arc. There will be plenty of twists and turns along the road that deviate from the established Canon. While still maintaining the spirit and theme of the original work. For those of you who may or may not be aware, what you are about to read is Arc Three of my **_**The Devil's Colt **_**series. If you'd like to start from the beginning, you can find Arc One, **_**The Devil's Colt: Rise of a Hunter, **_**as well as Arc Two, **_**The Devil's Colt: Ashes of the Phoenix, **_**on my page.**

**With all of that out of the way. Let's get started. I present to you all Chapter One of **_**The Devil's Colt: A Ten Winged War. **_**I hope you all enjoy!**

**::End Note::**

(The following story is a non-profit fan based work of fiction. All medias, references, and properties used in this work of fiction belong to their respective copyright holders. I do not personally own, nor profit from any of the characters, stories, songs, or media referenced in this work.)

Irina Shidou was nervous. Not because of how dark it was outside, or because the Park was so quiet. She'd lived in the woods her whole life, after all. She was used to the dark and the quiet. No. Irina was nervous because this was her first camping trip with her father. She was used to the woods, but not quite like this. She couldn't turn her closet light on if she got scared, all she had was a flashlight. Gone were the four protective walls of her room, now she just had a tent.

A tent surrounded by wild animals.

It's not like she didn't agree to this. Her dad had been bugging her to let him take her out to the Ranger's Station for years now but she was never interested.

At least...not until mom died.

It became a lot harder to say no to her father after that. After all, with mom gone, the house just felt a lot emptier. She didn't like the idea of being at the house alone for months at a time, and he didn't like the idea of returning to a home without his wife. So here Irina was, at thirteen years old, out in the woods with her Dad.

Already regretting it.

"Uggh!" Irina swatted a bug off her arm and wiped it away in disgust. "Ew! Ew! Ew! Ewwww! Why does there have to be so many freaking bugs out here?" She whined complacently.

Her dad couldn't help but chuckle at the overdramatic teenager. "Hey, you're the one who agreed to come, didn't ya?"

She groaned before tucking her knees up to her chest and nodding. "Yes Sir…"

"Being out in the open air like this is good for you." Her father lectured while stoking the embers of the slowly dying fire. "Helps clear the head for awhile. Get your mind off life's troubles."

"I'd prefer to enjoy the beauty of nature from the comfort of an air conditioned cabin." She whined.

"We'll be there soon enough. Floyd and Matt started the trek yesterday, so they'll already have the place up and running by the time we get there."

She sighed in relief. "Thank God."

A melancholy smile formed on her father's face. "You're just like your mother. You don't let the things that bug you keep you down." His smile vanished completely as his grief bubbled to the surface. "She'd be so proud of you…"

Irina's expression darkened and a melancholy silence fell over the camp. It had only been a couple of months since she died. A drunk driver T-boned her SUV while she was coming home from work one night. According to the Doctor's report she died on impact.

Ever since the accident, it had just been Irina and her dad. If any good at all came from her mother's death it was how much closer the tragedy brought Irina to her father. Rather than sit at home silently sulking for the remainder of time, they decided to stay active. Her father would take her fishing, hunting, teach her all kinds of survival training and information about the wilderness. Irina didn't used to be a fan of her father's work as a Park Ranger, but ever since mom passed she'd learned she actually enjoyed the outdoors a lot more than she thought.

Which was why she decided she wanted to become a Park Ranger herself.

Only problem was she still wasn't too crazy about all the wildlife. Bugs and nature were one thing, but wild animals? That was going to take some getting used to. Which was why she was so doggedly determined to get through this Summer. Irina wanted to come out of the forest a stronger woman. Just like her mom was.

"You really think she'd be proud?" Irina asked solemnly.

"I know she would be." Her father's smile returned. "Heck, I'll ask her right now if you want me to." He cupped two hands over his mouth and shouted up at the stars. "Hey Honey! You up there?! Your daughter is actually camping out in the woods! And she didn't even bring her phone! Can you believe it?!"

She giggled at him despite the embarrassment. "Daaaad!"

He snickered back at her again before settling back with the fire. "Your mother is always watching over you, sweetheart. You know that. She's up there right now, smiling down at both of us."

Irina smiled and bowed her head with her eyes shut. "I know."

"We'll see her again. God didn't take your mother from us forever." He continued. "He just needed his Angel back for awhile, is all." He shut his eyes and bowed his head as well. "We'll be with her again, one day. Together in the Eternal Kingdom."

"Amen." Irina finished while clutching at the silver cross around her neck.

Their family had always been deeply spiritual. But Irina's mother was especially so. The silver cross she now wore was her mom's most prized possession. Which was why she never took it off for any reason. It's the only thing she had that still helped her feel close to her mom.

The moment of silence was interrupted by a rustling in the foliage behind them. Irina yelped in surprise before starting to tremble.

"Wh...wh...what was that?" She asked nervously.

Her father glanced up from the campfire at the woods behind her before giving his daughter a look of severity.

"Irina...there's something very important that I forgot to tell you."

Her skin turned ghostly pale as the trembling got worse. "What is it?"

"You may not believe it, but this forest...this whole place…" He took a deep breath.

"...it's outside."

Her fear instantly vanished as she glared at her father in aggravation. Meanwhile, he was too busy laughing to notice.

"You are so not funny." She insisted, turning her head away and folding her arms.

"Wild animals are just part of the job, Sweetie." Her dad assured. "So long as we respect that we're guests in their home and give them their space, they won't bother us."

"And remember to hang the food in a tree, right?" She added before standing up from the log she was sitting on. "Speaking of trees, nature calls."

"TP is on the stump over there." He pointed with his stick.

Irina groaned. Yet one more thing she was finding hard to adjust to being outside. No bathrooms. She grabbed the toilet paper and a flashlight before making her way to the nearby woods. Far enough for privacy, but not so far as to not be able to see the camp.

As she was about to settle down to do her business, she heard the rustling again, causing her heartbeat to quickly jump back up and wave her flashlight around. Irina took a deep breath and calmed herself.

"It's nothing." She chanted. "Just a gopher, or a beaver, or something else completely harmless."

She blanched upon hearing a deep, low growling noise.

"Okay...maybe not so harmless."

Irina set down the toilet paper, using one hand to hold the flashlight and look around while clutching at her mother's cross with the other. Scared as she was, Irina didn't want to run back to her father demanding he go check the woods for her either. She was trying hard not to be such a girly girl anymore, after all. That was the whole point of this trip.

She shined a light on a rustling noise from one of the bushes. It took every ounce of courage she had, but Irina slowly began to approach. With each tentative step her heart raced faster and faster in her chest.

A creature emerged from the bushes, causing her to yelp in surprise. Her fear soon vanished, however, upon realizing it was just a harmless little squirrel.

Irina breathed a sigh of relief before chuckling to herself in amusement. "You nearly made me pee myself, little guy."

The low growl emanated again, this time, however, from directly behind her. Upon slowly turning around, Irina's blood ran cold.

It was massive. A monstrous wolf larger than even a bear. But what stood out to her the most was the fact that, not only was it standing upright on its hind legs like a human…

It was smiling at her.

"Hello...little pup." The creature bared its monstrously large teeth, drool dripping from its snout.

The flashlight fell from Irina's hands as she let loose a blood curdling scream. Back at the camp, Irina's father dropped the stick he was holding and shot out of his seat upon hearing his little girl.

"Irina!" He shouted, before grabbing the rifle from his backpack and darting off into the woods. Following the direction of the noise. He stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing the massive beast looming over his daughter, who had curled herself up into a ball of fear.

"What in God's name?"

The beast turned its head back around and snarled. "Another Hunter. How troublesome."

"Run, Irina!" Her father shouted whilst pointing his rifle at the massive creature." Get out of here, now!"

She didn't think. Irina just ran as fast as her legs could take her. She ignored the roaring behind her and the sound of rifle fire, focusing all of her attention on just getting as much distance from her and that...thing as humanly possible. The brush scraped at her skin and bit into her arms and legs as she ran further and further into the woods. Her leg snagged a tree root and rolled, causing her to tumble to the ground and cry out in pain.

Irina clutched at her wounded ankle before attempting to stand. No good, a sharp stabbing pain radiated throughout her entire leg upon trying to bear weight on it. Hearing the unmistakable sound of something running up behind her, Irina quickly darted for cover in the hollow of a log. From outside her hiding spot, she could hear the sound of low menacing growling.

"I know you're here, little pup." The creature taunted. "I can smell you."

She shut her eyes tight and clutched the silver cross around her neck with two trembling hands. "Help me." She quietly prayed. "Please, God, help me."

"There's no use in running." His voice dripped of malevolent intent. "Your soft flesh will make a delectable snack."

Irina covered her mouth with one hand to keep herself from crying out, her whole body shaking violently as tears streamed down her face. The beast turned its head towards the log she was hiding in and a sinister grin crossed its massive snout.

"Found you."

Four deafening rifle shots rang through the night, hitting the creature square in the back. He roared in pain before turning sharply around.

"You again?!" He bellowed in rage before darting away.

Irina opened her eyes and tentatively poked her head outside of the log. "Dad?" She left her hiding space and tried to stand, propping herself up. "Dad!" She called again desperately. "Dad help! I think my ankles-"

Someone grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to the ground. The moment before she screamed a strong hand clamped over her mouth, preventing any more than a small muffled cry.

"Keep it down." A young Male voice whispered severely. "You're going to give away our position."

She squirmed in his grip, trying desperately to get his hands free.

"Hey. Hey!" He gripped her tighter. "I'm not gonna hurt you, but you need to calm down. If you don't we'll both die."

Finally regaining her wits enough to understand what he was saying, Irina slowly began to calm down, breathing in and out through her nose.

"Better." He spoke in a gentler tone. "Now if I release my hand, do you promise not to scream?"

Still trembling in fear, she silently nodded her head in response. He released his vice like grip from her mouth, allowing her to breath from it again.

"You need to slow your breathing down or you're going to hyperventilate." He warned.

"Who are you?" She was trying desperately to get her breathing under control. "Have you seen my Dad?"

"Your Dad?" The stranger considered her question for a moment. "No, I don't think so. But listen, we can't worry about that right now. We need to get moving."

"But my leg…" She pointed to the injured ankle. "...I can barely move on it."

He swore under his breath. "Alright, one second."

The stranger lifted Irina up and helped sit her on the log before kneeling down to check her wounded ankle.

And that was when she saw his face for the first time. While clearly older than her, he didn't quite look to be an adult yet either. If she had to guess his age, she'd say he was about sixteen or seventeen years old. He was dressed in faded old jeans, a leather jacket, and had short brown hair.

"Yep. It's sprained alright." He observed glumly. "Just my luck."

"Sorry…" She answered quietly.

He turned two piercing eyes up at her before offering a rather charming smile. "Hey, don't sweat it. I'd have run for the hills too if I had just seen what you saw."

"What is that thing?" She asked, the terror suddenly returning to her voice.

He shook his head, returning his attention to the wounded ankle. "Not important. You wouldn't even believe me if I told you."

"But…"

"Look." He gazed back up at her sternly. "We have maybe two minutes, maybe, before that thing shows up again. And if we're not gone by the time it does, it will kill us."

"But what about my Dad?!" She insisted, panic in her voice. "He's still out there with that thing!"

He placed his hands on her cheeks and peered directly into her eyes. "I'm gonna do everything I can to save your Dad, I promise. But right now, I'm more concerned with getting you out of here. So for now, I just need you to trust me. Okay?"

Her mouth hung open and her cheeks turned red. Maybe it was the sincerity of his voice, or the honest look in his eye.

Or maybe it was the fact that he was bar none one of the cutest boys she'd ever met in her life. Whatever the reason, Irina wanted to trust him. Then again, she didn't have much choice.

"Okay." She nodded her head in his hands. "I trust you."

Off in the distance, they heard the creature roar with bestial vigor.

"Annnd that's our que to leave." He picked Irina up and slung her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing. The girl squealed in surprise as he took off running.

"What are you doing?!" She asked indignantly.

"Busted ankle, remember? We don't exactly have a whole lot of options here."

They could hear the beast getting closer and closer. From over the stranger's shoulder, Irina could see the gleam of two yellow eyes off in the distance. It was gaining on them.

"It's gonna catch up!" She screamed.

He swore again before stopping and turning around sharply. "Cover your ears!"

She did as she was told and clasped her hands over her ears. From the right side of his jacket he drew a shiny silver revolver and fired off six rounds in rapid succession. The creature tumbled to the ground and squirmed in pain, the fur on its chest burning.

"How're those holy rounds, furball?" He taunted in a blithe manner.

"I'll get you for this, Hunter! I'll rip you to pieces!" The creature bellowed in anger, still struggling to get up.

The stranger carrying Irina used the opportunity to run again. The creature was hurting which only made it angrier. The angrier it got, the faster it seemed to recover. Before long, it was gaining on them again.

He came to a stop in a clearing where he set her down on a nearby tree stump.

"What are you doing?!" She asked frantically.

He took a moment to reload his weapon, popping out the cylinder and filling each chamber with fresh bullets. "Just trust me."

The beast sprung into the clearing and snarled. Though it was clearly irate, the silver revolver in the stranger's hand gave it pause before attacking again.

"I knew you would come for me, little hunter." The creature paced back and forth, baring its fangs at him. "I caught your scent!"

"I caught yours too." The stranger calmly retorted before taking out a pack of cigarettes, popping one into his mouth and lighting it. "Not exactly hard to notice."

The creature snarled at him before charging. Irina turned her head away and shut her eyes, bracing herself for the worst.

A pit opened up beneath the beast's feet and it fell several yards down a hole. Irina slowly opened her eyes to see the creature had been swallowed up by the earth. Howls of agony sounded from below.

The stranger slowly approached the pit and looked down at the wounded creature writhing in pain, taking a long drag from his cigarette as he did so. Multiple silver tipped spikes protruded from its flesh as it struggled to wrest itself free.

"Well, looks like you just got the point I was trying to make there."

"Damn you!" The creature howled in a mixture of pain and rage.

"Ahh come on. Not even chuckle?" He shrugged, a shit eating grin plastered on his face. The man then produced a flask of holy oil and proceeded to douse the pit. "I mean, I thought it was funny."

The creature's eyes went wide as it caught the scent of the oil. "W...wait!"

"Sayonara, flea brain." The man casually flicked his cigarette into the pit after dousing it in the oil. The pit erupted into flame and the creature began to howl in sheer agony as it slowly burned to death.

Irina stared at the pit in awe of what she just witnessed as the man who saved her life walked back to her, his hands in his jacket pockets. The wails of agony in the background slowly turned into death rattles before dying out completely. The glowing red aura in the pit began to disappear as smoke that smelled faintly of burnt hair rose up.

"You alright?" The man asked before offering her a hand.

"I guess…" She replied timidly, still slightly shaken up by the encounter.

"You don't need to worry. That thing is long dead now."

Her breathing relaxed and the adrenaline wore off. She was suddenly incredibly tired.

"I never got your name by the way."

"Oh, right!" She blushed before looking away awkwardly. "It's Irina. Irina Shidou."

"Nice to meet you, Irina." The stranger greeted politely. "My name is-"

"Jon!"

The man named Jon turned around to see a much older looking gentleman dressed in full hunting gear and brandishing a rifle come rushing into the clearing.

"You sure took your sweet time, old man." Jon rebuked chidingly. "If I hadn't stepped in this poor girl would have been dog chow."

"A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict." The older man recited verbatim before leaning over the pit at the charred remains below. "But the one who is patient calms a quarrel."

"Yeah yeah, Proverbs 15:18." Jon retorted. "Now's not exactly the time for a biblical lesson Father Kyle, her dad is still out there somewhere." He explained, pointing back towards Irina with his thumb.

The color drained from Father Kyle's face. He stared at the girl, her eyes full of worry and hope, and then back at Jon again.

"He wasn't wearing a Park Ranger's uniform was he?"

Irina's face lit up and she nodded eagerly. "That's him! Where is he? Is he okay?"

Father Kyle's face was grim. Jon, instantly picking up on it, slumped his shoulders and gave his mentor a look as if to say 'don't tell me you're serious'. The Priest shook his head at Jon, whose heart sunk into his chest.

"Wh...what's wrong?" Irina asked, her smile fading.

Jon slowly turned around, pain in his eyes as he walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Irina...I'm sorry. We didn't get there in time."

"What do you mean?" She asked worriedly.

The moment it hit her, her entire body went numb. The color drained from her face and she backed away slowly.

"No…" She shook her head in denial.

"I'm so sorry. There was nothing we could do." Father Kyle responded with sincerity.

"No. No no no no no no. No!" Her knees gave out and she collapsed into the dirt, clasping her mother's cross in her hands so tight they began to bleed. "You're lying! I heard his rifle! He was still alive!"

"I'm afraid that was me you heard." Father Kyle explained solemnly. "By the time I got to your camp, he was already gone."

"Please…" Tears welled up in her eyes. "...please God no. Don't do this to me. Don't leave me here all alone!"

Her entire body convulsed as she began to bawl her eyes out. As she knelt in the dirt, her crying only got louder and louder the more the harsh truth sank in.

"Hey." Jon knelt down on one knee and wrapped her up in his arms. "Hey, come here."

Despite him being almost a complete stranger, Irina clung to Jon like a small child and continued to violently sob. She soaked his shirt with her tears as her body convulsed on him.

"It's okay. It's gonna be okay." He stroked her hair gently, letting her get all the pain out. Her violent sobbing eventually died down into choked weeping as all the energy completely left her.

"They're gone." She choked out. "They're both gone."

"I understand." He whispered back, small tears forming in his eyes. "The same thing happened to me."

She wrapped herself around him tightly, finding comfort in his arms as she continued to weep for her lost father. As Jon held her close, Father Kyle bowed his head and spoke a quiet prayer for the newly orphaned Irina.

* * *

Irina sat in her humble room in the abandoned chapel of Kuoh City on her hands and knees with her elbows resting on her bed. While the old church had been stripped of its holy protection if their information was to be believed, it still served as a comforting place for her to rest and find sanctuary.

A knock on the door broke her from her nightly prayers.

"Come in."

A woman dressed in the same long white robes she was wearing entered. She had chin length lapis hair with a green fringe on the right side of her bengs that she constantly brushed out of her hazel eyes.

"Irina, the Arch-Bishop called again. He wants a status report on our progress."

Irina groaned complacently before plopping her head on the bed in a dramatic fashion. "Dear Lord, please give me the strength to deal with this impatient man."

"We've been in the city for over a week." The woman admitted. "I'm sure he's just restless."

"What should we tell him?"

"We should tell him the truth." She replied. "That we still have no idea where any of the lost swords are."

"It seems like we're never going to find them." Irina sighed. "Xenovia, doesn't it feel like we're just going in circles here?"

"Maybe a little." Xenovia replied evenly while brushing her bengs aside. "But I have faith that through Christ, we will recover the lost holy artifacts."

Irina smiled up at her. "You're right. I guess I've just been in a bit of a funk lately."

Xenovia frowned at her softly. "Thinking about him again?"

Irina cast her eyes back down, a solemn look on her face. "I know it's been years but...I can't get his image out of my head. He saved my life, Xenovia. Not only that, he gave me a reason to keep going. I owe him so much, and yet…"

"And yet now you must kill him." Xenovia finished. "You shouldn't let your mind be clouded by thoughts of the past. They'll only serve to make what you've come here to do all the more difficult."

She shook her head insistently, returning to her prayer. "It is because of these memories that I will not hesitate in striking him down."

Xenovia leaned against the door frame and folded her arms. "Is that so?"

Irina nodded. "Yes. I remember the man for who he once was. The man they called Heaven's Revolver. The man who taught me everything I know about being a Hunter." She opened her eyes and stood up from the bed, kissing her mother's cross before turning back to Xenovia.

"I remember the true face of Jonathan Hyodo."

"He has a new name now." She pointed out taciturnly. "They call him Devil's-"

"I don't want to hear that insipid title again!" Irina clenched her fists in anger. "I'm tired of hearing it. It's a perversion of everything a once great man stood for."

"I just don't want your old feelings to get in the way when the time comes." Xenovia insisted. "You volunteered for this mission specifically because it gave you the opportunity to confront him. I just want to make sure you're prepared for that responsibility."

"Don't worry." There was a steely look in Irina's eyes. "I know exactly what I have to do."

Xenovia nodded approvingly. "Then we best hope our sources bear fruit. The sooner we hear back from our Informant the better."

"Besides…" Irina continued. "...I'm not killing Jonathan Hyodo." She produced a silver revolver from beneath her robes and pulled the cylinder lose, checking to make sure it was loaded with fresh rounds.

"I'm killing the Devil that took his place."

* * *

Las Vegas, Nevada. Amongst the towering casinos, neon skylights, and luxurious hotels, one building in particular stood out amongst the many sinful indulgences the city provided. Not quite as large as the MGM Grand, yet still recognizable to anyone who 'knew a guy' the Phoenix Resort and Casino was not the biggest or most popular vacation spot in the city that never sleeps, at least not on paper. In reality, it was one of the largest casino and resort options available for patrons of the Underworld. It is said that in the halls of Phoenix, losing your money is the least of your concerns. If you're not careful, the house can win your very soul.

At the very top of this high rise hotel, the CEO of Phoenix Resort and Casino sat in his lavish office, cigar in one hand, a drink in the other, his foot tapping anxiously. As calm as he appeared to be, there was no denying the fact that Abram Tuscov was nervous.

After all, his resort was expecting the arrival of a particularly troublesome guest.

As he sat at his desk smoking, drinking, and stewing over the situation, his Executive Manager Leonard Strats entered the room and shut the door.

"Is everything ready?" Abram asked, a bead of sweat forming on his balding forehead.

"Almost, Sir." Leonard replied. "But with all due respect. Don't you think we're overdoing it here? We've got over two hundred armed security personal on the premises already. Why take out such an expense to double it?"

The CEO slammed his hand down on the glass table, nearly breaking it. "Because, asshole! My fucking idiot excuse of a Boss decided to try to lay his hands on a Dragon's Treasure. That's why!"

Leonard gave him a confused look. "I'm sorry, Sir. Could you...clarify? I feel like I'm missing context here."

Abram took a long puff of his cigar before inspecting it thoroughly. "Let me ask you Strats, if I were to say the man who beat Salazar Phenex in a one on one fight was on his way here right now, what would be your response?"

Leonard swallowed back his fear before talking. "Why would Devil's Colt come here, Sir?"

"Were you not listening?! I just told you why!" He took a large swig of his drink. "After the fiasco at the Rating Game, Salazar gave me orders to shut this place down to anyone who was a member or servant of the Gremory Clan." Abram took another long puff of his cigar. "You see, the current Heiress to the Gremory clan, pretty little thing named Rias, she was the one my late Boss's Son was supposed to marry." He cackled in a raspy, carcinogen abused voice. "Pretty fucking girl, I'll give him that. Beautiful red hair, that perfect figure, nice big perky tits." He stubbed out the remainder of his cigar angrily before continuing. "Too bad she didn't want to give his Son the fucking time of day. Lady Gremory already had her legs spread for another guy."

"Who, Sir?"

"Same guy who's coming to kick our asses, that's who!"

Leonard adjusted his tie as sweat began to accumulate on his collar. "What's his reasoning? He got what he wanted, the wedding was called off. We had nothing to do with it."

"Because Strats…" Abram leaned back in his chair and glared up at the ceiling. "...we have his money."

"With all due respect, Sir, why is this the first I'm hearing of this?"

Abram stood up from his seat and slammed his hands on the table again. "It wasn't supposed to be a problem!" He slumped back down and poured himself another drink. "Some crafty little minx named Sona Sitri put a twenty thousand dollar bet in favor of Team Gremory winning the Rating Game minutes before it started. Low stakes, nothing major, and their opponents couldn't fucking lose! Who wouldn't take that bet?!"

"Except that they did lose…"

The CEO downed his next drink in one go. "Yep...Riser fucking lost. And because the odds were so heavily in his favor, Ms. Sitri one a jackpot to the tune of four point two million." He pointed to his left. "A jackpot...that is currently sitting in that safe, right there."

"So why don't we just pay her?" Strats asked, still not quite understanding the problem. "It's a lot of money, sure, but we can make that up by the end of the month."

"Because Salazar…" Abram growled spitefully. "...declared that victory null and void before he died. Long story short, I've got four point two mill stuck in limbo and no Boss to countermand the order so I can pay out the sum. So Ms. Sitri has hired the one guy who hates Salazar more than I do to come take it by force."

"But if we just explain the situation to him, then maybe-"

"You're talking about the man…" Abram cut him off severely. "...who wiped out an entire criminal organization just to spite his ex-girlfriend. He's already killed dozens, if not hundreds, of Salazar's men, simply for them being in his way." He pulled out a fresh cigar and lit it. "I promise you, he'll have no problem adding a few more bodies to the list."

"Any chance...we can just take him out?" Strats asked, his collar now drenched in sweat.

Abram took a long puff of his new cigar before blowing a trail of smoke into the air.

"You know he once killed three vampires-"

"With a pencil, yes Sir, I've heard the stories." Strats assured

"With a fucking pencil!" Abram insisted in disbelief. "Who does that shit?!"

"We have over four hundred armed security personal on the premises. He's just one man."

His boss chuckled humorously, taking another puff of his cigar. "He's not a man. Not anymore. Devil's Colt is a legend. A legend whose stories don't paint the full picture."

He leaned forward on his desk and stared into space.

"If anything, the stories we've heard...have been severely watered down."

* * *

The first floor of the Phoenix Resort and Casino held the lobby, where scantily clad ladies checked in their guests, each of them dressed in the same revealing hotel staff uniforms and wearing plastic devil horns on their heads. From there, the remainder of the floor was divided into two wings. On the right side of the lobby there was the resort restaurant, cocktail bar, and indoor swimming area. On the left side of the lobby was the Resort's Casino, and this giant wing was devoted entirely to the games. There were your more traditional affairs, such as blackjack, poker, craps, and of course hundreds of slot machines. But then there were also the games unique to the Phoenix itself. These included deadly races where guests bet money on underworld prisoners as they ran through a gauntlet of deadly traps in pursuit of freedom. A section devoted entirely to gladiator fights to the death. And finally, the houses most famous attraction, Wheel of Souls.

But Jonathan Hyodo was not there to partake of the games. He'd been given a very clear task by Sona Sitri and his Master. They expected him to return with the money by any means necessary, and he was more than happy to oblige.

As Jon entered the Casino, he found a seat at one of the low stakes blackjack tables and settled in. The dealer, a deathly pale man with a bald head, nodded politely as he sat down. The other guests at the table seemed to eye the man dressed in red and black warily. Save for one female guest who smirked amorously in his direction.

"Welcome to the table, Sir." The dealer greeted politely. "Minimum bet starts at two thousand, however you may go higher if you so wish."

"Put me in for the next round." Jon glanced over at the female wearing a lavish cocktail dress and making kissy faces at him and tipped his hat to her.

"Very well, Sir. And what shall I make as your starting wager?"

He rested his elbows on the table before turning his full attention to the dealer. "Four point two million."

The dealer gave him a perplexed look as did the other players. "I'm sorry sir, but this is a low stakes table. We don't go above twenty thousand."

"No no, you misunderstand." Jon ran a finger through the two black feathers set in his hat. "That's not my bet. It's yours."

The Casino went dead quiet. All activity stopped as each and every guest, staff member, and security guard turned and glared at the man dressed in red and black.

The dealer scowled horribly. "You really think you're going to leave this place alive, Mr. Hyodo?"

Jon chuckled at the dealer in a dry, unamused voice. "I reckon it's possible. After all…"

He tilted his hat up, revealing two glowing red eyes. "Y'all haven't even seen my hand yet."

The dealer reached under his table and pulled out a shotgun in a single, swift motion before being promptly blown away by a massive hole in his chest. Jon held the still smoking Black Colt in his hand as he slowly stood up and stepped onto the table. Hundreds of personal firearms sprang from hidden holsters all around him, as both staff and security alike took aim.

While standing on the blackjack table Jon calmly proceeded to pop a cigarette in his mouth and light it with the tip of his finger. "So if one of y'all don't mind pointing me in the direction of your Boss, I have a few words I'd like to say to him."

They unloaded their arsenal. Handguns, shotguns, automatic weapons, pretty much every firearm they had on their person went off. Hailing a storm of gunfire at their target while the guests evacuated the premises. When their weapons were spent, the staff and security gazed up in terror to see that their target was still standing, surrounded in an orb of neon green energy.

"So that's how you wanna play it, eh?" Jon's left hand was raised in the air, a red metallic gauntlet having appeared over his arm. He took a long drag from the cigarette in his mouth and flared black smoke out of his nostrils. "Alright, I guess I've got some time to kill."

He let loose a sharp whistle and his familiar leapt from a bright light in space and time. The Great White Warg Hati. The massive wolf immediately leapt onto the closest guard and tore out its throat before darting off towards its next target at the speed of moonlight. Jon's gauntlet disappeared from his left hand and a silver revolver took its place. He twirled both weapons in his hands, raised them in the air, and fired.

* * *

It only took about twenty minutes before Abram heard gunfire coming from down the hallway leading to his office. Along with the unmistakable sound of a wolf snarling and ripping limbs apart. If he had to guess. That was Devils Colt's fucking puppy tearing his men to shreds out there.

Disabling the elevators seemed to have done little to slow Devil's Colt down despite the resort being twenty stories tall. As the sounds of gunfire came closer and closer, the CEO's leg started bouncing more and more agitatedly.

Finally, the gunfire came to a dead stop. Abram could only assume this meant Devil's Colt had killed the remainder of his security, or that they had simply scampered off. Either way, he was fucked.

The knob on the door to his office slowly turned before gently creaking open. The massive wolf poked its snout through the doorway and let itself in, sitting near the door patiently while panting happily. Its fangs were drenched in blood as was the fur around its mouth. Devil's Colt followed shortly behind, a veritable massacre at his back, before tipping his hat to the two men waiting inside.

"Gentleman." He greeted.

Leonard Strats lurched up from his chair and pulled a semi automatic from his coat. His head blew from his shoulders a fraction of a second later, splattering Abram with the blood and brain matter of his former second in command. The headless body dropped to its knees before falling to the floor and spilling blood from the stump left on its neck.

Abram calmly wiped the gore from his face with a rag. "For the record, I told him not to do that."

"You'd think they'd learn to listen by now." Jon commented in a dry tone, his revolver having seemingly appeared out of thin air.

"Such is life." Abram chuckled in amusement. "Impossible to find good fucking help these days. But then again I guess you don't have that problem." He motioned to the wolf, who simply snarled in response.

"Easy, Hati." Jon commanded.

Hati sat back on his haunches again while Jon twirled the revolver on his finger. It vanished back to whatever pocket dimension he kept his weapons in, before placing both his hands into his jacket and walking up to the CEO's desk.

"I assume that because I'm not already dead, you're open to discussion?" He asked as calmly as he could given how tense he truly felt.

After helping himself to a seat, Jon stubbed out the remainder of his cigarette and took the crystal flask off of Abram's desk. He uncorked the flask before sniffing its contents, finally pouring himself a glass.

"By all means, help yourself." Abram insisted without hesitation.

Jon then proceeded to pour a second glass and offered it to Abram, who took it gingerly, his eyes never once looking away from Devil's Colt or the Warg sitting near the entrance.

"Anything we should toast to?" Abram asked before raising his glass in the air.

"Peace." Jon calmly replied, raising his glass as well.

The CEO peered at him questioningly. "That's certainly a new one. Does a man like you even know what peace is, Mr. Hyodo?"

"The way I see it, you were just following your Bosses orders when you denied my Master and Lady Sitri that money." Jon spoke frankly, his glass still in the air. "Just like those poor bastards I had to gun down were following yours."

Abram nodded his head. "You would be correct in that assumption."

"So then I'm gonna give you the same chance I gave them." Jon continued. "The chance to walk away."

"How many of my men did you and your pooch kill?" Abram asked warily.

"Not nearly as many as we could have." He replied honestly. "I didn't come here to start a blood bath, Mr. Tuscov. I'm just here to claim what rightfully belongs to my benefactors."

"A Devil with a conscience? That's a new one to me." Abram's face broke out into a twisted smirk. "But then again, you're not like most other Devils are you, Mr. Hyodo? Very well then, peace it is."

They clinked their glasses together and downed the burning liquid in one gulp. Jon then silently stood up from his chair and made his way over to the safe.

"You'll need a keycard for the first lock." Abram explained, opening his desk to search for the item in question. "Plus the six digit combination and a retinal sca-"

In the time it took him to explain all this Jon had already melted through the locks with his fire magic and pried the vault door completely out of the wall before tossing it aside. Abram shrugged his shoulders apathetically before leaning back in his seat. Jon then produced a black bag from his jacket and began stuffing it with the giant stacks of hundred dollar bills he found inside. Once he was satisfied he had taken everything, Jon tied the bag off and slung it over his shoulder before making his way for the door.

"One more thing." Abram stood up from his desk. "My men died for that cash, so if it's all the same to you, I'd like to know what it is your Master needs with four point two million dollars?"

Jon stopped dead in his tracks, turned around, and tilted his hat up to reveal a slick grin plastered on his face.

"The Occult Research Club is getting a pool installed."

With that, Jon exited the office, Hati quick on his tail, and made his way back downstairs.


	2. Chapter 2

Jon should have known Rias wouldn't just thank him for getting the money. While Sona was happy to offer an extra four hundred grand for him performing so admirably, his Master, being the bon vivant woman that she was, had to go the extra mile. Which was why Jon now found himself on her bed, laying in a pile of two and a half million dollars worth of hundreds, with Rias riding him reverse cowgirl.

Her back arched and she braced herself on Jon's abdominal muscles before letting out a loud erotic moan and collapsing back into him, panting heavily.

"Has anyone told you lately you are the very definition of overindulgent?" Jon murmured teasingly into her ear.

She giggled at his comment, still taking a moment to catch her breath. "I think you can afford to indulge me a few decadent fantasies every now and then, Mr. Hyodo." Rias slowly rolled her body over and straddled him again, this time with her chest pressed up against his. "The Servant lives to keep his Master happy after all."

He blew a puff of smoke through his nostrils, partly to scoff at her, and partly to get her crimson locks out of his face. "I don't recall, have sex on a bed of cash, being anywhere in the job description when I first signed on."

Rias raised her busty chest up into Jon's face to shut him up. "I just wanted to give you something to show my appreciation for all the hard work you've done. You know, we've still got some time left before the day begins. Is there anything I can do to better reward my loyal Servant?" She asked before kissing him tenderly on the forehead.

This was how Jon's Master had been behaving ever since the incident at the Phenex Estate. In public she maintained her usual sense of professional decorum and personal pride. But whenever they had a moment to themselves, she would happily cast all of that away, usually along with her clothes, and completely open herself up to Jon both emotionally and physically. There were no walls between Rias and the man she loved. And she reminded him daily of just how deep that love and trust ran, in whatever creative way her devious little mind could think of.

"You really are something else. You know that right?" He smiled back up at her, caressing her cheek gently with the palm of his hand. "You've given me more than I could ever possibly ask for already, Rias."

She sighed contently into his touch. "And yet still, I desire to give you even more." Rias peered down at him in utter adoration as her wings unfurled in front of him. "Whatever you want of me, you need only ask. I may be your Master but my life will always belong to you, Jon."

A knock on the door caused Rias to sit back up and retract her wings. She pouted slightly in annoyance at the interruption.

"Jon, Rias, are you two awake? It's almost time to start breakfast."

Rias smiled at the door upon hearing the sound of a small mousy voice. "Come on in, Asia. You don't have to knock."

Asia slowly opened the door and gasped slightly in surprise before breaking out into a light blush. The golden haired beauty puffed her cheeks out and pouted at them both. "I thought you were going to wait for me, Rias."

The President smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Love. I couldn't help myself."

Asia made her way over to the bed while pulling her white silk nighty over her head and throwing it aside. "I swear, I'm not gonna be left out of the fun anymore."

* * *

Jon didn't think anyone could possibly surpass Asia's cooking, but he'd be lying if he said Rias didn't give her a run for her money. Breakfast that morning was incredible, and the President of the Occult Research Club proved to be every bit as good a cook as her Bishop was.

"I've really gotta say, Rias. You've outdone yourself here." Kiba, her Knight, commented while digging in to the scrumptious omelette she had prepared.

"I agree. It's so good." Akeno, her Queen, also commented.

"It's delicious." Koneko, her Rook, responded flatly.

"I'm glad you all like it." Rias humbly replied.

"You're amazing, Rias." Jon swallowed another massive bite. "I don't think I've had an omelette that was quite this good before."

She smiled at him before blushing lightly. "Thank you, Jon. That was sweet."

He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his elbow as someone twisted the skin on his arm. Jon rubbed the sore spot before turning to see Asia staring away from him and pouting. He kicked himself internally, having completely forgotten she made him this very same thing not but a week ago as well.

As wonderful as forming this relationship with both Asia and Rias had been, it wasn't without its drawbacks. The two were getting along better than he could have possibly hoped. And yet despite that, there was still this, for lack of a better term, rivalry between the two of them. Not so much born out of jealousy, but rather out of some ingrained competitive nature the two seemed to share. If there was something one of them could do, the other seemed to want to be able to do it just as well.

And unfortunately for Jon, he was the one caught in the middle.

"I have to admit, I was a little surprised when you volunteered to take over cooking duties, Ms. President." Akeno spoke up, having finished her meal. "But I'd be lying if I said the help wasn't appreciated. And to think you're such an amazing cook. How is it I've never known that?"

Rias smiled sadly as she cast her gaze over to the kitchen. "Truthfully, I used to hate cooking. My parents had me trained when I was younger, along with other responsibilities that were expected of a dutiful housewife. That was shortly before they announced my engagement to…" She sighed. "...well you know." They all frowned at her in concern, which she quickly brushed off. "But of course that's all in the past now. And besides…" Her gaze met Jon's for a brief moment.

"I've found a new reason to use all that training."

Jon smiled at her before digging back in. The members of the ORC all finished their breakfast and moved on to the main topic of conversation for the day.

"So when are the construction workers supposed to come in?" Kiba asked.

"This afternoon." Rias replied. "Which reminds me, until the renovations to the Headquarters are complete, we're going to have to temporarily move our base of operations elsewhere."

"For real?" Jon asked in surprise. "I thought we were just getting a pool."

"We are." Rias nodded. "However, they're also going to be doing some renovations to the old foundations. As well as doing some work on the floors. It shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks. No need to worry."

"So what are we going to do in the meantime?" Asia asked curiously.

Rias smiled at her. "I've already got something lined up."

* * *

Sona Sitri lead the group through campus towards the Honor's House, located almost polar opposite from the Occult Research Club Headquarters. This lavish, if somewhat small, student dorm was easily one of the most recognizable buildings on campus next to the ORC. But whereas their club's Headquarters offered a more gothic aesthetic to match the theme, the Honor's House boasted an ultra modern design inspired by a famous Japanese architect.

"I can't thank you enough for letting us do this, Sona." Rias spoke graciously while walking side by side with her friend.

"It's really no trouble. We've got plenty of space, and this way I can pay your Pawn back for his hard work the other day."

"As if the two point five mill we got out of the deal wasn't thanks enough." Kiba commented to his Peerage Brother, causing them both to snicker. He, along with Jon, had been relegated to the task of carrying all the ladies bags to their temporary new home in the Honor's House.

"I think this'll be fun!" Asia commented gleefully. "It'll be like a giant sleepover!"

"Except that we'll be sharing our sleeping quarters with two of the world's most annoying Pawns." Koneko commented cheekily.

"You know you love me, Koneko." Jon retorted. To which she simply flipped him the bird insincerely. The two of them had been getting a long a lot better since returning from the Phenex Estate. But she still liked to give him grief every now and then.

As they made their way into the building, a couple members of Sona's Peerage were waiting to greet them at the front door. Namely Ruruko…

...and much to Jon's dismay, Sammy.

"Well well, look who we have here?" The large man with the thick Boston accent spoke up. He was dressed in a green army t-shirt and camo pants with a Dog-Tag from the Green Berets hanging around his neck. "A pleasure to see ya again Lady Gremory. You're looking lovely as ever."

Rias chuckled at the Pawn before nodding her head respectfully. "A pleasure to see you again as well, Sammy. You're too kind."

His eyes then caught the golden haired beauty he remembered meeting at the ORC. Sammy walked up to her before taking her hand in his. "And an absolute pleasure to see you as well, Asia Argento." He kissed the top of her hand before offering one of his debonair smiles. "Might I just say, you are looking particularly radiant this morning."

"Oh...thank you." She cast her gaze away and smiled as a light blush crept over her cheeks.

"Makes me wonder what you're still doing hanging around this bum." He motioned towards Jon with his head, who at the moment was doing his best not to sock Sammy square in the jaw right then and there.

"I don't want you starting trouble while they're here." Ruruko insisted. "They're our guests, we should show them some Sitri hospitality."

"I'm only joking."

The other Pawn rolled her eyes at him before kissing the man rather passionately on the lips. "I have class." She stared up at him lovingly before poking him on the nose. "You stay out of trouble, you hear?"

He groaned. "Yeah yeah, I hear ya, Babe."

She smiled at Sammy before pecking him on the cheek and waving at everyone. Once she was gone Sammy offered Jon an open hand. "Always nice to see ya again, Mr. Hyodo."

"Likewise, Sammy." Jon spoke through gritted teeth before dropping the bags and clasping his hand firmly. The bulging muscles in their arms began to strain as they slowly started crushing each other's wrists. "Color me impressed that you actually managed to keep a Girlfriend for this long."

"You know there've been some rather wild rumors going around about you lately." Sammy commented in a low, somewhat threatening tone. "You just remember to keep ya hands to yourself, Redneck, and we won't have a problem."

"Same goes for you, Yankee." He replied with a growl. "Same goes for you."

"Goodness, they're already at each other's throats and we haven't even been here for five minutes." Akeno observed with a concerned laugh.

"Must be a male thing." Koneko replied in her usual monotone.

"I have some Committee business I need to see to." Sona commented. "So for now I'll leave you in the capable hands of my Queen. Tsubaki, please show them to their rooms."

Sona's Queen bowed her head respectfully. "Of course, Ma'am. If you all will follow me, I'll show you to the guest wing."

The members of the ORC followed Tsubaki through the halls of the Honors House. The building proved to be far more spacious than it initially looked on the outside. Large glass panes opened up the rooms and allowed plenty of natural light to spill in. Several members of Sona's Peerage were relaxing in the study or entertaining themselves in the rec room. The building also boasted its own kitchen with a Familiar acting as the private chef, and an extra plush study lounge.

"So what do you think those rumors Sammy mentioned were?" Jon asked Kiba nervously.

His Peerage Brother shrugged apathetically. "Who knows? He was probably just trying to get a rise out of you, man."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Jon admitted. "Still, that jackass is gonna piss me off if I have to listen to him for too long."

"We should prank him." Kiba offered with a devious grin before pulling out a small salt shaker filled with unknown contents. "I'm thinking some Doxie Dust in his underwear drawer oughta do the trick."

Jon cocked a brow at him in disbelief. "Doesn't that stuff make you itch for like... a week?"

He nodded. "I need to get him back for that smartass comment he made to me last time, anyway. It works out for the both of us."

Jon shot him an approving grin. "You're worse than me, you know that right?"

They both snickered quietly as the malicious gears in their heads began to whir. Rias and Akeno smiled at the two as the group made their way towards the guest rooms.

"It's good to see those two getting along so well." Akeno commented. "When Jon first joined up I was worried they might have problems."

Rias smiled back at them. "They have more in common than they think. But you're right, Jon seems to really bring out the best in Kiba."

"He's not the only one…" Akeno added with a sly grin. "...after all, since when does Rias Gremory cook like a doting housewife?"

Rias blushed deeply. "All the same, I'm glad Kiba has a friend in the Peerage now."

Maybe with Jon around, she thought, he would finally realize he has something to live for other than revenge.

* * *

After the ORC settled into their new living quarters, they went their separate ways to go to class. As usual, Jon and Asia signed up for the same classes with no real regard towards any major or single area of study. Considering it was all for show, the subjects they were studying mattered little. Which was why they found themselves signing up for things like the Art Appreciation class they were both currently attending.

Of course, the moment Matsuda and Motohama found out about it, they signed up for the class too. Most likely hoping they could convince Asia to be the subject of a nude painting.

While the Professor droned on about various different brush stroke techniques, Jon's mind began to wander off elsewhere. Rias's behavior had changed drastically since the incident involving Salazar, as had Asia's to a certain degree. He was worried that they wouldn't get along, but those qualms were quickly put to rest the night Rias and Asia first experimented with each other. An image that would forever be burned into the back of his mind.

The thing that had him worried now was what happened next. Ddraig specifically told him that three other women had received the imprint, and he had all but confirmed that two of them were the other female members of the ORC. Akeno had been acting particularly pushy as of late in that regard, and Koneko had even started to become slightly more affectionate around him. Or at the very least she didn't give off the same look of cold contempt whenever he was in the room anymore.

As for number five, he could only guess as to who that was. The most likely candidate was Riser's younger sister, Ravel Phenex. But given he hadn't seen her since her older brother became the new Head of the Clan, there was no way to confirm that. But he also had no idea who else it could be. Was it one of Sona's Peerage? Or maybe one of the human students at Kuoh? Could humans even receive the imprint? And if so, how many? How many more Treasures was he destined to acquire?

How much farther was this going to go?

Thinking about it too much made his head spin. So for the time being, he decided his best option was to simply keep doing what he had been doing and confront each new challenge as it arose. Besides, what right did he really have to complain? Few men could ever say they've felt love more than once. Fewer still could claim to say they've felt it twice at the same time with two gorgeous young ladies.

"Hey, whatchu gettin all smiley for, Son?" Matsuda spoke up while glaring at Jon suspiciously.

"Dude, what's your problem?" Jon asked.

Motohama pushed up the bridge of his glasses and spoke frankly. "There have been some rather odd rumors about you lately. You may wanna be more careful."

There it was again. Rumors of some kind. Jon could tell something was off from the moment he and Asia stepped into class. The ladies had been staring at him, but not the way they normally did. They were whispering and pointing, concerned looks on their faces.

"What rumors? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well for one…" Motohama continued. "...they say you're messing around with young ladies hearts and falling down the path of certain evil."

Jon's stomach churned. "What?!"

"Some of the girls were talking in our Math class and they say they've seen you walking around with multiple hotties from the Occult Research Club. There are rumors going around you've been using Rias and that fly ass Akeno for some really kinky shit, man."

"On top of that, they say you've even turned your eye to the school mascot, Koneko." Motohama conjectured. "It's been said you've been devouring that sophomore body of hers like a raging beast."

Jon's mouth dropped open. While he was doing his best not to have a full blown mental breakdown, Asia was calmly chatting with some of the female students in the class.

"Asia your hair is like the prettiest ever." One of them commented.

"Oh, I don't think so at all." She insisted.

"Shut up. I would kill for blonde hair like yours." Another added.

"Riiiight?" One girl with brunette hair, purple spectacles, and gold colored eyes spoke up. "Word has it all the boys around campus are enchanted by your hair, too."

"They're enchanted?" Asia asked cluelessly.

Matsuda pointed over at the golden haired beauty before continuing. "Besides, everyone already knows you've been getting all up in Asia's pure virgin bod and that hunny hasn't even been here that long."

"What's your point here, guys?"

"I'm just saying, Bro." Matsuda continued. "You need to chill out with the wack playboy shit. The girls around campus are starting to think you're going full blown womanizer."

And this was coming from two of the biggest perverts Jon had ever known.

"That's completely untrue!" He insisted angrily. "Who the hell told you this?! Where are these rumors even coming from?!"

Matsuda and Motohama both looked at each other and then grinned mischievously back at Jon.

"Okay, so confession, we're the ones spreading those rumors." Motohama admitted with an evil gleam in his eye.

"Yeah! But only because you won't let us in on the deets of what's really going on, Homie."

"It's not just us. The whole school wants to know what you're up to at Casa Deh Rias." Motohama added.

"People wanna know but you're not spilling the gravy, Dawg. We had to improvise."

"You...you've been the ones spreading the rumors? The ones that have apparently gotten so far that Sammy knows about them now?"

"Relax, man." Matsuda assured. "We're not just spreading rumors about girls."

Jon turned white as a sheet. "You didn't…"

"We've totally been telling people you and Kiba are secretly gay for each other and shit." Matsuda boasted.

"Did you know some girls are actually into that sort of thing?" Motohama pointed out.

At that moment a blinding white light formed in front of Jon's eyes as his mind went completely blank with rage.

"Uhh, J-Dog? You all good?"

"Both of you…" Jon's voice came out as a low calm growl. "...are dead the moment this class ends."

Seeing the look of pure rage in Jon's eyes, both Matsuda and Motohama began to get hot under the collar. They knew if they had any chance of living through the day, it would be to book it before the class ended.

"So the three stooges have given in to their primal urges and are talking about sex now?"

Jon turned to see Asia and the girl with brunette hair walking up to them. He chuckled upon seeing the girl with glasses before standing and waving. "Hey Aika." He shot daggers back at Matsuda and Motohama for a moment, paralyzing them to the spot in utter terror, before addressing the girls again.

"Asia, there are so many nice boys around this school. You don't have to waste your time with this jerk." Aika chided in a completely joking manner.

"W...what do you mean?" Asia stammered, turning beet red.

Jon chuckled at her before rolling his eyes. "Is that a hint of jealousy I hear in your voice?"

The Brunette scoffed at him. "You wish. Unlike you, I know how to keep it in my pants."

Aika Kiryuu was one of the few females on campus with whom Jon had formed a genuine friendship who he wasn't also romantically involved with. Being that she was completely gay, Aika was one of the few women he felt could be candid, and at times outright blunt, with him about his reputation on campus. The two formed a bond of sorts that mostly involved taking the piss out of each other, not that it ever bothered him. He liked the smartass brainiac after all.

"You don't have to worry, Jon." Kiryuu assured. "Nobody actually believes any of the crazy stuff Matsuda and Motohama have been saying."

Jon sighed in relief before turning and glaring back at his two bozo friends. "Hear that boys? Aika here just saved your hides. Now thank the nice lady."

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" They both repeated over and over again, bowing their heads while crocodile tears rolled down their eyes.

"I do what I can." She purred. "But in all honesty Jon, there have been a few rumors spreading around campus that are...disquieting." Aika adjusted her glasses and sighed. "Look, I don't know what it is you're up to in that building, mostly because Asia here refuses to talk about it, but you really need to be careful. I worry about my girl sharing a living space with you."

Asia blushed and cast her gaze away shyly.

"You know me better than that." Jon insisted. "I haven't been doing anything dishonest. And you know I would never harm a hair on that girls head."

"Jon…" Asia clutched at her chest sweetly, a small smile forming on her face.

Aika shrugged her shoulders with her hands on her hips. "Suit yourself. Just know I ain't afraid to knock you down a peg, Jonathan Hyodo." She motioned to Asia with her head. "You better be on the up and up with her."

"Aika, I already assured you I'm-"

"I will be." Jon promised. "You don't have to worry about a thing."

The protective brunette cocked a brow at him. "If you say so. Though I'd feel a lot better if one of you could just give me a straight answer for once. There's so many rumors revolving around that Occult Research Club of yours, some none too wholesome."

Asia and Jon both exchanged nervous looks with one another.

"I even heard one that said your club is dabbling in Satanic Practices." She continued. "Ritual sex, blood sacrifices, this is the kinda shit that's been going around. I just want you to be careful. Both of you."

"You seriously don't need to worry." Jon insisted vehemently. "We can't talk about our clubs practices but I can assure you it's nothing-"

A strong pulse of energy surged through his left arm, sending a wave of pain along with it. Jon winced and clutched at the wounded limb as discreetly as he could.

Dammit, not again.

"You okay, Jon?" Aika asked suspiciously.

"Yeah...I'm fine." He assured, opening and closing his hand repeatedly to get the blood flowing again. "I uhh...I need to go take care of something."

"But our free discussion period isn't over yet."

"What is it, Jon?" Asia asked worriedly.

"Go see Akeno." He whispered into her ear as he walked by.

"Is it your arm again?" She whispered back.

He nodded before quickly showing himself out. Asia frowned at him as he left, a look of concern on her face.

"What's his problem, yo?" Matsuda asked.

"Oh it's nothing!" Asia assured, raising her hands in the air defensively. "Just something he has to do for our club."

Aika frowned at Asia suspiciously, folding her arms together. "So seriously, you can't tell me what you guys are doing up there at all?"

"I really wish I could, Aika. But you just have to trust me when I say I can't talk about it." Asia insisted. "It's...very personal to all of us."

A devious grin covered Aika's face. "Wait a minute...are you and Jon Poly?"

"P...poly? What's that?"

"Polyamorous." Aika explained. "Basically it means you're in a relationship with more than one person."

Asia's body went rigid and her face heated up like a thermometer. "Wh...wh...why would you think that?!"

"Because I see you hanging out alone with Rias all the time." Aika mentioned, that same satisfied grin plastered on her face. "Matter of fact, I'm pretty sure I saw her kiss you before leaving for class this morning."

Asia's face went from pink to dark red. Meanwhile, Matsuda and Motohama both looked like they had just died and went to heaven. Their mouths hanging open as drool fell to the floor like a waterfall.

"Come on Asia, just admit the truth." Aika encouraged. "It's okay to be a little curious, I just want to make sure Jon is treating you well."

"He...he is!" Asia whined. "Jon and Rias treat me better than anyone!" She went wide eyed and quickly clasped two hands over her mouth upon realizing what she just said.

"I knew it!" The brunette cackled gleefully. "All this time, I never would have guessed you swung that way, Asia. If you ever need tips or tricks, I'm always around to give advice." She pushed up the bridge of her glasses. "For one, you need to do something about those nails. They're far too long to be pleasurable to a lady's-"

Asia quickly clasped her hands over Aika's mouth. "Stop! I don't want you talking about that sort of thing anymore!" She begged.

Matsuda and Motohama both began to sob obtusely.

"Why is it always him?!"

* * *

Jon sat in Akeno's room in the guest wing of the Honor's House, his shirt off as was always requested, silently waiting for the Queen Piece to arrive. She was the only one in the Peerage who was capable of helping him with this 'little problem' he'd been having with his power. And was more than happy to do so.

Perhaps a little too happy.

The door to the room opened and Jon was greeted to the sight of Akeno, dressed in nothing but a soaking wet bath robe.

"Sorry about the wait." She apologized in a flirty manner, undoing her ponytail and shaking her raven hair loose.

He gulped before taking a deep breath. "Sorry I had to contact you so last minute."

A small giggle emanated from the back of her throat. "That's hardly your fault, Jon." She replied, her voice picking up that slight vocal fry it always did whenever she was turned on. Akeno kneeled on the floor in front of him.

"Now...let's get started." She cast two amorous rose tinted eyes up at him.

"Whatever you say." Jon replied somewhat nervously, his heart beating like a drum in his chest.

Another giggle. "Oh no, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." He assured as calmly as could be expected. "You're just...you're still all wet."

"I only had time to grab a quick shower before you called. I didn't have time to dry my body properly." She explained, kneeling before him with her two healthy breasts nearly busting out of the robe she was wearing. Small trails of moisture riveted off her luscious silky skin completely frying Jon's ability to reason. Akeno slowly placed her hands on Jon's left arm and ran them along his Dragon's Mark, her eyes never once looking away from him. "Is it distracting?"

He knew this was coming. Jon and Akeno had been passing subtle hints at each other ever since the incident during the Rating Games. Lately however, she had really started to become more aggressive in her advances towards him. Which, frankly speaking, had him a little nervous.

The truth was...for all his talk of being a Ladies Man, Akeno scared the hell out of Jon. It wasn't just that she was an S&M obsessed sadist (though he'd be lying if he said that didn't tie into it) it was also because she was honest to God one of the single most physically attractive women he had ever met in his life. Not only that, but she was so obscenely aware of it too. Akeno was far more mature than the other ladies of the ORC. Not to say that they weren't all grown women. But Rias, for all her confidence and pride, was still a virgin when they met and it really showed the night after his fight with Salazar. There was a very real timidness she displayed during their first experience despite the fiery passion that came with it. And Asia, bless that poor girls heart, had probably never seen so much as a picture of a man's penis before that night at the hotel. Jon was in complete control during their first encounter, and acted as the tender loving guide for the terrified girl as they explored her body together for the first time. Though both of them were incredible women that he adored without end, they both lacked experience when it came to the subject of sex culture.

Akeno, on the other hand, most certainly did not. She knew exactly what she was doing, and was not shy about it in the least. For the first time in Jon's life, the tables had been turned. She was the one in control, not him.

"I really am sorry you have to keep doing this." Jon apologized, not knowing what else to do or say in the current situation.

"Nonsense." She insisted, continuing to massage his arm with the tips of her fingers, giving him chills in all the right ways. "The issue is with your enhanced levels of power. When Lady Grayfia helped you learn all those new spells, she had to force the rest of the Pawn Pieces in your heart to unlock. But your body wasn't quite ready to handle that much magical energy at once." She brought his hand to her face. "Sucking the excess energy from your fingertips is the only way to clear everything out."

Akeno proceeded to slip her mouth around his pointer finger before sucking playfully, her eyes still glued to his as an erotic moan emanated from the back of her throat. Jon tilted his head back in the chair and did his best not to go cross eyed. If it felt this good from her just sucking on his freaking finger then he could only imagine…

She sighed contently, closing her eyes as a series of pleased noises came from her closed mouth. Akeno ran her tongue along his finger vigorously as she sucked, clearly getting even more enjoyment out of this than he was. As the excess energy in his arm subsided she finally released his finger before licking her lips.

"Honestly." Akeno teased. "It's just a simple procedure. You're getting flustered so easily it just makes me want to taunt you even more, silly boy.

He groaned in embarrassment. "Seriously? Is it that obvious?"

"Of course." She replied while cupping her breasts in her arms. "Trust me, if you could see your face right now you'd totally get it." Akeno then pulled her hands up, letting her breasts bounce for a moment in a manner that was completely unnecessary. "I'd be remiss if I didn't torment you more." She then proceeded to raise herself up into his lap and bring her lips up to his ear.

"Guess what?" She whispered in the most overtly seductive voice imaginable. "I have a crush on this cute guy in my club. But he's playing really hard to get."

Finally, he found his confidence again. Enough to retort at least.

"Let me guess, it's Kiba right?" He joked.

She giggled at him before wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing her still soaking wet bust up against his chest, and raising her ass up in the air with her back arched.

"And of course you're not wearing any underwear either." He commented, very glaringly aware of the stiff perky nipples pressing against his skin through the near translucent bathrobe.

"All natural is just part of the healing process." She insisted, her breath heated against his neck.

"Well who am I to argue with tradition?" He replied, slowly regaining his lost nerve.

She wiggled her butt in the air for him, before nipping at his neck playfully with her lips. "You know, Jon...I can see where your mind has been these past few weeks. I know you're worried about the Imprint but you shouldn't be."

He cast a curious gaze at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean...it's not just about the Dragon's soul within you." She continued, her voice just as heated as it was before. "Do you remember your first fight with Salazar?"

"I could never forget." He answered candidly.

"You got up time and time again after being beaten down. No matter how much pain you endured, you still had the strength to get right back up and keep fighting." He could feel her heart start to beat faster against his chest. "And then afterwards, watching you crash the Wedding to save Rias...I was in awe, Jon." She raised her head back up and straddled his lap, her eyes gazing into his adoringly. "My point is, Imprint or no Imprint, how could a girl not fall in love with a man like that?" She began to move her hips on his lap ever so slightly. "I wonder...is that what I'm feeling right now?"

"Akeno…" Jon swallowed back the remainder of his frayed nerves. "...I know we've been...dancing around this issue for awhile. But if you're ready to talk about it, then I am too."

"More than you could possibly know." She purred, her face getting mere inches away from his. "But if I make a move on you so soon then Rias will get jealous, and we both know what she's like when she's upset."

Akeno took his right hand in hers and brought it up to her face with a look of deep want. "For now, we had best stand on ceremony." She casually remarked before licking up his palm to the tips of his fingers, bringing three into her mouth before sucking again, going so far as to let his arm slip between her two heaving breasts.

Jesus fucking Christ! You are determined to make this agonizing for me, aren't you you sadistic She-Devil?!

She finally released his fingers and looked back at him with that same lustful gaze. "But..I have it on good authority that Rias and Asia have planned a little date night for just the two of them the week before our monthly meeting. Is it true?"

Jon nodded. "Yeah, it was Rias's idea actually. She wanted to get to know Asia a little better." He coughed awkwardly. "Outside of the bedroom, I mean."

Akeno giggled lightly while running his hand along her cheek. "I tell you what. While they're out getting to know each other better. Why don't you and I stay in that night and do the same?"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Jon frowned. "I don't want to piss off Rias and…"

"She already knows my feelings, Jon." Akeno assured. "It's not like I haven't made it obvious."

That's true…

"And besides…" She cast her gaze away, a slightly embarrassed look in her eyes. "...what I want from you is a little different than Rias and Asia's desires."

He peered at her curiously. "And what would that be, exactly?"

She shook her head in a coy manner. "Uh uh uh, not just yet. Our night will be here soon." She licked the palm of his hand again, servicing his fingers with her tongue greedily. "I promised I'd show you the real me one day. And I still have every intention of doing so."

Akeno then slowly stood up from his lap and adjusted her bathrobe. "But until then, I'm going to respect Rias's wishes and keep my distance. In the meantime, let's keep this our little secret, okay?"

He nodded in understanding. "Okay."

"And besides." She added, pressing a hand to her cheek as her face heated up again. "It's more fun that way."

With that, Akeno turned and exited the room. Leaving Jon an exhausted, wet, mess on the chair.


	3. Chapter 3

The Monastery was peaceful enough. She learned that pretty early on. The service every Sunday was respectable, and the Nuns were all kind to her. Still, Irina couldn't help but be restless in her new home. And given what she now knew, it wasn't difficult to understand why.

Considering roughly three months ago her father was mauled to death by a werewolf.

When Jon first confessed to her the nature of the beast that killed her father, his initial observation proved to be correct. She didn't believe him. Or rather, she wouldn't have believed him had she not seen the evidence with her own two eyes. But it was all true. Werewolves weren't just stories kids told around a campfire. They were real, as were all the other creatures of the Underworld.

Knowing that, and the fact that she was spending so much of her time not doing something about it is what was making her so restless. As grateful as she was to the Church for taking her in, Irina couldn't help but feel like there was something more important she could be doing. Up until now she had been mostly attending classes and doing basic chores around the grounds. Helping the women in the kitchen, learning to sew, cleaning, all the things expected of a proper Nun.

But Irina didn't want to be a Nun. She wanted to fight. The death of her father ruined whatever dreams she might have had of a normal life. Now her only concern was doing everything she could to make sure the travesty she endured would not happen to anyone else.

Which was why she became obsessed with the Order of the Saintly Knights of Michael. Irina wanted to be a Hunter, and she spent all of her free time learning as much as she could. And the more she learned, the more enraptured she became. Human warriors wielding the power of God to smite evil? It was like something straight out of a comic book.

And then there was Jon.

Irina had learned a lot about the man that saved her life since coming to the Monastery. At sixteen years old, Jonathan Hyodo was considered to be one of the Church's fiercest Hunters. To the other warriors he was known as the Wonder Kid, God's Prodigy Child, and perhaps most famously...Heaven's Revolver.

But to the Head Mother of the Monastery, he was simply Jonathan. A boy who came to the Order when he was even younger than Irina was. When she learned how he lost his parents to an Elder Vampire, and how he continued to fight regardless, it was more than a little inspiring to say the least.

Irina felt so helpless the night her dad died. But Jon had been so sweet and so caring. He would occasionally come to check up on her as she settled into her new life at the Monastery. As well as occasionally offering a shoulder for her to cry on.

He really was...wonderful.

But regardless, Irina was determined never to feel that helpless ever again. She wanted to live by Jon's example and fight the unholy creatures of the Underworld. Which was why she began sneaking out of her bed at night to use the underground firing range.

That particular night Irina did as she normally would and grabbed the only pistol in the whole armory she actually recognized, along with a box of ammo, before making her way over to the firing range. Every time she practiced, Irina would try to remember what little her father taught her about shooting. Remembering to keep her stance solid, aim the gun at center mass, and squeeze the trigger as opposed to pulling it.

After going through two clips worth of ammunition, Irina checked her grouping and found it was getting better. So she decided to go ahead and try that trick she'd been wanting to practice for awhile now. After reloading the weapon she placed the gun in the belt of her skirt and took a stance similar to Jon's the night he shot that werewolf with his revolver. The gun left his holster so fast she barely saw it and his shots were all dead on.

She was curious to see if she could pull off something similar.

Irina took a deep breath, her fingers tentatively hovering over the grip of the weapon, before pulling the gun as fast as she could and firing from the hip.

Three shots fired wildly before she heard an ugly click and the gun stopped. Confused, she took a look at the firing chamber and groaned in frustration upon seeing one of the rounds sticking halfway out the slide. The gun had jammed.

"See that in the movies?"

The sound of a man's voice made her nearly jump out of her own skin. Irina turned around with the gun hiding behind her back when she saw Jon leaning against the cubicle wall with a shit eating grin on his face.

"I wasn't…I mean...this isn't…" She stammered incoherently, trying to come up with a logical explanation for her presence that would get her out of trouble.

Jon cocked a brow at her and placed his hand out with an upturned palm, motioning for her to handover the gun behind her back. She sighed before hanging her head shamefully. Knowing full well she was busted, Irina offered him the jammed up handgun.

"Your shooting was just fine before." Jon commented as he inspected the gun. "Why'd you suddenly turn into Doc Holiday there?"

She crossed her hands together in her lap and blushed with embarrassment. "I was...trying to do it like you."

Jon opened his mouth to comment but otherwise remained silent. After a moment he finally spoke. "You never want to try to dampen the recoil on an automatic." He explained while fidgeting with the slide to pop the stubborn bullet free from the firing chamber. "Otherwise you end up with this situation."

She quirked her head up at him intrigued and watched as he fixed the weapon before taking it back to the armory. When he returned he had a different gun in his hand.

"This is a Colt Single Action Army." He explained, holding the gun up so she could see. "Also known as a Peacemaker. This weapon was once the favored sidearm of Cavalrymen in the US Army." He popped open the cylinder and loaded the gun. "Also Cowboys in the Old West if you believe Hollywood." After popping the cylinder back into place he showed her the gun again. "This particular model has been modified to accommodate twenty twos. You'll find the kickback is a lot rougher, but it has far more stopping power."

"Six shots is all you get?" She asked skeptically.

He smirked at her before taking a spot at the range. Jon fired off five rounds in quick succession through the targets chest before placing the last one in its head. Irina's jaw hit the floor. His grouping was so tight he may as well have put five bullets in the exact same spot. And he did it all in the span of about three seconds, making it look completely effortless in the process.

"With enough practice, six shots is all you need." Jon explained while reloading the weapon. "When you face off against the forces of the Underworld, the quality of your shots matters a hell of a lot more than the quantity."

She felt his chest press against her back and his strong sturdy arms connect with hers. Jon placed the revolver in her hands while using his own to help adjust her grip and line up the shot.

"A single silver bullet to the heart or the head is enough to stop most creatures of Darkness." He calmly instructed in his normal, husky voice. "It's all about knowing where to put it, and finding the best method for doing so."

Irina's heart skipped a beat in her chest and her face flared bright red. She was trying to listen to what Jon was telling her but he was just...so close.

"Remember to steady your breathing." He continued, adjusting her aim one last time before squeezing her fingers and firing the gun. He fired five shots one after the other in slow succession, letting her feel the recoil of the gun and memorize the positioning of her hands. On the sixth shot he backed away.

"That one's all yours."

She took a moment to steady herself and allow the redness in her face to subside before pulling back the hammer and firing. The shot hit its mark dead on causing her face to light up.

"I did it!" She cheered excitedly.

"Well I'll be, the kids a natural." Jon replied supportingly.

She spun around and beamed up at him happily. Upon making eye contact again, however, her heart started to flutter and she shyly cast her gaze away. "So...did you come down here to practice too?"

He shrugged apathetically. "Honestly, I just came down here to sneak in a smoke break without getting busted by Father Kyle."

"Oh...okay." She fiddled with the revolver in her hand for a moment before peering back up at him. "Hey, Mr. Hyodo, Sir? Could I possibly ask you something?"

"Sweetheart when I hear the words 'Mr. Hyodo' I look around to make sure my Father hasn't come back from the dead." He spoke blithely before pulling out a pack of smokes and popping one in his mouth. "Call me Jon."

"Okay...Jon." She flushed slightly with embarrassment. "I was just...I was wondering if maybe you could teach me."

Jon was halfway through the process of lighting up when he stopped and glanced back at her curiously.

"I mean…" She fidgeted in place for a moment before finally finding her nerve and standing up straight. "...I want to be a Hunter. Just like you."

He seemed to consider her words for a moment before lighting his cigarette and taking a long drag.

"You sure?" He asked after blowing a cloud of smoke into the air.

She frowned slightly. "Of course I'm sure."

Jon sighed in a melancholy tone. "Kid...I don't think you realize what it is you're asking. This job...it ain't easy. Not by any stretch of the imagination."

"I know!" She insisted vehemently, a determined look in her eyes. "But I don't care if the training's tough. I'll work as hard as I have to."

Jon shook his head. "It's not just that." He took another drag before continuing. "Yeah the training is gruelling. But I'm saying the job itself isn't easy. Becoming a Hunter ain't like becoming a Policeman or a Firefighter. There's no benefits, you get paid in rations, and there's little to no chance of retirement. It's a sacrifice that more often than not ends in a gruesome death."

She cast her gaze away dejectedly. "Does that mean you're saying no?"

"No I'm not." He insisted. "I just want you to understand what it is you're getting into. Becoming a Hunter means becoming a Martyr. At some point, the life catches up to you. It happened to my old man just as it's bound to happen to me sooner or later."

"So then why do you do it?" Irina asked quietly.

He sighed before taking another drag of his smoke and staring up at the ceiling. "Because I have to make sure that all those deaths mean something."

Irina peered at him curiously. She wanted to ask further, but decided against it.

"I tell you what." He tossed the remainder of his cigarette on the ground and stubbed it out. "I'll show you some exercises to help you practice with that gun. You show me in a month that you can use that thing, I'll train you. Sound fair?"

Her face lit up again and she beamed at him. "Yes! I'll do whatever it takes! I promise I won't let you down."

Jon chuckled in spite of himself. "Alright, come back tomorrow night and I'll give you some more pointers." He then turned to leave.

"Jon?"

He turned back around. "Yeah?"

"I never got to say thank you…" She turned her head away, a small frown forming on her features. "...for saving my life."

He turned away solemnly for a moment before nodding.

"Don't mention it."

* * *

Irina gazed down at the silver revolver in her hand, twirling it on her finger occasionally. The model of the weapon was the very same as the revolver she learned to use with her old Mentor. A Colt Single Action Army. Ever since that day she had been training her butt off to get stronger. From the moment Jon first offered to teach her, Irina dedicated her life to becoming the strongest Hunter she could.

To think that she would one day use these skills to destroy the very man who taught them to her. It broke her heart, she couldn't lie to herself about that. But at the same time, it was that very pain that kept her going. Jon betrayed his comrades and turned himself into the very thing he once swore to destroy.

She would be the one to bring justice upon the man she once respected more than any other.

"He's here." Xenovia motioned over to a cloaked figure approaching them.

Irina perked her head up and holstered her revolver before jumping down from the pile of boxes she had been sitting on. They'd been waiting in this warehouse for what seemed like forever for their informant to show up, and frankly, she was bored out of her skull.

"It's about time." She commented.

The duo made their way over to the cloaked individual, who appeared to be rather nervous.

"Are you certain you weren't followed?" He asked insistently.

"Chillax, man." Irina insisted, stretching her arms over her head and then behind her back. "We're not amateurs, of course we weren't followed."

"Do you have the information we're seeking or not?" Xenovia asked impatiently.

He nodded, still fidgeting anxiously. "We need to make this quick. It's not safe here."

"Hey, you were the one who insisted on this place as our meeting spot." Irina reminded him.

"It's irrelevant at this point." Xenovia insisted. "Now give us what we came for so we can be done with this."

The man pulled out a file with the word classified marked in bold red letters on the front. Xenovia took the folder and opened it up. Inside was the last known locations of various Holy Swords and their owners.

Four of them had their pictures crossed through and the letters KIA under their name.

"As I'm sure I don't need to tell you, over the past eight months, three of the five Excalibur Swordsman have been murdered and their Holy Swords stolen." The Informant explained. "That leaves only two that remain…"

Xenovia and Irina both looked at each other.

"...the two of you."

"Do we have a suspect?" Irina asked while glancing over Xenovia's shoulder at the document.

"We do." The informant confirmed. "Turn to page nine."

Xenovia turned to the proper page and glared down at the picture of the short white haired man with red eyes grinning maniacally back at her.

"Freed Sellzen." Xenovia spoke out loud, a hint of disgust in her voice. "He's at the top of the Vatican's most wanted list."

The informant nodded his head in confirmation. "Right up there with your secondary target. Turn to page ten."

She did as instructed and turned to page ten. Irina scowled horribly upon seeing the face staring back at her.

"Jonathan Hyodo." Irina squeezed the grip of her revolver until her knuckles turned white. "Is that seriously what he looks like now?"

"According to my intel, he's been very active in this region." The informant continued. "Demonic activity has spiked by nearly two hundred percent just within the last year, and we're certain he's at least partially responsible for the desecration of the city's church."

"Blessed Lord…" Xenovia bowed her head and clasped a hand to her chest. "...give us strength in these turbulent times. That we might bring justice to the wicked, and smite these Sons of Cane in your name. Amen."

"There's one more thing…" The informant began to sweat profusely, his head darting around for any sign of a disturbance. "Freed Sellzen and Jonathan Hyodo are not your biggest concerns. Not by a long shot."

Irina looked at him nervously. "What do you mean? There's someone else?"

"Yes…" He began to tremble apprehensively. "...Freed has a Master. A man by the name of-"

The right side of the informants chest exploded following the sound of a rifle cracking off far in the distance. Irina and Xenovia immediately drew their weapons as he clutched at his bleeding robes before collapsing to the ground. Upon seeing that there was no one behind him, Xenovia quickly holstered her MP7A1 and ran over to the downed informants side.

"...beware...the Angel of the Stars…" The informant coughed up blood as he spoke. "...beware...the man they call...Kokabiel."

The informant collapsed as one final death rattle marked the end of his life. Xenovia closed his eyes and placed the cross around her neck against his forehead.

"Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen."

With her prayer finished, Xenovia kissed her cross and placed it back in her cloak. As she did this, Irina located the bullet that had pierced his chest and inspected it. "Looks like a Three Thirty Eight Magnum Cartridge. Probably from a Remington, if I had to guess."

Xenovia sighed before placing the informant down. "Then our shooter is long gone by now."

"Kokabiel…" Irina scratched at her chin thoughtfully as she recounted her advanced demonology lessons. "...that's one of the Fallen Angels mentioned in the Book of Enoch."

Xenovia nodded in confirmation before standing back up and gazing out the open window that the shot must have come from. "He's the fourth name mentioned as one of the twenty watchers. It is said he leads an army of over two hundred Fallen Angels."

"He truly exists?" Irina asked incredulously. "I thought the Book of Enoch was declared heresy by the Church."

"There are some denominations that still consider it to be Canon." Xenovia explained. "The Holy Knights of Ethiopia still use the book in their religious doctrine."

"But I thought the Order cut all ties with our brothers in Africa years ago. Their Chapter was declared a rogue state by the Church. A lot of their practices are considered witchcraft."

Xenovia shook her head profusely. "Politics and bigotry are what lead to the Sub Saharan Chapter's departure from the Knights. But they're still very active, a lot ot the Holy Weapons we use are based on their designs." She peered over at Irina. "Who do you think originally wrote the alchemical formulas we used to forge our Holy Swords?"

Irina gawked back at her superior in disbelief. "It was them?"

"You're young Irina." Xenovia commented understandingly. "And you've yet to truly see all the different currents that flow beneath the surface of our Order. When it comes to the subject of heresy, there are two kinds. The kind that is declared because it goes against God."

"And the other?"

She gave Irina a sly smirk.

"The kind that is declared to protect the innocent masses from the truth."

* * *

Rias and Asia had gotten themselves all dolled up for their night out together. Asia was wearing an outfit that Rias had loaned to her. A flattering black skirt that rose up just above the midpoint of her thighs and a white halter top that showed off her gorgeous backside. She'd also borrowed a ruby teardrop necklace that sat at the crest of her cleavage. Along with a pair of red Louboutin pumps.

Rias, meanwhile, was wearing a black sundress with mesh stockings, a gold and diamond necklace, and she was walking around in black Gucci wedges.

They had both done up their hair and makeup and looked absolutely stunning.

"Just let me know if anything club related comes up." Rias insisted as they made their way to the door of the Honors House.

Akeno bowed her head. "Of course, Ms. President."

"Try not to start any more fights with Sammy." Asia lectured Jon sternly with her hands on her hips.

"Hey, I will if he doesn't." Jon replied defensively.

"You don't have to worry about a thing." Akeno assured. "We've got everything under control here."

Rias nodded and hugged Akeno before whispering in her ear. "Go easy on him tonight. I expect my Pawn in one piece by the time we get back."

Akeno's eyes went wide. "Ms. President...are you saying?"

She nodded, a small smile on her face. "Come on, Akeno. You didn't really think I wouldn't notice that harness you're wearing underneath your uniform, did you? Very devious, my Queen."

"And you're okay with it?" Akeno asked nervously.

"Of course I am. I've known since before the Rating Games how you feel. I assume you're planning on performing the ceremony tonight?"

Akeno's face heated up. "Part of it. I'm only giving him my half tonight."

Rias smiled for her. "I know you've waited a long time for this. I'm so happy you've finally found the man who can give you what you need."

Akeno pulled her President in close for a tighter hug. "Thank you so much, Rias. I can't tell you how much this means to me."

She hugged her back. "Don't worry too much about Asia. I'll explain it to her tonight. I expect a full report when I get back, okay?"

"Of course, Ms. President."

Rias finally released Akeno and turned towards Asia. "You coming?"

She had just finished kissing Jon again when she turned and looked at the President. Already, she had managed to smudge her lipstick.

Rias giggled at her incredulously before pulling her touchup supplies out of her bag. "Honestly, you're supposed to be my date tonight. Remember?"

Asia smiled in embarrassment. "Sorry Rias."

After touching up Asia's makeup again, Rias turned and kissed Jon a tad more conservatively than Asia did. "Behave yourself while I'm gone, my Servant." She chided jokingly, before adding with a whisper. "Treat Akeno well. She's about to show you the most vulnerable side she has."

He went wide eyed. "Wait, what did you just s-"

"Alright, gotta go." Rias pecked him on the cheek and then waved daintily before walking with Asia outside.

"Bye Jon. See you later tonight." Asia waved at him before Rias shut the door.

The moment they were gone Akeno felt her heart flutter in her chest. She knew Jon could hear it and was determined to not let her racing nerves impede her desires for the night.

"So…" Jon blew a breath through pursed lips. "...what's the game plan?"

Akeno took a deep breath before turning back and smiling at him. "Dinner first. Afterwards, there's something very special I want to show you."

Jon nodded in understanding. "Of course. Is there anything I can do to help?"

She shook her head. "This part I need to do alone."

"You sure? I do know how to cook, believe it or not."

She smiled at him before shaking her head emphatically. "This is how I want it. Just trust me, it's all part of what I…" Her face flushed slightly. "...just trust me."

This was strange. Akeno seemed nervous about something, which wasn't like her at all. Where was the confident sadistic she-devil he remembered from their last energy draining session?

"You just relax for now, Jon." Akeno assured. "I've got everything under control."

She left without another word. Confused, but nevertheless intrigued, Jon decided to play along for now and stepped outside for a smoke break. Upon stepping outside, however, a sight awaited him that made the cigarette fall from his gaping mouth.

Sammy was leaned up against a tree in the yard making out with a girl wrapped around his neck. A girl who was definitely not Ruruko. Judging by the silver color of her hair, Jon guessed that to be Momo Hanakai, one of Sona's Bishops.

Quickly regaining his composure, Jon cleared his throat abruptly. Causing the two to jump in surprise. Sammy swore under his breath as Momo quickly pulled away and rebuttoned the front of her shirt.

"Let me guess, you were helping her pop her back right?" He joked with his arms folded.

Sammy shot him an angry glare before turning back towards Momo. "I'll see ya back inside, okay?"

"Okay." She turned, her face flushed in embarrassment as she made her way to the door.

Jon watched as Momo quickly made her way back inside before turning back towards Sammy. "I guess this is what they call playing the field. Does Ruruko know about this little love triangle of yours?"

Sammy laughed at him angrily. "Oh that is just fucking rich coming from you, Southern Boy. You think we all don't know about your little 'Treasure Horde' you've been working on?"

Jon scowled back down at him. "Watch it…"

Sammy got directly into Jon's face. "Don't stick your nose into my business and I won't stick mine into yours. Sound fair?" He bumped Jon's shoulder as he made his way back into the house. As he did so, Kiba made his way outside staring back at Sammy before turning back to his Peerage Brother.

"I see you two are friendly as ever."

"The best of friends." Jon replied sarcastically.

"You do realize he's a Dragon too, right?" Kiba explained.

Jon nodded. "Yeah. What of it?"

He chuckled at his overzealous Brother. "Look, I'm not a huge fan of the guy either. But you and him are at least on the same boat in that respect."

"I ain't like him. I don't care what anyone else says." Jon insisted before staring at the sword on Kiba's hip. "Something up?"

"Nothing for you to worry about." Kiba assured. "I'm just helping out the Sitri clan on an assignment. We've been getting reports of possible Church activity in the area. The powers that be want us to find out what they're doing here."

Jon frowned worriedly. "You sure you don't need me to tag along?"

Kiba shook his head insistently. "We're just gonna do some scouting around, and besides…" He motioned back towards the door with his head. "...you just saw my partner for the mission."

Jon scowled angrily, completely losing interest in the assignment. "Have fun with that."

Kiba chuckled in amusement. "Koneko's out on an assignment as well, so it looks like it'll just be you and Akeno tonight." He peered at him with a suspicious smirk on his face. "You know it's funny…Rias was very insistent we weren't supposed to get you two involved."

"She's...playing matchmaker again." Jon explained with a slightly embarrassed grin. "Let's just leave it at that."

Kiba smiled at him before nodding in understanding. "For what it's worth, I think you're doing an amazing job keeping those girls happy."

He smiled back and nodded. "Thanks Kiba."

"Yo Blondie!" Sammy came back out dressed in black military camo and a bullet proof vest with, what appeared to be, a Black Desert Eagle holstered to it. The entire getup made Jon chuckle under his breath. "We doing this or what?"

Kiba rolled his eyes before waving at Jon. "Catch you later, Bro."

Jon nodded and watched as the duo made their way off the property. Sammy flipped Jon the bird from behind his back to which he simply scoffed.

"Yeah, right back at ya buddy." He murmured to himself before stubbing out the remainder of his cigarette, throwing it away, and heading back inside.

* * *

The dinner Akeno prepared for him that night was surprisingly intricate. She would have had to have spent the majority of the day on prepwork to get everything ready. Not that he was complaining. The meal was absolutely delicious. And the fact that she had changed into a sexy little french maid outfit that seemed to have been designed specifically for her body was definitely a bonus.

But more bizarre than that was the fact that she didn't prepare anything for herself. Akeno insisted that she had already eaten and when questioned further Jon simply got different variations of 'this is all just a part of it'. As weird as he felt eating in front of her while she stood nearby with her gaze cast to the floor, Jon decided not to question it, as Akeno seemed to be enjoying herself regardless.

She had the most curious little smile on her face though. Not one of her usual ones either. This wasn't coy Akeno or motherly Akeno he was seeing. This was something completely different.

If he had to give it a name, he'd call it demure Akeno.

"Are you all done, Sir?" She asked politely with her head bowed.

That was the other thing. She'd been referring to him as nothing but Sir the entire night and he could only guess as to why. Obviously Akeno was playing some sort of game with him. But as to the nature of said game, he was completely clueless. It made him a little anxious to be perfectly honest. He wasn't used to being at such a blatant disadvantage on a first date.

If that was truly what this even was.

After finishing his meal, Akeno took the remaining plates back to the kitchen and loaded them in the dishwasher before turning it on. She then walked back to Jon and gazed at him expectantly.

"Is there anything else you need from me before we begin, Sir?"

Okay, try as he might. He just couldn't keep playing along without his curiosity screaming at him for answers. "Akeno, what's going on here? You've been acting...different ever since Rias left."

She smiled at him in that same strange demure way. "I understand your confusion, but if you'll trust me for just a little longer, I promise I'll explain."

Jon sighed before shaking his head and chuckling. "Alright, then. Lead the way." He stood up from his seat and waited for her lead.

Akeno motioned for him to follow, her hips swaying to and fro with every step as they made their way towards the Honors House study room.

"You got an exam you need to prepare for?" Jon asked curiously.

A small devious smile crept over her lip. "Something like that."

He smiled back at her. Now this was the Akeno he knew. As she proceeded to walk up to the bookshelf and slide a seemingly random book part way out of the wall, he heard an audible click as one of the shelves sunk into the floor, revealing an elevator directly behind it.

He cocked a brow in surprise. "Now that's some Scooby Doo shit if I've ever seen it."

She giggled at him and nodded in agreement. "This passage takes us down to the Sitri Peerage's private conclave." Akeno explained before pushing a button to open the doors. "They use it for activities related to the Sitri clan away from any prying eyes."

"Why don't we have something like this?" Jon asked as they both made their way into the elevator and shut the door.

"There's no need." Akeno spoke frankly before hitting a button that began the descent. "Membership into the Occult Research Club is by invite only. Making the need for secrecy a moot point. But the Honors House is a different story. They'll occasionally have students who aren't members of Sona's Peerage living in the Honors Dorms."

"That must be annoying."

"From what I understand it doesn't happen often." She explained adding with a mischievous look. "It doesn't surprise me considering Kuoh Academy has one of the toughest academic standards for honor roll in the country."

Jon snickered at her comment. "I can't possibly imagine why."

"Those who do manage to maintain the standard usually end up becoming Demons of the peerage. Or in some extreme cases like Ruruko, joining the Peerage. Even those few outliers who are never received by the Clan aren't that much of a bother. Memories can be replaced. Excuses can be made. Humans are notoriously forgetful creatures, and tend to rationalize away anything they would rather not have seen."

"So why bother with an underground lair at all then?"

Akeno cast her gaze away and placed her hands against her lap, that demure look in her eyes returning. "Well...there are other uses for the underground conclave."

Before he had a chance to ask the elevator came to a stop and the door opened up to reveal a large underground hallway seemingly carved from stone and illuminated by candlelight.

"Woah…" Was all Jon could say. He wasn't expecting it to be quite so...grand.

Akeno beckoned for him to follow. "Right this way, Sir."

Jon followed behind Akeno as they made their way deeper into the conclave. Upon reaching a sturdy wooden door several yards in, she pulled out a small ornate key and pressed it into the lock. As she opened the door and entered, Jon followed shortly behind and looked around.

Whereupon he immediately froze to the spot like a deer in headlights. It was a dungeon. But not like the kind you would expect to find in the Underworld. No. If anyone was thrown in here it was only because they asked someone to do it, having already arranged a proper safeword and established boundaries.

This was one of those dungeons. Complete with all the various tools, instruments, and devices one might expect to find in such a place.

"Why…" His first question was supposed to be 'why did you bring me here?' but he quickly changed it. "...is this here?"

Akeno couldn't help but giggle at his reaction. She'd been expecting it, but it was still funny. "You think I'm the only S&M freak at Kuoh? Sona Sitri is notoriously kinky. She has even more experience as a Dominatrix than I do."

"Could have fooled me." Jon commented blankly, still trying to wrap his head around this sudden development.

"She's far more private about this sort of thing than I am, however. Sona built this place so as to indulge in her fantasies without her big sister finding out." She gave Jon a more serious look. "Which reminds me, I was given access to this place under the condition that I maintain its utmost secrecy. No one knows about it save for her Peerage, Rias, and myself."

"And now me."

Akeno nodded. "Just be aware that...if anyone were to find out about it, she would know exactly who was to blame."

His skin turned pale. "Duly noted."

"I've spent much of my time at Kuoh down here." She explained, walking over to a Saint Andrew's Cross and caressing the finished wood. "I'm as familiar with these devices as I am with my own. And have used them on many of my clients." A deep blush set into her face. "But never once have I ever had them used on me."

A sudden realization came over him as he slowly began to connect the dots. Her sudden change in behavior, the words Rias gave him before leaving with Asia, and now this? Akeno wasn't just looking to become one of his Treasures.

She wanted to be his Submissive.

To be fair, Jon wasn't a complete novice when it came to the darker side of sex. As he often liked to say, he knew just enough to get into trouble, but not like this. He knew nothing about being someone's Dominant...at least he was pretty sure that was the correct term.

Stranger still was why Akeno of all people wanted to be a Submissive. She was one of the most powerful and confident people he knew, after all.

"Akeno...I have to ask...why-"

"Why do I want this?" She finished for him while still staring up at the cross. "That's what you were going to ask right? Why does Akeno Himejima, the Priestess of Thunder, Rias Gremory's Queen, Vice President of the Occult Research Club, and Hardcore Dominatrix secretly desire to be a Submissive?" She turned around and smiled at him with sincerity in her eyes. "That's what you're thinking right now, isn't it?"

"I…" Jon frowned. "...I'm honestly not sure what to think, to be honest."

"That's fair." She turned back towards the cross. "After all, you don't have as much experience in this sort of thing as I do."

He chuckled awkwardly. "I mean...I know my way around a belt if that counts for anything." He gazed back at her sincerely. "But I get the feeling this is slightly more personal than that."

Akeno bowed her head and clutched her hands over her heart. "More than you could possibly know. This isn't just me trying to get you interested in my personal fetishes, Jon. What I am about to offer you is the sum total of my very being."

His face turned red. "Akeno…"

"You see, Jon…" She continued. "...beneath this strong confident facade I've worn for so long is a little girl who just wants to let it all go. Powerful as I am, I do have my limits. But they aren't just physical limits, they're mental and emotional as well."

"What are you saying?" He asked worriedly.

She let out a depressed sigh. "I'm tired, Jon. I'll always be proud of my station and will honor it to the end of my days...but with that station comes many many burdens. I've wanted this for so long now. A chance to relinquish my responsibilities and relegate them to another. To shake off the facade of the Priestess of Thunder and give myself freely, body, mind, and spirit, to the man I admire most."

As she spoke, Akeno slowly began to wiggle her way out of the Maid's costume. Jon felt his heart do a somersault as she stripped the clothes away to reveal nothing but a bondage harness underneath. The thick leather straps perked up her breasts and bit into her skin in all the right ways, but otherwise left absolutely nothing to the imagination. She was not just laid bare before him, she had put herself completely on display for him.

"I want to give myself to you Jonathan Hyodo, so that I may finally have my place of safety. Where I can cast aside my burdens and commit myself solely to my Master."

"But Rias is your Master." Jon countered, his eyes transfixed to her gorgeous body so well secured in the harness. "Just as she is mine."

"Rias is the Master of my house." Akeno explained before placing herself down on her knees with her hands in her lap, her head bowed in submission. "But she was never the Master of my heart. That title belongs to you. And only you...Sir."

"Are you sure about this?" He asked somewhat nervously. "I'm not saying no, but you said it yourself, I don't have that much experience with this sort of thing. What if I disappoint you?"

She placed a hand over her lips and giggled at him again with her head still bowed. "I know you Jon. And I know the sort of man you are. Rias and Asia did not give themselves to you simply because their hearts demanded it." She insisted. "If it were that simple then Koneko would not have been so quick to reject the Imprint. It's more than that Jon, they gave themselves to you because of the man they saw. The man who was willing to fight to his very last breath just to save them from their wretched fates. The man who possesses not only the soul of a Dragon but the spirit of one as well. They gave themselves freely to you because you have proven to them that you are someone they can trust implicitly."

She spread her thighs open and bowed her head to the floor, extending her arms out with her wrists crossed one over the other.

"Now it's my turn. This is me giving myself fully to the man who owns my heart. I trust you implicitly, Jonathan Hyodo. We have all the time in the world to get you experienced in this lifestyle. But for now…"

Though her head was bowed to the floor, Jon could hear her fighting back the emotions welling up within Akeno.

"...knowing that I belong to you. Knowing that you are the keeper of my heart. That is enough for me...my Master."

Jon was floored. This was so important to her. That much was obvious. And despite the fact that she was being so brave, and so bold, by freely revealing all of herself to him the way she just did it was clear she was terrified. Honestly, it made Jon admire her spirit all the more.

How the hell was he supposed to say no?

"So what do we do?" He asked sincerely. "How do we make this official?"

Her head shot up and she beamed at him for a moment before quickly regaining her composure and standing back up. "With your permission, Sir, I'd like to perform a small ceremony of my own design so that we might honor this occasion."

He nodded. "Of course. Though you may have to show me what to do."

"There's no need to worry. This will be very simple." She assured while making her way over to a small bench surrounded by a circle of black candles in the back of the room. Jon followed behind her, nervous but no less intrigued. Sitting on the bench was a box which she opened to reveal a black leather collar with a metal tag and loop on the front.

"For this, I didn't want anything terribly complex." Akeno confessed as she clutched the collar tightly to her chest. "I don't want any elaborate rituals or large events. I just want this one small thing. This one little promise between you and me." She turned around and knelt before him before raising the collar up into the air with her head bowed in submission. "This collar represents my heart. The essence that binds me to you. By giving you this collar, Sir, I am submitting myself to you wholeheartedly and without reservation."

She was smiling the entire time she did this. There was no hesitancy in her voice. Akeno was completely sure in her decision. Knowing this, Jon graciously accepted the collar from her. Akeno turned around and sat back on her haunches, offering him her backside before brushing her hair away with her eyes closed.

"If you accept what I am giving you, please place the collar around my neck and press your thumb against the lock on the back."

"What'll that do?" He asked cautiously.

She smiled, her eyes still closed. "I placed an enchantment of my own design upon the collar. Once the lock has been set in place, whoever placed it will be the only one capable of removing it for the rest of time."

Jon's stomach fluttered. "So in other words, once I put this thing on, only I will ever be able to take it off."

Akeno nodded, completely unphased. "This collar represents my heart binding myself to you. Once it's on, it will never come off again unless you are the one who removes it." A small frown formed on her features. "On the day that happens...it will break."

Okay, so this suddenly got very real. While he had made promises to both Rias and Asia, promises he of course intended to keep, there was never a ceremony involved and certainly nothing as physical or intimate as this.

Despite the smile on her face, Jon could hear Akeno's heart racing like a drum in her chest. His hesitation was frightening her. And truthfully, he was indeed hesitant. Not because he doubted his feelings for her, but because of the absolute permanency this small leather strap carried with it.

But ultimately, this was what would make Akeno happy. Jon told Ddraig from the beginning that so long as he was amassing this harem of women, this Treasure Horde. Then he would be doing so on his terms. And his terms were that the needs and desires of these women who were so precious to him would come before anything else, no matter what.

He could feel her smile grow in size as the leather collar made contact with her skin. Jon knelt down and slowly placed it on her neck before snapping the lock in place and placing his thumb against it. The moment he did an orange seal burned into the back. The collar seemed to conform to her neck perfectly and had just enough give to be worn without the risk of irritation or discomfort.

With the deed done, Jon slowly stood back up while Akeno took a moment to appreciate the piece of leather around her neck. "It feels...perfect." She clutched at the leather collar thoughtfully with the palm of her hand.

"I promise I'll do right by you, Akeno." Jon assured. "No matter what I-"

She leapt up into his arms, squeezing Jon tightly against her chest. "You'll never be able to fully appreciate what it is you've just given me. Thank you, Master."

Jon went wide eyed for a moment before relaxing again and wrapping his arms around her. This would be an adjustment, as it was the last two times around.

But damn if the adjustment wasn't a pretty one.

She finally released him and quickly walked back over to the basket. She pulled out a black envelope and presented it to him the same way she did with the collar.

"This is a list of everything I'm into, as well as my hard and soft limits. Obviously I'm open to discussion, but in the meantime those are what I've got." She was talking very fast and very excitedly.

"Hard and soft limits?" He asked in utter confusion staring at the rather thick envelope, then at her, then back at the envelope again.

She giggled at him before standing up. "Don't sweat the details, Master. We'll get it all worked out as we go along."

She was back to her old self again...sort of. Jon was relieved that this ceremony of theirs wasn't going to change who she was too drastically.

"Oh yeah. One more thing." She smiled sweetly, running the fingers of her right hand through the loop on her collar. "The ceremony isn't quite complete yet."

"Oh?" He placed the envelope aside for now. "What's next?"

"Next...you have to add a little piece of yourself to the collar."

"A piece of myself?"

She nodded, her hands folded behind her back. "Mhmm! By collaring me I've given myself to you but…" Akeno pressed a finger up to her full lips and blushed. "...if it's alright with you Master. I'd really love to own a small piece of you as well."

He smiled at her affectionately before taking her hand in his. "Of course. But what piece exactly?"

"That's up to you." Akeno assured. "This collar has a place for a pendant. It doesn't have to be anything terribly fancy. Just...something that represents a little piece of you." She then pointed to the metal plate. "Also, some words that you'll write yourself will be engraved here to go along with the pendant."

Jon nodded in understanding. That shouldn't be too hard...or at least he hoped not. "I think I've got it."

"Give it some thought. I don't care if it takes a long time, Master." Akeno spoke sincerely. "I would just really love it if it were something truly unique. Something that I can hold onto that no one else has."

No pressure then, Jon.

"Now then...if it's all the same…" She swayed her chest back and forth with her arms crossed behind her back while batting her eyelashes at him. "...I'd really love it if my Master would play with me for awhile."

Jon looked around at the plethora of toys, tools, and large pieces of equipment that were scattered about the room. He was completely out of his depth here, but he wasn't about to say no to that face either.

He pointed over at a table with some toys that looked decently familiar to him. "Tell me about those."

Akeno clapped her hands together excitedly before prancing over to the table in all her stark glory. "As you can see we have a selection of various paddles and floggers here. Each with its own distinct flavor. For instance, this one is wooden whereas this one is leather." She held up both paddles for him to see. "The wooden one has far more bite to it than the leather one does. Moving on we have…"

Akeno went through the list of each toy one by one with the same enthusiasm and excitement of a child talking about their favorite comic book characters. It was absurdly cute, and Jon relished every second of her radiant smile.

So long as she was happy, he'd figure this out. Just like with everything else.

"And this one…" She picked up a black wand and caressed it with the tips of her fingers. "...is interesting."

"How so?"

A devious gleam appeared in her eye. Akeno pointed off at the nearby wall. "Do you see that painting over there?"

Jon turned around and gazed over at where she was pointing. "What painting? I don't see any-yow!"

He shot up like a rocket as something bit him sharply in the rear. While his back was turned, Akeno had tapped the wand against his pants and zapped him with the spark that it produced.

"What the hell, Akeno?" Jon groaned while rubbing his sore behind.

She covered her mouth to suppress the stream of amused giggling that burst forth. "We call this a violet wand. And as you can see, it has a rather shocking effect to it."

"And you're seriously into that?"

She nodded eagerly before turning around and bending over. Akeno placed her hands on the table, spread her legs, and arched her back.

"You want to use it on me, Master?" She asked, biting her lower lip in lustful excitement. "I deserve some punishment for my behavior just now, don't I?"

He glared back at her in disbelief. "Is that how we're doing this?"

She nodded at him while wiggling her butt teasingly. "It's not as much fun if I don't give you a reason to punish me, Master. And this way I get to torture you a little bit too."

He should have known. He should have freaking known the she-devil was still going to come out of her, collar or no collar.

But if that's the game she wanted to play. He was more than happy to oblige. Jon grabbed one of the leather paddles and gripped Akeno's hair. She let out a small gasp as he jerked back on her ponytail, using it like a leash.

"We'll see if you're still talking that way after I'm done with you."

Jon struck her ass with the paddle and the halls of the Conclave were filled with the echoes of his Submissive's erotic cries.


	4. Chapter 4

**::Author's Note::**

**The feedback for Arc Three has been excellent so far. We're getting close to catching up to the chapter I'm still writing. Chapter six. I'll be working on that while editing chapter five. Just be aware that updates may start taking longer to post now that we're catching up.**

**The story marches on. I present to you, Chapter Four.**

**::End Note::**

She wasn't a child anymore. Irina was certain of that. After spending three years under Jon's tutelage she had grown. Not just physically, but mentally as well. It was funny. The past few years seemed to go by like a blur, and yet when she looked back on how far she had come it was almost impossible to see the little girl scared and alone in the woods anymore.

Now she was a Hunter. Maybe not legally. At least not until the Order fully accepted her. But mentally, she was already there. And she had her Mentor to thank for it.

"Hard to believe it's already been three years." Jon commented, having seemingly read the sixteen year old's thoughts.

"I was just thinking…" Irina commented, her boots crunching in the white powdered snow with every step they took. "...when you first found me all those years ago, alone and afraid...where I was then, compared to where I am now. I must have looked pathetic."

He shook his head emphatically, his breath visible on the cold mid-day air. "It wasn't like that at all. You were a kid, Irina." Jon then added with a sly grin. "Heck, you still are."

She shoved Jon hard enough to nearly knock him off balance. He snickered in spite of himself.

"Still though…" He continued. "...I think your parents would be proud of you."

Irina flushed slightly with embarrassment. Even after three years of dealing with Jon's shit eating grin and terrible jokes the man still somehow knew exactly what to say to get a rise out of her. It was irritating.

The two continued to make their way down the base of the Rockies. They'd spent a week near the Canadian border hunting a Wendigo that had been plaguing the local landscape for over a century. Missing hikers, campers, and rangers could all rest a little easier now knowing that the creature that had preyed on them for so long was finally destroyed. Thanks in no small part to Jonathan Hyodo and his talented young student.

The only problem now was getting back. Thanks to a freak snowstorm the normal pathways had been blocked off. Forcing Irina and Jon to take the long way down. During that time they had been completely by themselves. Something Irina definitely was not used to.

Nor entirely comfortable with given the issues she'd been having recently.

Upon reaching another pass, they noted with some dismay that it too had been completely blocked off by snow.

"Dammit!" Irina ran over to the giant pile of snow and groaned in frustration, finding it to be quite impassable. "We're getting nowhere! At this rate it will be another week before we even reach civilization."

"Good thing we brought snacks." Jon joked in a rather blithe manner.

"Could you please try to be serious for like, five minutes?" She huffed at him. "This is a major issue, Jon!"

"It's just snow." He rationalized with a shrug.

Irina sighed wearily. This was one thing about her mentor that bugged the snot out of her. Jon had no ability to take anything seriously. He was constantly using humor and jokes as a way to blow off his problems. Ignoring him for now, Irina focused on trying to find a way past the snowy obstacle. She began digging around for a way to climb up only for more snow to fall loose.

"You know that's never gonna work, right?" Jon asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Not with that attitude it won't." Irina shot back confidently. "Just watch, I'm gonna show you how-ack!"

The snow mound collapsed on her and Irina was covered in the cold white powder. She quickly popped out of the fresh mound of snow and shook herself vigorously. Jon, meanwhile, was cracking up so hard he nearly collapsed to the ground.

"Boy, you sure showed me!" He continued to cackle in that same obtuse way Southern Boys did whenever they thought something was way funnier than it truly was.

She glared at him harshly, shaking a tuft of snow out of her hair before a devious little idea popped into her head. As Jon continued to cackle he suddenly felt something soft, cold, and powdery hit him directly in the face. When he spun his head back at Irina, she was whistling innocently.

"Did you just throw a snowball at me?" He asked in disbelief.

She shrugged at him, a coy smile plastered on her face. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh it is on now, you little brat." Jon dug into the snow and packed together a decent sized snowball. As soon as he raised his head to take aim, however, he got pelted directly in the face again with another frosty projectile.

Now Irina was the one cracking up. Jon quickly wiped the slush off his face and threw his snowball directly at her. Irina quickly dodged out of the way, giggling like an idiot as Jon chased her around the field while continuing to fling snowballs back at him.

"You're digging your own grave here, Missy!" He assured while managing to dodge yet another snowball. She blew a raspberry at him moments before he managed to grab her by the waist and tackle her to the ground. Irina giggled like a schoolgirl all the way down as he proceeded to sit on top of her and whitewash her face with the snow around them.

"No! Wait! Stop! Uncle, uncle!" She insisted, laughing hysterically as she tried to squirm away. "I give! Seriously, you're getting my clothes all wet!"

Jon finally relented, halting his onslaught before grinning down at her victoriously albeit slightly out of breath. She smiled back up at him, also slightly winded. A tense silence held in the air for a moment as Irina's smile slowly faded and her face heated up like a thermometer.

"Get off!" She insisted while lurching up and shoving Jon to the ground.

"Hey!" He sat up and brushed the snow out of his hair. "What the heck was that for?"

She didn't respond. Instead, Irina simply stood up and turned away. Too embarrassed to show how flushed she was.

"Just...just come on." She insisted before waving for him to follow. "We're losing daylight."

Confused, but nevertheless compliant, Jon brushed the issue aside for now and picked himself back up. Grabbing the pack he dropped and rejoining his protege as they looked for another way down.

He could hear her heart beating out of her chest. Something he attributed simply to altitude and exertion.

* * *

Heavy Metal blasted down the hallway of the underground club Irina and Xenovia had been lead to. The information contained in the file their unfortunate Informant managed to provide them lead the duo to this seedy bar and concert hall located in the bowels of an old building near the boiler room. The heavy rock reverberated off the walls and vibrated the floor. The further in the two holy warriors went, the louder it got. Irina felt like her skull was splitting. She definitely wasn't a fan.

"I don't see how anyone can possibly be into this sort of thing." She insisted while covering her ears through her cloak. "It's so loud."

Xenovia reached for the handle that lead into the club. "Music is a subjective medium. Just because it's not our particular cup of tea that doesn't mean it's bad."

As she opened the door they were both blasted with a wave of noise. Irina could feel her eardrums vibrating with how loud it was.

"You were saying?!" She yelled over the deafening music.

Doing their best to ignore the skull pounding reverberation and ear splitting guitar wailing, the duo made their way into the club. A mosh pit of metalheads had formed near the stage where the band was playing, their bodies bouncing and bobbing in time with the music, their faces painted to match the band members.

Irina and Xenovia slowly pushed their way through the crowd, drawing strange looks from their pure white cloaks. They made their way closer to the stage before making a hard left as was written in the diagrams of the building provided in the file. Eventually, they reached a set of double doors guarded by a man in a suit and wearing a pair of shades. As they approached, he raised a hand up in the air, barring their entry.

"Shades indoors?" Irina murmured to Xenovia. "How tacky." She then stepped up to the security guard and smiled as politely as she could. "Good evening. My partner and I have business with your boss. If you'd please be so kind as to let us through, I'd greatly appreciate it."

He cupped a hand to his ear and leaned forward, apparently not hearing them.

"I said, we have business with your boss!" Irina shouted over the ear shattering music.

"What's the password?!" He shouted back.

Xenovia stepped forward and cupped a hand over the side of her mouth. "It's Hetfield!"

He shook his head. "That's last weeks password! What's the new one?!"

Xenovia and Irina both looked at each other before simultaneously side kicking the guard through the door. The hapless man went sailing through the back hall before crashing into a pile of stage equipment, losing his glasses in the process. The two women entered the back hall before happily shutting the door.

"Finally." Irina sighed in relief before lowering her hood and rubbing her temples. "I can hear myself think again."

"I have to admit, I'm rather glad to be out of there."

The security guard lurched up, a murderous gaze in his pupiless eyes as he quickly drew a Springfield from his coat pocket and took aim. A deafening blast rang through the back hall and his brains flew out the back of his head, splattering the brick wall behind him. The man slumped to the ground, dead before his head even hit the floor.

Irina twirled the still smoking revolver on her finger before gazing down at the corpse she had left behind. "He was certainly a feisty one."

"To be fair, we did just kick him." Xenovia countered emotionlessly.

"What's up with his eyes?" She asked, peering down at the creature that appeared to have two white marbles in replace of where his irises and pupils should have been.

"He's a Husk." Xenovia explained. "A human body without a soul. They can mimic the behavior of a human perfectly, but they are completely without a human's spirit. Essentially puppets on a string."

Irina shuddered in disgust. "Why do the creatures of the Underworld have to be so damn creepy all the time?"

"These creatures were created using Necromancy." Xenovia observed. "According to legend, that was one of Kokabiel's specialties."

"Wonderful." Irina retorted in a sarcastic tone. She sighed wearily while rubbing her forehead with the barrel of her revolver. "Between this and the music I'm going to have the biggest headache once this job is done."

Another man in a suit and shades appeared at the very far end of the hall. He quickly placed a hand against his ear, alerting the rest of security via radio to their presence, before attempting to draw his gun. He fell even quicker than the last guy, as another deafening revolver shot rang through the back hall and went clean through his left eye.

"Speaking of headaches..." Irina commented before blowing the smoke off her gun. "Xenovia, hang back for this one. I've got this."

"If you insist." Her blue haired partner shrugged indifferently. "Just try not to make too much of a mess."

Irina lifted the cloak over her head and shook her two long twintails free. Her body was wrapped in a skintight grey battlesuit that clung to her curvy frame like latex. She clutched the silver cross dangling over her size D breasts in one of her gloved hands and pressed it to her lips before reloading her revolver and slowly sauntering towards the other end of the hall, the music still blaring from the other side of the stage.

Three guards appeared on the other end, their guns at the ready. They each took positions at the far end of the hall and fired their handguns at her. An aura of blue light enveloped Irina, making her iris's glow the same color, as she raised her left hand into the air. The bullets that flew from their guns came to a dead stop in the middle of the air as if having been frozen in time. With a small push she sent the rounds flying right back at the men who fired them, riddling their bodies with their own bullets. As they collapsed to the floor, reinforcements arrived one by one, each trying to take up defensive positions. She made quick work of each of them with her revolver, firing one shot after another from her hip while dampening the recoil with her other hand, just as her Mentor once showed her. Six shots rang through the hall, six more men fell.

Irina was in the process of reloading her weapon as she rounded the corner when a guard appeared from her blind spot and attempted to pistol whip her. She grabbed his forearm with her left hand and pressed her revolver into his abdomen, firing the only round she managed to load straight through his spine and hitting the guard directly behind him as well. She holstered the revolver and her body glowed with neon blue energy as she easily lifted the large guard up into the air and hurled him at the man directly behind her victim. The two shade wearing suits fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. A third guard appeared from the corner of her vision to the left, his gun aimed directly for the spot between her eyes. As the bullet left his weapon's barrel time slowed down around her. Irina leaned to the right and the projectile went merrily whizzing straight past her head. She then dodged the next shot, and the one after that as well. From an outsider looking in, she appeared to be moving faster than the eye could detect. Flash Stepping a few inches to the right and then back to the left as each round missed its target.

She pulled a small metal rod from her utility belt that began to glow red hot. Irina flicked her wrist out in front of her and the metal rod stretched and flexed towards the guard like a whip before wrapping itself around the arm of his firing hand, all within a fraction of a second. She jerked back on the whip of light which dug into his arm like razor wire, completely severing his hand from his arm and bringing the gun with it. The Husk seemed to regard the loss of his hand with the same concern as one might consider a splinter. More a nuisance than anything else. With his remaining hand he pulled a black titanium serrated blade nearly three feet in length from the back of his suit and charged. Irina dodged a swipe from the left and then from the right, before nimbly grabbing his remaining arm and leaping into the air. She latched on to his neck with her thighs and used centrifugal force and the weight of her body to fling him head over heels onto the floor while landing in a perfect split and bracing herself with her palm.

"So you can't feel pain. Good to know." She commented smugly. As the Husk lurched up she flicked the whip at him again, this time wrapping it firmly around his neck. With a firm tug she separated his head from his shoulders as easily as if she were uncorking a champagne bottle. The whip retracted back into the metal rod in her hand as she turned a hundred and eighty degrees and assessed her surroundings.

She was in another hallway lined with boxes and stage equipment. Eight men had taken up positions behind the crates and equipment, all aiming handguns at her. The suits proceeded to unload on her until their weapons were spent. Irina's body flashed from left to right as she continued to approach. As time moved at a crawl around her, she ran up a series of boxes on her left like steps and leapt over one of the guards heads, doing a full backflip in the air with her hands out to either side and her legs straight like a cross. Midway through her spin she flicked her whip around his neck before landing gracefully on her feet and tugging. Popping off another head in the process. Using that same momentum, she whipped the glowing rod out in front of her and slashed a diagonal cut straight through the guard in front of her. She then flung her wrist out to the right, catching two more suits with her whip. The remaining four dropped their spent weapons to the ground and pulled two serrated blades from the backs of their coats before charging. Using her acrobatics, Irina easily outmaneuvered each guard, dipping, ducking, and cartwheeling between their blades while her whip left a bloody trail in its wake, cutting each man to ribbons like they were composed of butter.

As the last of the security guards crumbled into pieces on the floor she retracted her whip back into the metal rod and placed it on her belt. Irina then pulled out her revolver and began reloading it while she made her way to the metal staircase along the wall at the end of the hallway. She popped the cylinder back into place once she was done and spun it for good measure before slowly making her way up the staircase, completely unaware that one of the Husks was slowly standing back up. He picked up his gun, reloaded it, and aimed at the oblivious woman's back.

His stomach and chest were suddenly riddled with small holes as the hallway became engulfed in the sound of automatic fire. Irina spun around and aimed her revolver only to see the Husk's body convulse violently as its torso was turned into swiss cheese before collapsing on its knees and falling flat on its face. From behind the downed guard, Xenovia lowered her SMG and gazed up at Irina's bemused face completely unbothered.

"You need to be more careful." She calmly advised. "That last cut wasn't deep enough to be lethal."

Irina silently cursed under her breath then prayed to the Lord for forgiveness. "Thanks, Xenovia."

She continued her ascent up the stairs, over the railing, before finally entering what she could only assume was the club owner's office. Waiting for her inside was a bald, wide man of abnormally large stature wearing a black striped suit sitting at his desk with his hands interlocked and resting upon it. An expectant look in his eyes.

"I hope you didn't leave too much of a mess." He commented in a gruff, cold tone.

Irina pointed the barrel of her gun directly at him, a stern look in her eyes. "Are you Kokabiel?"

He reared back his head and laughed obtusely, clutching his healthy gut with both hands as he bellowed in amusement before wiping a stray tear from his eye. "That's a good one. Sorry Hunter, but my boss ain't one for mixing with the common rabble. This place is way above his pay grade."

She sighed morosely. "Somehow I figured you were going to say that. Figures I'd run into another damn lackey. You don't exactly look like a Legendary Fallen Angel anyway."

"Sorry to disappoint you." The large man growled while slowly strumming his fingers on the desk. "Now is there a reason two Holy Sword Users have come barging down my door? Or are you just here to spread the good word?" He added with a venomous sneer.

Irina pointed the revolver at him again. "Your boss has information about a wanted fugitive of the Church. Any information you have regarding the man known as Freed Sellzen is to be turned over to us immediately."

"You barge into my place of business, kill my guards, and point a gun in my face demanding information, and you think I'll just give it to you?" He stood up and cracked his neck loudly. "For such a pretty little girl those are some massive balls you're sporting."

She cocked back the hammer as a warning. "I won't ask you again. If you have any information on Freed's whereabouts you better cough it up. I'll remind you harboring wanted criminals of the Church is a violation of the ceasefire the three factions-"

He slammed his fists into the table, splintering the wood. "Don't speak of that insipid ceasefire in my presence!" The club owner barked angrily. "If Azazel was even half the man my Master is, he would have said to hell with your damn ceasefire and won this war for the Fallen!"

"Last chance, Baldy." She threatened in a low voice. "Do you know where Freed is hiding or not?"

His lips twisted into a sinister smirk. "Sure, I know where he is. But I can assure you, he's not hiding."

"Tell me!" She demanded.

"You'll know soon enough, little girl." He warned ominously. "After all, he's coming for you and your friend the same way he came for the others. And when he finally catches up to you…" A low menacing chuckle emanated from the back of his throat. "...your impotent God will not be able to save you from your fate."

That was the last straw. Irina fired her weapon, unloading six bullets in total. One in the man's head, and five in his chest. Though his body jolted backwards with each shot, he did not fall. The club owner began to laugh in a low, threatening tone before gazing back at Irina with eyes full of bloodlust. The holes in his chest and head revealed, not blood and flesh, but sand. Sand that quickly reformed itself while pushing the bullets out of his body.

"A Gollum…" Irina seethed.

The Gollum picked up his desk as if it weighed nothing and hurled it at her. Irina's body glowed with neon blue energy as she struck out with her fist, completely shattering the desk as it connected with her punch, sending debris flying to either side. She barely had time to dodge the massive straight punch that followed as the Gollum charged her. Irina sidestepped to the left and his fist connected with the door before going straight through it. He quickly recovered and charged again. Irina dove out of the way as his fist connected with the brick wall, embedding itself in the mortar and shaking the foundations. She pulled her whip of light out and lashed it at him. Wrapping the razor like thread around the arm that was still stuck in the wall, she gave a swift tug, completely separating his arm from the rest of his body. The severed arm then dissolved into sand on the floor.

It was too early to celebrate however, for as soon as the sand fell apart it slowly began to swirl up into the air and reform on his arm. Within a matter of seconds his fist was good as new.

"Tsk, tough bastard aren't ya?"

He swung at her with both meaty fists. Though they were powerful, they were also incredibly sluggish. Making his blows fairly easy for her to avoid. Irina easily outmaneuvered him, using her acrobatics to their full potential to weave in and out of the range of his attacks while slicing him up with her whip. Yet no matter how many lashes she managed to wrend on her opponent, his body would instantly regenerate from the wound. It was frustrating to say the least. This was like trying to do battle with a moving rock.

After a couple more failed attempts by either party to do any lasting damage, Irina decided to switch up tactics. She somersaulted over her opponents head and lassoed a nearby fire extinguisher with her whip, pulling it from the wall and smashing her opponent directly in the face. The extinguisher burst, spraying dry white powder all over the room and temporarily blinding the Golem. She then leapt into the air and channeled her power into the soles of her feet, delivering a massive flying kick that sent the hapless goon soaring straight through the window of his office that overlooked the club. The music below came to a sudden halt as he landed in the middle of the mosh pit, parting the crowd of metalheads in the process.

As the noise died down to quiet murmuring they all stared up at the woman peering down at them from the newly formed hole in the office wall. Irina leapt into the air, flipping several times like a gymnast before landing gracefully on the main stage. The Golem sat up groggily, shaking the cobwebs out of its head.

"Sorry to interrupt boys and girls." Irina commented dryly. "But unfortunately my partner and I have to shut you down. Too many noise complaints."

A sea of inhuman eyes stared back at her angrily, the bodies of the metalheads contorting into different inhuman shapes. The Golem chuckled amusingly as it stood up and brushed the glass off its suit. "You really do have some gall, Holy Warrior. Barging in to the mouth of the lions den like this."

Just as she suspected. This place was a Haven for creatures of the Underworld. From the corner of her vision she saw Xenovia calmly open the door they entered from to get to the back hallway and step back into the club. She gave her a look as if to say 'still got this?' to which Irina nodded confidently.

She pulled out her revolver and whip and stood before the mass of Unholy creatures. This wouldn't take long.

* * *

The date Rias had prepared for her and Asia was incredibly extravagant for what was essentially just supposed to be a girl's night out. Asia was expecting a nice dinner and some shopping, and while she wasn't wrong, what she got was one of the most lavish experiences the city had to offer. A mall catering to the upper crust of the city. Every boutique and outlet store they visited offered makeup, jewelry, handbags, and assorted clothing that were impossible to purchase without a credit card.

Asia had her eye on a cute handbag she liked in one of the outlet stores and Rias offered to buy it for her. The moment she saw the completely outrageous price tag on the bag, however, she vehemently refused. As just the thought of the President spending that kind of money on her nearly gave her a panic attack. This was so not something she was used to, having lived as a cloistered Nun for most of her life. Everyone in this place was dressed in designer outfits and looked like very important people.

At one point, she saw a little boy walking with his mom, eating an ice cream cone with gold leaf in it.

Rias insisted she find something she wanted to buy, and Asia eventually settled on a small bottle of perfume that she liked. It was the cheapest thing she could find in the whole mall at fifty four thousand yen. After buying her gift, which came with about ten complimentary samples and a free hand soap, the nice lady bagged everything up for them and they went to another outlet store. This one sold swimwear.

They both took turns trying on different swimsuits and comparing and contrasting with each other. Rias came out wearing an Amaio silver two piece bikini that looked absolutely gorgeous against her more tan complexion. It made Asia's heart flutter the moment she saw it, and when she told Rias how pretty she looked, the President decided to buy it. She instructed Asia to find one she liked as well and Asia eventually decided on one that was very similar to Rias's only gold in color. She felt a little embarrassed trying something so flashy on but Rias seemed less than concerned. She loved it on her, and insisted she let her buy it for Asia, not taking no for an answer this time and refusing to let the poor girl see the price tag on the back. After shopping came the dinner, and from what Rias told her, despite its small size, the Michelin Star Restaurant she picked for them required a reservation booked months in advance if you hoped to get a seat.

Unless your name was Rias Gremory, apparently.

The dinner alone would have been more than enough for Asia considering it was bar none one of the most intimate dining experiences she had ever had in her life. The staff was incredibly attentive from the moment they stepped foot inside the cozy, traditionally decorated, private dining area. Helping the ladies to their desired seats, while servers dressed in traditional Japanese Kimonos took their orders from one of seven fixed courses.

The meal itself was, of course, perfect. Consisting of an appetiser, soup, sashimi, and grilled main dish for both of them. All perfectly portioned, and cooked in full view by the Head Chef. It was easily one of the best meals Asia had ever had before, and the Chef would occasionally come and check on them to make sure they were both completely satisfied. All in all, it was one of the most luxurious dates, no, most luxurious experiences Asia had ever had in her entire life.

Which was probably why she now felt so incredibly guilty.

"So how was everything?" Rias asked her, a prideful smirk on her gorgeous ruby lips as she swirled a glass of expensive champagne in her hand.

Asia fiddled with the hem of her skirt nervously, her eyes cast down to the table. "It was all so nice." She admitted. "Nicer than anything I've ever experienced in my whole life."

"It was really no trouble." Rias assured before sipping daintily on her glass. "I figured since this is our first official date together I'd treat you a little."

"It was really too much." She insisted with a slight frown. "I couldn't have possibly...I shouldn't have.."

Rias frowned at her before setting her glass down and peering into Asia's eyes worriedly. "Is everything okay? I didn't make you too uncomfortable did I?"

"N...no! It's not that." Asia assured. "I just-"

"Because I do have a tendency to go overboard sometimes." Rias admitted. "Jon's told me multiple times that I tend to forget not everyone was raised as the Heiress to a powerful Devil Family." She smiled sweetly at Asia. "I've just been meaning to show my gratitude for all the hard work you've done for me. And if I'm being totally honest, this was also an excuse to spoil you a little."

Asia blushed at the President's compliment. "I'm sorry if I sound ungrateful. I swear to you I'm not. This is just so...extravagant." She sighed in a melancholy tone. "I can't help but think how many people there are who can barely afford to feed themselves. Meanwhile, I'm eating sashimi that costs more than some people's house payments. I can't help but feel like God would be ashamed of my...sinful indulgences."

Rias quirked her head at her curiously before breaking out into a small, quiet, laughing fit. She wiped a stray tear of joy away before addressing the bemused blonde again. "You know...I really can see it now."

"See what?" Asia asked.

"The thing Jon finds so incredible about you." She marveled, resting her chin against her hand and just...staring at Asia for a moment. "Despite everything life has thrown at you, Asia, you still maintain that virgin purity. You're incorruptible it seems."

She squirmed in embarrassment as her face heated up. "Th...that's not true!" Asia sighed, casting her gaze away again. "I'm not incorruptible, not even close." She closed her eyes. "It's just...sometimes it feels like I've done nothing to deserve this. I try to live my life the way God desires me to, but I feel as though I've strayed so far from his path."

"And it is exactly for that reason I want to spoil you rotten." Rias retorted before downing the rest of her champagne. "You'd be content with the world giving you absolutely nothing so long as you can continue to help others and make friends." She placed a hand over Asia's affectionately. "Well you've made more than just a friend out of me, Asia. Jon's not the only person I owe my life to. And if I'm being honest, I want to give you the same thing I'm trying to give him. All the things life never let you have."

"Rias…" Asia's face glowed for her.

"Because despite what you may think, you do deserve all of this." She assured. "After everything life threw at you, after all it demanded of you, it's time for someone to take care of Asia Argento." Her finger caressed the top of Asia's hand gently.

She smiled sweetly at her, finding it difficult to maintain eye contact with the President given how flustered she was. "I could never be like you. You're so bold, and powerful, but more than that you're not afraid to be passionate. It's so inspiring and…" Her face turned even redder. "...words can't describe how much I admire you."

They spent a moment silently peering into each other's eyes. Both of them seeing the absolute beauty of the other...same as him.

"You realize us being like this is completely Jon's fault, right?" Rias added with a lighthearted tone. "So if I end up spending more time spoiling you than him, he'll only have himself to blame."

Asia giggled in response. "I hope he's doing alright without us."

Rias's smile went from lighthearted to...slightly awkward. She cleared her throat and turned away, a light blush creeping over her cheeks. "I imagine he is doing just fine right now. He and Akeno both."

Her mouth hung open and her eyes went wide. "You mean…Akeno finally..."

Rias nodded. "It was time. She'd been holding herself back ever since the Rating Game. I gave her my blessing to go ahead with her plans for Jon." She added with a knowing smirk. "I imagine the two of them are enjoying each other's company even as we speak."

Asia puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms, going into full blown pout mode. "Well I don't see why he couldn't have told us first." Her expression glowered somewhat. "If Jon's already bonded with Akeno, then I guess it won't be long before others come along as well. I sometimes worry that...as time goes on, we'll get lost in the shuffle."

Rias giggled at her before shaking her head emphatically. "It will never happen. Our bonds with Jon are each wholly unique. And besides…" She swirled a finger around her champagne glass. "...what Akeno desires from him is very different from what we do."

She gave the President a confused look. "In what way?"

Rias motioned for her to lean in an ear, at which point she whispered something that turned Asia scarlet from ear to ear. The befuddled blonde quickly hid her face in her hands and turned away.

"Th...th...th...that's...oh my God. It's just so lewd."

The President of the ORC couldn't help but snicker at the poor girl. God she was adorable when she got this way.

"You know, Asia. I didn't just suggest this date to you just to give them their space. I was also testing a theory."

Asia finally removed her face from her hands and peered back at the President. "What theory?"

She smiled lovingly at her before biting her lower lip provocatively. "I wanted to see if my feelings for you are purely a manifestation of Jon's spirit, or if they exist even when he's not around. Turns out, I was right." She leaned her ample chest over the table, giving Asia a glorious view of her healthy endowments. "I've completely fallen for you, Asia. Whether it's because of Jon or not, the fact is...I need you just like I need him."

The poor girl's heart was racing out of her chest. It was all she could manage just maintaining eye contact with the gorgeous redhead. "I...I feel the same way." She finally managed to confess.

"So you see?" Rias assured her. "Even if Jon's attention is elsewhere, the Dragon has assured we can still feel his love. Through the love we feel for each other." Rias took her hand in hers. "The night's not over. Since we're giving Jon and Akeno their space, I figured…"

Asia gulped nervously. "You figured what?"

She shot her a devious little grin. "This isn't just a mall and restaurant. It's also a five star hotel. And considering the penthouse has a lovely little Jacuzzi overlooking the city..."

She pulled one of the shopping bags they had carried in with them from under their table.

"...I thought we might try out those new bathing suits we just bought."

* * *

The Penthouse sweet was every bit as elegant and luxurious as Asia pictured. The nine room, four thousand square foot suite put every Motel she had ever been in to shame. From the living room's lacquered walls inlaid with mother of pearl to the Thai silk canopy bedspread with 22-carat pure gold woven through it, the suite designed in conjunction with Billionaire Entrepreneur Yanai Masayoshi was as decadent as it gets.

The jacuzzi that Rias spoke of was less a jacuzzi and more a small heated pool built directly into the balcony overlooking the city. And once the girls were inside, changed into their swimsuits, and made their way into the pool Asia noticed even more features that the suite had to offer. The controls for the jacuzzi came with temperature gauges, a built in music player, as well as a button to summon the suite's personal Butler. After settling in and ordering drinks, Asia marveled at the gorgeous view of the city lights below while Rias relished in the blonde beauties reaction. She was happy that Asia seemed to be relaxing now that they'd made it up to the room.

"It's beautiful." Asia beamed. "I've never been this high up in a city before."

"I'm glad you like it." Rias took a sip of her Ribena, her perky breasts only halfway submerged, nothing but a thin piece of silver cloth between her skin and the water. "I was worried I might have ruined the date with my choice of venues."

Asia shook her head insistently. "No, not at all. Truthfully, I was just a little intimidated. I hope I didn't come off as ungrateful, I'm just not used to this sort of thing at all." A small frown formed on her features. "Honestly, I feel a little bad now. You went out of your way to make this date something truly special for me and I got all sanctimonious." She sighed morosely. "Force of habit, I suppose."

Rias shook her head assuredly. "It's no trouble at all, Love. I told you already, that moral purity of yours is one of the things I admire most about you."

"It's more than just that though." Asia continued, sinking down further into the water and hiding her breasts. "Truthfully...these new feelings scare me more than my feelings for Jon did."

The President quirked a brow at her and placed her drink aside. "Because I'm a woman?"

Asia nodded. "I'm changing so much so fast. I've lost my virgin purity, become a Devil, and now...now this." She lowered her head shamefully. "It feels like I'm slipping further and further from grace. I just...can't help but feel-"

"Shame?" Rias finished for her, a small frown on her features as she gazed out over the city. "That's an emotion I understand all too well. After all it's what my parents used to keep me in line with all those years."

Asia peered up at the President with concerned emerald eyes.

"It was the shame of betraying my house and disappointing my parents that kept me from being more open about my hatred of Riser. And it was the shame of my forced marriage that kept me from being completely honest with Jon." A small, bitter scowl formed on her features. "Shame is just another kind of prison. One that the Church, the Noble Houses, indeed anyone who believes they are entitled to something from you uses to keep you in line. I've since cast any doubts or shames away, and you should too Asia." Her smile returned and she looked at her again. "Because I don't regret my feelings for you. Not one bit."

She felt her heart skip in her chest. At that moment it was like all the walls had suddenly come crashing down. With this one confession, Asia suddenly felt closer to Rias than she thought was possible. Jon wasn't the only person in her life she couldn't live without anymore. And that was just something she had to accept.

"Rias...I love you." Asia's face heated up upon saying the words out loud. "I know I haven't said it yet, though I've felt it ever since the Rating Game. I love you the same way I love Jon."

"Asia…" Rias slowly floated over to her.

"When Salazar took you away from us, I begged Jon to promise me that he wouldn't return unless he brought you back with him." Her eyes began to well up. "The idea that we would never get to see you again...that I would never get to see you again." Tears began to leak down her face. "I couldn't bare it. Even though I denied my feelings at the time, the thought of you being gone was-"

Rias interrupted her by pulling Asia in by the waist and practically gluing her lips to hers. Asia went wide eyed the same way she would whenever Jon surprised her like this, and for a moment it seemed like she might back away. Rias's lips felt nothing like Jon's. They were softer...gentler…

Slowly but surely, her eyes began to close and she melted into her partner. Wrapping her arms around her as she completely relinquished herself over to the redheaded beauty. Finally, their lips parted and they locked eyes with one another. After a moment of awkward staring they both burst into a stream of bubbly giggling.

"God...I don't think Jon's ever kissed me quite like that before." Asia admitted.

"It was definitely different." Rias admitted, her cheeks turning almost as red as her hair. "But...I loved it all the same."

Asia turned her gaze away and smiled in embarrassment. "Do it again."

She quirked a brow at her curiously. "I'm sorry?"

"Do it again." Asia closed her eyes, her little heart racing in her chest. "Kiss me just like you did a moment ago."

A devious little grin formed on Rias's features. She floated back over to the controls on the jacuzzi and began playing the first track that came up in the Sensual playlist. It was a unique mashup of the songs Often and Waves created by an artist who went by the name of Sickick. As the song began, Rias silently floated back over to Asia, reaching a hand behind her back and pulling her bikini top loose. The President slowly removed the silver cloth and sank back into the water before tossing it aside, that same amorous grin on her face.

Asia swallowed back her nerves and shut her eyes before doing the same. Slowly untying her top and removing it. She met the President in the middle of the pool and the two young ladies pressed their chests against each other, their arms wrapped around the other's waist. Rias placed a tender hand against Asia's cheek before they pressed each other's lips firmly together once more. After a few moments of tender kissing, they broke apart and stared at each other with heated faces, before going right back into it. This time far more eagerly. Rias and Asia sat on their knees in the middle of the tub like this for the entirety of the song, relishing in the softness of each other's lips.

At the songs conclusion they slowly broke away. Next to come on was Ride by SoMo.

"Wow…" Asia marveled, her eyes glazing over in adoration. "...I never knew how wonderful it could be."

The corner of Rias's lips curled into a little grin. "Still feeling shame?"

Asia shook her head vehemently. "There's nothing shameful about something this beautiful." She admitted. "And besides. The Bible says it's a Sin for two men to lay together. It never mentions anything about women. So...theoretically...we could do whatever we want. If you're interested, I mean."

Rias gave her a disbelieving look. "Why Asia, are you exploiting a loophole in a holy text to justify your lustful behavior?"

She blushed before nodding her head silently.

"Well I've got to say…" Rias's devious little grin spread all the way across her face. "...I have never been more proud in my entire life."

They lost themselves in each other again, the music fading into the background as the two young women explored this whole new side to love that had opened up to them.

Somewhere, in an apartment complex miles away, two perverts looked up from their Hentai. Both of them having felt a sudden disturbance in the force.

* * *

Jon stood over Akeno's raggedly breathing body. Over the past few hours the two had experimented with many of the various toys and tools that could be found in Sona's Pleasure Dungeon. Her feisty attitude earned Akeno a trip to the cross, where she happily walked through each device Jon used on her, explaining how best to use it while eagerly sticking her ass in the air for him, her wrists tied to the wall.

Deciding to give her ass a break, and not wanting to burn her out too quickly, they next played around with the shackles dangling from the ceiling. Jon tied her arms in the air and raised her up on the tips of her toes before freely playing with her body. Akeno was more than happy to let him explore, and even went so far as to offer him her most sensitive spots. He spent a fair amount of time just experimenting with his hands. Figuring out what worked best, where on her body she was the most responsive, and for how long. Once he had a steady rhythm going, he really started to torture her. A little payback for all the unnecessary teasing she'd done on him over the past year and a half they'd known each other. Jon played with her little heat until she was just on the very edge, only to back away and watch her wriggle and squirm uncomfortably. It wasn't until she was begging him desperately for sweet relief that he finally offered it to her, and the release she experienced upon his mercy made her entire body convulse happily and her eyes roll into the back of her head.

After that, he let her down and used the built in cuplinks on the back of her harness to tie her hands behind her back. It was time for the main event, and despite his reservations, Akeno assured him multiple times this was exactly how she wanted their first time to be. She wasn't Rias, and she wasn't Asia. For their first night together, Akeno wanted her Master to take her on the floor, her hands tied behind her back and her thighs spread for him obediently.

So that's exactly what he did.

Akeno proved to be every bit as loud during sex as Rias was. The expressions she made however, were also far more wild. Akeno wasn't afraid to stick out her tongue, arch her head back and move her hips greedily to accept him. It wasn't long before she found herself in the throes of yet another violent orgasm, upon which he quickly followed suit.

But even after their first time, she still wasn't done. Akeno wanted just a little bit more, and so Jon sat her up on her knees whereupon she splayed her thighs open for him and bowed her head. "Do whatever you want to me." Was her only request. So, deciding to get creative, Jon placed a blindfold over her eyes, and a ball gag in her mouth. Her body instantly responded positively to the new sensations, and Jon found himself looking for new ways to torture her as she so desired. The next few minutes were a blur of riding crops, rat tails, and switches as he experimented with different methods of pain on the different parts of her skin. After awhile, he started to get a feel for what she considered "good" pain and what she considered "bad" pain based on the way she would scream through the gag.

But after awhile, she eventually began to reach her limit. And so now here he was. Riding crop still in hand, looking down at his obedient submissive as her breath came in ragged whistles through the ball gag still in her mouth.

"Well...you've certainly been a well behaved little thing, haven't you?" Jon teased her, a twisted smirk on his face. He wasn't sure about this at first, but Akeno's guidance had really brought out the inner sadist in him.

Akeno's head was bowed as usual, her hands still tied behind her back. Her legs were starting to give out and her body was covered in red marks while her thighs glistened with her own wetness. She had had enough.

Jon slowly knelt down on one knee and removed the blindfold from her eyes. She fluttered her lashes at him, her gaze tired. He then gently removed the ball gag from her mouth and she sighed in relief as her breaths began to steady.

"Can you speak?" He asked in a calm, gentle tone.

She slowly nodded. "Yeah." Her voice came out as a horse whisper.

He released the restraints from her arms and slowly helped her out of the skin tight harness she was wearing. Peeling the leather straps away to expose the raw skin underneath. When Akeno was finally out of everything, even the harness, Jon gently wrapped her up in a blanket and carried her out of the Dungeon.

"So what now, Master?" She asked, clinging to him like a small child, her face nuzzled into his chest.

He smiled down at her affectionately. "Now, we get you some much needed aftercare."

She quirked her head up at him curiously. "You know about that?"

"Of course I do." Jon assured, hitting the button on the elevator that lead them back up to the Honor's House. "I'm not such a complete amateur that I don't know the Golden Rule of S&M."

Akeno sighed lovingly into his chest. "They broke the mold when they made you, Sir. I swear."

"So what are we watching?" He asked while carrying her from the elevator back to her bedroom.

"It doesn't matter." She assured, her eyes closed as she slowly began to drift off. "Just put something on in the background...all I really need is you. At least for awhile."

They cuddled up on the bed together and Jon flipped on the TV. It wasn't long before Akeno was asleep, and God help him if he didn't think seeing her resting her eyes was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen.

His heightened senses picked up the sound of someone violently beating on the front door. Jon frowned in annoyance before standing up. He didn't want to leave Akeno alone but whoever that was they sounded insistent. He left her room and made his way to the front door before turning the knob and opening up.

"Hey buddy, you do realize what time…."

Jon's skin turned white as a sheet and his blood ran cold.

* * *

Rias tilted her head and gripped the sides of the jacuzzi until her knuckles turned white. Her breath came in deep heated pants as her breasts heaved with every labored breath she took. With each exhale an erotic sigh escaped her lips which slowly increased in decible. As she reached her threshold Rias brought her right hand up to her face and bit down on the knuckle of her pointer finger. Her breaths came faster and faster until she suddenly slammed her right hand back down onto the side of the tub, shut her eyes tight and arched her back almost completely out of the water before screaming in ecstasy as her whole body went tense.

After riding the wave of euphoria that followed, Rias collapsed back into the tub, gasping for breath as she tried to regain her senses. Asia's head popped up from below the surface of the water and she gasped for breath, having been down for far longer than she needed to be.

"Rias...I…" She panted heavily, trying to regain her breath. "...I don't think I can keep this up. I keep getting water up my nose."

The President took a moment to shake the fog away before staring at Asia incredulously.

"Is...is something wrong?" Asia asked worriedly. "Did I mess up?"

Rias simply continued to stare in disbelief. She really had no idea. Asia was completely oblivious to the talent she had with that little tongue of hers.

She chuckled hysterically at her before shaking her head. "No. Nothing's wrong, Love. Nothing at all."

Asia smiled and reached up to kiss Rias. The President wrapped her arms around Asia as she straddled her lap. As the two settled back in to a tender makeout session Rias's phone suddenly went off, completely ruining the mood.

Rias groaned in annoyance before glaring at her phone silently. Upon seeing the contact number, however, her eyes filled with concern.

"Is that Jon calling?" Asia asked curiously with her arms still wrapped around Rias's neck.

The President reached for her phone while Asia gently got off of her and sunk back into the water. Rias hit the green answer button before bringing the phone to her ear.

"Hey Jon…" She answered nervously. "Is everything okay?"

It didn't take long before Rias's eyes went wide with terror and she shot up out of the bath as if the water had just started to boil.

"What happened?!" She shouted angrily.

"Rias, what's wrong?" Asia asked worriedly before standing up and covering her chest with her arms.

The President lowered the phone and looked back at Asia with horror stricken eyes.

"We need to get back to the Honor's House immediately." Her voice was severe.

"Why? What's going on?" Asia was suddenly terrified.

"It's Kiba." Rias explained in a grim tone. "He's been hurt...badly."


	5. Chapter 5

**::Author's Note::**

**Something I wanted to mention before posting this chapter. I've been getting a few comments about my lack of description during the sex scenes. The thing is, I usually don't write pure erotica. Not because I personally have an issue with it or anything. It has more to do with the fact that I've always felt like peoples imaginations tend to be more vivid than anything I can come up with in that regard. Especially with a writing project as long as this one, at some point, if I do too much all at once, I'm worried it will start to get repetitive. Which is why, up until now, I've been sticking to the pertinent details and allowing the readers minds to fill in the blanks.**

**Now having said that. I'd hate for you to think I've been skimming on the promised Lemons of my Lemons, Limes, and Plenty of Violence writing. So I'll be adding a bit more fluff to those scenes going forward. **

**With that out of the way, I present to you Chapter Five.**

**::End Note::**

Jon paced back and forth in the Honor's House lounge nervously. His night having been rudely interrupted by a rather gruesome sight after opening the front door a few minutes ago. Sammy was dragging Kiba over his shoulder and barking for help. His Peerage Brother had been mortally wounded. He acted almost immediately and helped Sammy take him upstairs while screaming for assistance. Akeno was the first to respond, quickly followed by several other members of Sammy's Peerage.

At this very moment, he was fighting for his life while Akeno and Momo did their best to stabilize his wounds. Sona was the first to arrive and her immediate response was to begin a debriefing with Sammy. Koneko somehow managed to beat Rias and Asia back to the House despite Jon having called her second. However, the President and her Bishop were not far behind her.

"How's he doing?" Rias asked after rushing through the front door and immediately finding Jon.

"He's upstairs." Jon explained, his tone worried. "Akeno and Momo have him stabilized but he's not getting any better."

She nodded in understanding. "Right. Asia?"

"Of course." Asia immediately rushed upstairs to provide aid with her Twilight Healing. Being the most powerful healer present, Jon was hoping she could save Kiba before it was too late.

"Now start from the beginning." Sona insisted, her hands firmly on her hips and her gaze cast sternly at her Pawn. It was clear from her expression she was not pleased with how the mission ended. "Tell us everything that happened."

Sammy gave a depressed sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose to relieve the stress. "Like I said, we followed Lady Gremory's intel exactly as you ordered us to. But when we made contact with the Hunters everything went to shit."

"Did they attack you?" Rias asked, immediately jumping into the conversation.

"No! Well yeah, I mean they did, but so did we."

"Your orders were to gather intel and open communications, not attack!" Sona growled angrily.

"Look, it wasn't my fault!" Sammy insisted. "Things only broke down after…"

"After what?" She insisted impatiently.

"After Kiba drew his sword and started threatening them."

"Bullshit!" Jon chimed in angrily. "Kiba would do no such thing. He's the most level headed guy I know."

Sammy glared back at him just as angrily. "You calling me a liar, Redneck?"

"Maybe I am, Yank." He growled in response. "The way I see things it's more likely you threatened them than Kiba."

"The only one I'm threatening right now is you!" He shot up out of his seat and got directly in Jon's face, his eyes glowing red. "If you don't get out of my damn business!"

"You wanna go, tough guy?" Jon challenged, his eyes also beginning to glow. "Take your best shot. I'm right here."

"Boys! That's enough!" Rias shouted with authority.

"Both of you stand down." Sona added in a lower tone that was no less severe. "Do not make us repeat ourselves."

They glared at each other angrily for a moment before Jon finally backed away.

"Yeah that's right. Back off Hillbilly." Sammy sneered at him.

"Tsk, whatever…" He muttered under his breath before taking a seat next to Koneko.

Rias sighed wearily. All this Alpha Male bravado was starting to give her a migraine. "Listen, pointing fingers when we don't even know the full story gets us nowhere. Now Jon, be silent and let Sammy finish his report."

He didn't respond, deciding the best policy was to just keep his mouth shut for now.

"As I was saying, everything was going fine until Kiba started to get aggressive." Sammy continued. "That was when they drew their weapons on us."

"He says…" Jon muttered under his breath.

Koneko, who was sitting directly next to him, brought her heel up and stomped down on the top of his foot hard. Causing Jon to yelp in pain before grabbing at the injured limb. When he looked at her for an explanation she simply hit him with a 'shut the hell up' look.

"Did he give any reason for why he started acting that way?" Rias asked curiously, completely ignoring Jon's smartass comment.

Sammy thought back to the events in question. "I think it had something to do with their weapons."

Rias have him a confused look. "Their weapons?"

He nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, they called them Holy Swords or something."

Rias and Sona both went wide eyed before sharing the same looks of dreadful concern with one another. Jon, meanwhile, felt his stomach bottom out.

"There are Holy Sword Users in the city?" Sona asked forcefully.

"Err, yeah. I guess so." Sammy responded nervously. "Whoever they were their power was no joke."

"If that's true then the situation is far more serious than I initially thought." Sona observed with a hint of dread in her tone.

"It would also explain why Kiba's injuries were so severe." Rias surmised. "Those swords are some of the deadliest weapons in existence to our kind. It's a wonder Kiba survived at all."

"Is it really that bad?" Sammy asked nervously.

"Yes. Yes it is."

Everyone turned to see Jon staring off in the distance, his skin white as a sheet.

"The Holy Sword Users are the greatest weapon the Church has in their arsenal." He continued. "Their swords give them access to unique holy powers comparable to that of an Angel. Not only that, each one is an Elite Hunter with access to some of the best training and technology money can buy. Among the Order they're considered the best of the best."

"Did they give any reason for why they were in the city?" Rias asked, getting back on track.

Sammy frowned. "That's the other thing…one of them knows your Pawn."

Jon's eyes bulged in horror.

"And…" He continued. "...she's here to kill him."

* * *

Kiba and Sammy followed the information given to them by Rias's familiar to a seedy bar and concert hall located in the bowels of an old building near the boiler room. The Metal Club was a notorious Haven for Dark Creatures under the influence of Fallen Angels. If the two Hunters mentioned in the report had really come here, it was likely they were already dead. Nevertheless, orders were orders.

"Man, talk about sticking ya schlong into a hornet's nest." Sammy commented before drawing his Desert Eagle and checking to make sure he had a round in the chamber. "What the hell were these idiots thinking?"

"Who knows." Kiba commented indifferently. "Let's just go in, remind them who runs this city, and then get out before we cause too much trouble."

"Makes ya wonder how they managed to last as long as they have." He continued. "I mean, common sense would tell ya…"

"The Church thinks they can go anywhere they want and do whatever they want." Kiba replied coldly. "So long as what they're doing is in the name of their God then they see no reason to justify their actions."

Sammy glanced over at him curiously. "Well listen to Mr. Sunshine over here. You got grief with the Church?"

Kiba scowled in a manner that was rather out of character for him. "No offense. But that's not really any of your business."

He raised his hands up defensively. "Alright, sheesh. I was just making small talk over here."

"Let's just try to stay on task." Kiba suggested.

"Look, I ain't got a problem with you Blondie. It's just Country Boy whose guts I can't stand." Sammy admitted before scratching his head awkwardly. "I mean...I'm a big supporter of the homosexual community. Even been to a Pride Parade once. Course I was there with the girl I was seeing at the time but…"

Kiba turned and glared at him in disbelief. "You do know I'm not gay, right?"

"Err, really? When you said you hated the Church I guess I just sort of assumed…"

They just stood there in awkward silence for a moment before Kiba simply sighed and waved for him to follow.

"Forget it. Let's just get going."

Sammy scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever...still could have fooled me."

They'd both been a bit on edge ever since they left the Honor's House. For some reason, neither Sammy nor Kiba could shake the feeling that they were being followed. Something about this whole operation just didn't sit well with them. And that feeling of dread only got stronger the further in they went.

"Hey…" Sammy spoke up in a hushed tone. "You noticing somethin?"

"Yeah…" Kiba nodded grimly. "...this is supposed to be a heavy metal venue."

"So where's the heavy metal?" He asked ominously.

It was then they picked up the sound of gunfire coming from down the hallway. Sammy perked an ear up and used his heightened senses to pinpoint the exact noises.

"Sounds like semi-automatics mostly." He observed. "A couple of sawed offs. Maybe an Uzi." He perked his ear up again. "Huh...that's interesting."

"What is?" Kiba asked while readying his blade.

"Sounds like...a revolver." He deduced. "Colt Single Action Army."

"Jon?" Kiba asked in surprise.

"Can't be." Sammy shook his head vehemently. "He was at the Honor's House. Supposed to be in all night."

"Who else do you know in this city who uses a Peacemaker?" He asked insistently. "Come on! He may need backup!"

Sammy and Kiba both rushed down the hallway towards the far door. They braced themselves against the entrance to the club with their weapons at the ready.

Just as they were about to burst in, however, suddenly the gunfire stopped.

"You thinkin what I'm thinkin?" Sammy asked to which Kiba nodded silently.

Rather than go in guns blazing Sammy instead slowly opened the door with his gun out in front of him. As they entered the club, they were treated to the sight of a veritable massacre. Dozens of bodies littered the ground around them, the vast majority of which were clumped together around a single figure standing in the middle of the room. A woman dressed in a skin tight battle suit, silver revolver in one hand, and a whip composed of pure light in the other. She was facing off against a large man dressed in a striped suit, while another woman with blue hair in a white cloak stood close by. Observing the battle.

The moment Kiba locked eyes with that whip, he froze to the spot as his eyes went wide in pure horror.

Sammy let out a sharp whistle before lowering his weapon. His eyes scanning up and down the woman's curvy figure. From where she was standing he got a good view of her gorgeous backside and shapely rear.

"Well well, what do we have here?"

The girl turned her head and cast two violet eyes back at the newcomers before scowling in annoyance. "Oh great. Now who are these two?"

The moment she turned her head around the man in the suit bellowed angrily before charging. She calmly leapt up into the air and swiped at his shoulder with her whip, cutting a sizable gash in the spot near his collarbone. Then, while still in midair, she aimed her revolver and fired three shots directly into his back causing the giant man to topple over and land flat on his face.

"Irina, stop playing around and finish the golem off." The girl with blue hair insisted.

"Sorry Xenovia." Irina called back to her. "Working on it."

The golem stood back up and charged again. In the large space, Irina was easily able to dodge and outmaneuver every single one of his attacks while lashing out with her whip and maintaining her distance. All while moving at supersonic speeds.

"Man…" Sammy marveled at the girl named Irina. "I'd hate to be on the business end of that whip of hers. Eh, Blondie?" When he didn't get a response Sammy turned to see that Kiba was paralyzed to the spot, his skin pale and clammy. "Hey what's your problem?"

"That's not a whip." Kiba spoke with a level of graveness that was completely out of character for him.

The thick strand of light retracted back into the metal rod she was holding before changing shape. It morphed into the form of a long Katana which she held out in front of her in a combat stance.

"It's a Holy Sword."

The golem attacked yet again, delivering a massive punch intent on knocking her head clean off. Irina sliced straight through his fist with her Katana, cutting up his arm, and taking off half his face in a single swing. She then proceeded to dart around at supersonic speeds while cutting him down to size with the precision of a surgeon weilding a scalpel. By the time she was done, all that remained was a pile of sand and body parts. Irina dashed backwards and somersaulted in the air before landing next to her partner Xenovia, a prideful smirk on her face.

"So how was that?"

Xenovia coughed awkwardly before pointing at the pile of sand. Irina did a double take upon seeing the mound slowly begin to reform into the shape of the bald man again.

"But how?!" She fumed in frustration. "Is there any way to kill these things?"

"I was constructed using the dark magics of my Lord and Master." The golem boasted pridefully. "His power is infinite compared to that paltry blade in your hand."

"There is only one who can claim infinite power." Xenovia calmly replied. "Whatever abilities your Master has, he is nothing compared to the one true God."

"Spare me your sermons, Holy Woman." The Golem sneered. "I do not fear the wrath of your nonexistent-"

The woman named Xenovia burst from her cloak at speeds easily exceeding mach ten. Breaking the sound barrier before reappearing inches away from the golem, her fist deeply embedded in his chest. With one swift motion Xenovia pulled her arm back out, removing a clear white gemstone with a blood red core. The golem's body completely disintegrated into a pile of sand.

The cloak she was wearing then fell to the ground, time finally catching up with her movements.

"All elemental creatures possess the same weakness." Xenovia quietly explained. "You must strike at the core, the vessel housing the undead spirit, and destroy it."

As she spoke the sand began to move again, as if reaching out for the core in her hand. Xenovia slowly crushed the crystal structure, shattering it into pieces and dispersing the energy within. The sand fell harmlessly to the floor, completely devoid of any life force.

Without her cloak, the entire room was treated to Xenovia's full measure. Like Irina she was wearing a similar grey skin tight battle suit that left nothing to the imagination. Her figure, while less lithe than Irina's, was far fuller. The most noticeable feature being her size triple D breasts that looked as if they might burst through the armor she was wearing at any moment.

"Hot damn." Sammy murmured beneath his breath. "She could even give Rias and Akeno a run for their money."

Irina stepped over to the pile of sand and scooped some up, allowing it to harmlessly slide through her fingers and chuckling in amusement. "From dust we came, unto dust we return." She then glared at the two newcomers warily. "So what do we do about them?"

"They're obviously not in league with the creatures here. Let's see what they want first." Xenovia suggested. "Before we jump to any hasty conclusions."

They slowly approached the two men. Sammy gripped his gun cautiously while Kiba simply continued to glare with cold, hateful eyes.

"My name is Xenovia Quarta." The blue haired girl introduced while drawing her SMG. "This is my partner, Irina Shidou. We are Hunters in service to the Order of the Saintly Knights of Michael."

"We know what you are...Holy Sword User." Kiba growled hatefully. Practically spitting out the last three words.

Xenovia eyed the blonde swordsman warily. "We would know your names, and your intentions."

"Us?" Sammy raised his hands in the air and shrugged. "Hey we're just a couple of music lovers checking out the local venues. We heard the lead singer here was supposed to be pretty good and decided to-"

"There's no sense being coy. We know you two are Devils." Irina cut him off with a prideful smirk.

Sammy frowned in annoyance. "Fine, I'll drop the act then. Me and my associate here have been ordered by some...well let's just say they're VERY powerful people who-"

"My name is Kiba Yuuto." He spoke up, cutting Sammy off. "I'm a Knight in Service to Rias Gremory."

Sammy shot him a look as if to say 'What the hell are you doing?'

"Gremory." Xenovia contemplated the name thoughtfully for a moment. "Unless I'm mistaken, that name is listed among the Seventy Two Pillars. You serve one of the Purebloods."

"Yes." Kiba confirmed. "As a matter of fact, she's the one who sent me here. We've been ordered to eliminate any members of the Order who dared to show their faces in our territory."

"What the-that ain't true!" Sammy glared angrily at Kiba. "First of all, it was my Master who sent us here. And she made it clear that we were to scope out the situation and gather intel only. We're not supposed to pick a fight with them."

"This doesn't concern you, Sammy." Kiba growled, his eyes never once leaving Irina's blade. "Just stay out of it."

"Your partner seems disturbed by our presence." Xenovia calmly observed.

"For the record, I ain't got nothing to do with this." He insisted defensively.

"Nevertheless, if he insists on continuing to threaten us, we will have no choice but to destroy him."

"You can certainly try." Kiba threatened before raising his blade. Irina responded by raising her katana as well, a steely look returning to her eye.

"Look! We're just here to talk, that's all!" Sammy insisted, trying to defuse the situation. "All we wanna know is what you're doing in the city."

"That's official Church business, I'm afraid." Xenovia explained taciturnly. "However, if you have any information on the whereabouts of Freed Sellzen, please hand it over."

"Freed Sellzen?" Sammy gave them a confused look before turning to Kiba. "Wait, ain't he that guy your Peerage fought up at the Church?"

"That was months ago." Kiba retorted disinterestedly. "He hasn't been in the city since."

"Our reports seem to suggest otherwise." Irina smirked at him, not backing down from her fighting stance. "Seems to me you haven't been paying close enough attention to your own territory."

"Or…" Kiba countered, not backing down either. "...it could be you're lying to us and are here attack our Headquarters."

"Come on, Blondie. You need to back down." Sammy insisted through clenched teeth.

"You should listen to him." Irina insisted. "You have no idea the kind of power this sword of mine has."

"That's the Holy Sword known as Excalibur Mimic." Kiba replied angrily. "It has the ability to shape itself into whatever form its wielder desires."

Irina gasped in surprise. Even the normally completely stoic Xenovia seemed to be slightly shocked by his knowledge.

"How...how do you know that?" Irina stammered.

"That sword has a very interesting history." He continued through clenched teeth. "Would you like to hear about it?"

"We're not here for a history lesson." Xenovia insisted. "Now answer her question, how is it that you know about Excalibur Mimic? That is classified information belonging only to the Church."

"Oh I know all there is to know about the Holy Excalibur Blades." He seethed as a dark shadow enveloped his sword. "And I've waited years for the day that I can finally destroy them!"

Irina gripped the hilt of her Katana. "Xenovia, this guy is obviously nuts. Should we just kill them? They could prove to be a problem if we let them go."

Xenovia sighed wearily before shaking her head. "We're under strict orders to maintain a low profile. It pains me to say it. But if we start attacking Devils in one of their own cities it could bring unnecessary attention on our operation."

She frowned angrily but otherwise nodded in understanding. "Fine, but if he attacks me I won't hold back."

"Nor would I expect you to. But for now let's try to end this without bloodshed. If nothing else than for the sake of the mission."

Sammy breathed a sigh of relief. It was good to see that these two were at least reasonable.

"If you wanna leave that's fine." Kiba took a step forward with his weapon raised. "Just drop that sword on the ground and I'll let you pass."

"Afraid I'll have to decline." Irina took a step forward as well. "But if you're really that interested in my sword, I'd be more than happy to give you a little demonstration."

"Seriously, Kiba. This is not a fight you wanna pick." Sammy warned. "The power coming off of that girl is ungodly. But more so than that…"

He turned and looked at Xenovia.

"I'm sensing it's only a fraction of what she's capable of."

"I already said this doesn't concern you." Kiba insisted emphatically. "If you wanna run back to Sona that's fine, but I'm staying here."

"What the hell is your problem?!" Sammy glared at him angrily. This was starting to piss him off. "You know, I'd expect this sort of behavior from Jon but not you!"

At the mention of Jon's name Irina froze. A chill ran up her spine followed by a slowly building fire that welled up within her being. Xenovia picked up on it immediately along with the sudden surge of power building up.

"You know Jonathan Hyodo?" Irina's voice came out as a low, even tone.

Kiba quirked a brow at her before a devious smirk covered his lips. "Yeah, I do. He's a member of my Peerage. He serves the same Master as me."

"So that Haven that we found…" She seethed in a manner similar to what Kiba was doing a few moments ago. Her twintails beginning to float along an invisible stream of power. "...that was the Gremory Headquarters? That's where Jon's hiding?"

"Are you out of your mind?!" Sammy whispered frantically to him. "You're giving away confidential information to an enemy!"

"Is it true?" Xenovia asked curiously.

Kiba nodded his head. "It's true. He serves the Gremory family, same as me."

She sighed in disappointment. "In that case, I'm afraid things have changed. We won't be leaving after all."

Sammy felt a knot form in his stomach.

"You see, Freed Sellzen isn't our only target." Xenovia explained. "We're also here to eliminate the former Hunter Jonathan Hyodo."

"If you're really a friend of Jon's…" Irina glared at Kiba spitefully. "...then that makes you an enemy of mine."

As tempers flared the two forces charged each other. Steel clashed at blinding speeds as Irina and Kiba blocked, dodged, and parried each other's strikes. As they dueled, Sammy and Xenovia stared each other down. An aura of blue power began to radiate off of her while Sammy summoned his Sacred Gear to his left hand.

"I'm sorry it's come to this." Xenovia apologized honestly. "Unfortunately, as overzealous as my partner is, she's right. You've allied yourself with an enemy of the Church. We can't let you simply get away and warn him."

"Yeah yeah, I got that." He sighed in exasperation before aiming his weapon. "I don't suppose there's any way we could talk this out?"

Xenovia knocked a fist against her open palm and began to approach. Sammy cursed under his breath and fired seven shots from his Desert Eagle. Her body flash stepped from right to left as she approached with each shot he took, before dashing forward and striking at him with her fist. He quickly formed a barrier with his gauntlet but was still pushed backwards several feet. Xenovia then aimed her SMG and fired. Again Sammy kept his barrier up and maintained it until she had spent the entirety of her clip.

She lowered the weapon with a curious look on her face. "Interesting. Usually my custom rounds are enough to pierce a Devil's barrier."

"Yeah, that's the thing." Sammy holstered his gun and summoned a second gauntlet to his right hand. "I ain't exactly a normal Devil."

"It hardly matters." Xenovia assured before holstering her weapon and assuming a fighters stance. "Sacred Gear or not a Devil's power cannot hope to compare to the Divine Intervention of a Holy Sword User."

"You're awfully preachy for looking like a swimsuit model." Sammy flirted shamelessly. "If I told ya you had a nice body, would you hold it against me?"

She glowered in annoyance. "Let me guess, this is the part where I'm supposed to swoon, right?"

"Or at least laugh." He offered with a cheeky grin. "Come on, I bet ya smile is cute."

"That boyish charm may work on teenagers and other Devils, but I am a woman of God." Xenovia retorted, her face that same blank, emotionless monotone. "Now are you going to fight back? Or is your plan to bore me to death?"

He sighed glumly. "What is it with all the gorgeous women in my life having a massive stick up their ass? I swear, Hyodo doesn't have this problem."

Xenovia and Sammy both rushed each other. Engaging in hand to hand while Kiba and Irina continued to clash swords. They knocked their blades together and began pushing against one another.

"Let's see how well that sword of yours holds up to my Holy Eraser!" The black shadows on Kiba's blade unfurled like tendrils of darkness and began enveloping Irina's Katana.

She smirked before channeling a burst of energy into the blade, completely dissolving the shadows.

"What?!"

Her katana then changed form and wrapped itself around Kiba's blade, constricting it like a python. The blade shattered as he backed away.

"You'll need a lot more power than that to break this blade." Irina bragged as her weapon changed back into a katana.

"Fine then." Kiba growled in frustration. "Let's see how you handle this! Freeze!"

Kiba summoned his Fire Killer sword. A blade of pure frost appeared on his hilt before he charged again.

* * *

"We fought them for awhile. But it became clear pretty early on that we weren't getting anywhere. Those holy powers of theirs were simply too much." Sammy continued with his story. Telling them every detail about what happened.

"I still don't understand." Sona shook her head in confusion before addressing Rias. "From everything you've told me about Kiba it just doesn't seem like he would fly off the handle like that."

"I know exactly why he did it." Rias commented morosely.

Sona peered at her curiously. "Something we need to know?"

She shook her head insistently. "It's not important right now. Plus I swore to him I wouldn't discuss it."

Sona nodded agreeably. "Getting back on track then. Why has Jon become a target for the Church?"

"It probably has something to do with how he left the Order." Rias surmised glumly. "Let's just say his departure from the Saintly Knights of Michael was...less than amicable."

"Fair enough, but from the way Sammy described it it just sounds more personal than that."

Sammy shrugged at them. "Hey don't ask me. That's just the impression I got. You'd have to ask him yourself."

They all turned and looked at Jon. While they were busy talking he was quietly having a panic attack on the sofa. Koneko and Rias both gave him concerned looks.

"Jon...what's wrong?"

"That girl with the brunette hair." Jon quietly spoke up in a horse voice. "You're certain that you heard her name right?"

"Of course I'm certain!" Sammy responded in annoyance. "I know what I heard. The blue haired girl definitely called her Irina."

Hearing the name again made his stomach bottom out. After all, it was one he was certain he would never hear again. His heart began to race at a mile a minute as his skin somehow turned even paler.

"It's really her." He muttered quietly. "She's alive."

"Hey, are you okay?" Koneko asked worriedly.

"Jon, speak to us." Rias pleaded insistently. "Tell us what's going on."

"I know the woman who's after me." He explained, his voice taking on a melancholy darkness. "Or rather...I knew her. Her full name is Irina Shidou. She was a protege of mine back when I was still with the Order."

"You two were friends?!" Sammy asked in bewilderment.

"More than that." Jon insisted. "She was like a little sister to me. I taught her everything she knows about being a Hunter."

"If you're that close then why would she be after you?" Sona asked in perplexment.

Rias looked crestfallen. "It's because of how you left, isn't it."

He nodded solemnly. "It's the only explanation that makes sense. I never got a chance to explain to her what happened. I was too busy fighting my way out of the Monastery."

"And I bet the Church did a good job coming up with whatever bullshit story kept her on their side." Koneko added, a hint of bitterness in her voice.

Jon shrugged. "Honestly though, can you blame her? I killed a lot of people we both knew during my escape without any explanation and then became a Devil." He cast his eyes to the floor as pain welled up in his heart. "God...she probably despises me now."

"Yeah...she didn't seem too happy hearing ya name." Sammy admitted. Sona gave him a perturbed look to which he simply raised his hands in the air defensively. "What? I'm just being honest here. Better that he knows what's coming his way."

"Jon…" Rias knelt down next to her Pawn and placed one hand on his leg while the other tenderly rested on his cheek. "...why didn't you tell us this?"

"What was I supposed to say?" He shrugged, pain in his voice. "I had a student I cared deeply for and I completely abandoned her?"

"You didn't abandon her, Jon." Rias insisted, wanting so desperately to console her beloved Dragon. "Those wicked men were going to kill you. All so they could steal the powers of the Red Dragon Emperor."

"Using a ritual that, from what Rias has described to me, would not have worked anyway." Sona added while adjusting the bridge of her glasses. "The Boosted Gear and the Red Dragon Emperor are one and the same. You cannot have one without the other. At best, Archangel Michael would have manifested in your empty body to find he was completely without any powers beyond his own. That is assuming he would have even bothered to show up. Either way, those buffoons would have killed you for nothing."

"You see?" Rias smiled at him assuringly. "You've got nothing to feel guilty for, Jon. You did the right thing."

He sighed in a melancholy tone while clutching her hand for comfort. "I don't regret what I did. At least not anymore. But that doesn't change the fact I still can't get her out of my head." His grip tightened as his arm started to tremble. "She must have felt so betrayed and alone. It's no wonder she hates me now."

Rias wrapped her beloved Dragon in her arms and clutched him tightly to her chest. "I'm so sorry, Jon." She kissed him tenderly. "What can I do? Please tell me what I can do to make this better."

He shook his head while doing his best to smile for her sake. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, Rias. But this is just gonna take time."

She continued to peer at him with concerned eyes but otherwise nodded in understanding. "Okay. Just know I'm always here for you."

They kissed again, finding comfort in each other's lips.

"Jeez, get a room you two." Sammy chided jokingly.

Sona coughed awkwardly. "As much as I hate to break up the moment, we're getting off track again. Sammy, please continue from where you left off. I want to know how it is you managed to escape from these two women alive."

He nodded in understanding. "Right. So there we were fighting for our lives. And as I said, it became clear pretty early on we were in trouble…"

* * *

Sammy was reaching the end of his rope. Despite having gone full Dragon and unleashing the remainder of his power, this Xenovia chick was still able to go toe to toe with him. Even the battle with Salazar's Pawns seemed like a schoolyard playfight compared to this. And she wasn't even using a weapon. Something he kept reminding himself of as he began looking for a way out of this hopeless confrontation.

Over on the other side, Kiba wasn't faring much better. The brunette with the katana managed to nick him in the arm and since then his moves had started to become more and more sluggish. Whatever was in that blade, it was hurting him something awful. And yet despite his injuries and the poisonous holy magic working its way through his veins, Kiba just would not relent. He came after Irina again and again like a man possessed.

"You sure are stubborn, aren't you?" Irina observed while casually parrying strikes from his blade. "At what point are you going to realize this is futile?"

"Don't count me out yet!" Kiba flared, increasing the intensity of his attacks.

He managed to back her against a wall at which point he went in for the kill. Driving his sword straight for her chest. She responded by leaping into the air, causing him to drive his blade into the brick while she landed on the flat end of his blade, balancing there as if she weighed nothing.

"So how about now?"

With one swift motion she leapt over him and sliced a large gash into his neck. Kiba clutched at the wound that refused to stop bleeding, his vision began to fade and the room started to spin.

"And that would be game, my friend." She casually observed. "To be fair, it wasn't the worst fight I've ever had." Irina slung her katana over her shoulder. "Definitely in the top twenty at least."

With the last of his strength Kiba pulled the sword out of the wall with one hand while clutching his wounded neck with the other. He staggered backwards before gripping the hilt of his blade and charging.

She sighed wearily. "Okay then…"

The move was so fast he couldn't have possibly hoped to react. One second she was in front of Kiba the next she was behind him. It took a moment to process what had happened, and another moment for him to feel the effects. Kiba dropped his sword and clutched at the gaping wound in his side. He proceeded to cough up blood before turning completely pale and falling face first onto the stone floor.

Irina slowly approached his motionless body before raising her sword up, intent on plunging it into Kiba's heart.

"Just as well…" She glared down at him coldly. "...you were only a warmup for when I finally catch up to Jon."

At that moment she felt something snag her waist. Irina let out a confused noise before being yanked sharply backwards several yards away. Sammy retracted his Absorption Line back into his gauntlet before turning to face Xenovia again. However, upon turning back around he found her to be mysteriously absent.

And that was when he felt the muzzle of an SMG press against the back of his head. Sammy swore under his breath before unsummoning his Sacred Gear and slowly raising his hands into the air.

"You alright?" Xenovia asked her partner while maintaining a firm grip on her weapon.

Irina groaned before standing up and rubbing her sore bottom. "That really hurt my tailbone." She whined. Her expression turned serious again as she regarded Sammy. "So what do you want to do with them?"

"The swordsman won't survive his wounds." Xenovia assured. "As for this one. We'll need to interrogate him for information." She jammed her gun against his head even harder. "Tell us everything you know about the Gremory peerage. What defenses do they have? How many members are there?"

"Genshirou, Samuel." He replied in a monotone. "Staff Sergeant. Serial number one four dash three two seven nine-"

"I should warn you." Xenovia's voice took on the slightest hint of an edge. "We were trained by the Inquisitor Corps in methods of torture. If you don't comply, we will be forced to make you talk."

"Now that is certainly something I would like to see."

The room went dead quiet as all three of them slowly turned to gaze upon a silver haired man with blood red eyes. He was dressed in the robes of a priest and leaning against the doorway of the entrance to the club. A psychotic smile enveloped his features as he slowly unfurled his tongue.

"By all means. Don't stop on my account. This shit was just starting to get good."

"Freed Sellzen." Xenovia completely lost interest in Sammy and instead pointed her gun at the Stray Hunter.

The moment Sammy tried to bolt, however, he suddenly found himself with a katana blade at his neck.

"Uh uh uh. Nice try, Devil." Irina taunted him, the grip on her weapon remaining firm.

As Xenovia approached the primary target with her gun aimed, Freed continued to lean against the doorway. His psychotic smile getting wider and wider.

"I should be thanking you for sparing us the trouble of having to track you down." She spoke with that same hint of an edge in her voice. "Now that we've found you, our mission just got a whole lot simpler."

"Oh please!" Freed cackled maniacally. "I think you've got it backwards Sweet Tits. I'm the one who's found you!"

She scowled at him nastily before opening fire. Her bullets hit nothing but the door behind where he once stood.

"After all, I'm the one who's been hunting the Excalibur Users." Freed spoke up from a completely different part of the room. Having seemingly teleported there. "I've already killed three of you, and now thanks to the two Devil Dumbasses over there I've been lead straight to numbers four and five."

Xenovia growled in frustration before taking aim and firing again. She hit the after image of Freed before quickly pinpointing his location and firing once more. She did this until her weapon was spent. Having hit nothing but walls and after images.

"He's so fast." Irina commented nervously. "I can hardly track his movements."

"Oh right, I should probably mention." Freed drew a long bronze sword shaped like a krys from beneath his robes. "I've been practicing with these neat toys of there's as well."

"Damn." Xenovia cursed angrily. "He's learned how to use Excalibur Rapidly."

"That would explain the after images." Irina commented glumly. "Excalibur Rapidly increases the speed and reflexes of its wielder a hundred fold."

"So whaddya say Sugars?" Freed readied his weapon, assuming a combat stance. "Got room for one more in this little gangbang?"

Xenovia calmly put away her SMG and raised her right hand out to her side. A light blue magic circle appeared which then produced the hilt of a sword long enough to be gripped by three hands. She slowly pulled a massive two handed great sword from the magic circle. The titanic blade contained an axe-like guard and the sword itself ended in three massive points.

She slammed the weapons tip into the ground, creating a hole beneath her feet. "This is Excalibur Destruction." Xenovia declared. "And I can assure you, it more than lives up to its name."

The power that began to radiate off of Xenovia at that moment was ungodly.

"Ooooo, now we're talking." Freed cackled with psychotic delight. "Raw speed vs raw power. Let's see which one wins out!"

This was getting way out of hand. With Kiba in critical condition and two heavyweights about to do their thing, Sammy knew it was time to dip out while they had the chance.

"Hey, I don't suppose there's any way you'd consider letting me go?" He asked Irina with a charming smile.

She smiled back at him. "Sorry sweetie, but I still need you to tell me where Jon is."

He sighed morosely. "I was afraid you'd say that."

His Desert Eagle went off without her realizing it. Her attention having been pulled towards Freed, Irina didn't notice him draw it until it was far too late. The round sent her flying backwards, her armor having absorbed most of the shock.

Sammy bolted, running over to Kiba's body whilst pulling a cylindrical grenade from his belt. He pulled the pin with his teeth while scooping up the Blonde Knight in his other hand before throwing the grenade moments before Irina managed to pull out her revolver.

The flashbang detonated, giving Sammy just enough time to grab Kiba and make a mad dash out of there before promptly warping away.

* * *

"After that, I dragged Kiba back here." Sammy concluded his story. "The fact that either one of us are still alive is a miracle."

"That was some quick thinking, my Servant." Sona praised with a light smile. "You managed to save Kiba's life while also delivering vital information to us."

He chuckled pridefully. "All in a day's work, Boss."

"Still...this is grave news, indeed." Rias commented somberly. "Freed Sellzen is back in the city. And if your story is to be believed, is now even more powerful than ever."

"I'm more interested in this other woman." Sona spoke frankly. "Xenovia Quarta. What do we know about her?"

"If you'd like, I can run her profile through the Reliquary Archives." Tsubaki, who had been quietly listening, spoke up.

Sona nodded approvingly. "Go ahead and search the public domain as well. You never know what might show up."

Tsubaki bowed her head respectfully before turning and leaving the room. As she walked out Akeno and Ruruko walked in.

"Sammy!" Ruruko rushed over to the other Sitri Pawn and wrapped her arms around him as he stood up to meet her. She planted a deep kiss on his lips while he hoisted her up off the ground.

"You scared me half to death." She whined. "When Sona told me you'd been attacked I thought-"

"Relax, Ruru. I'm fine." Sammy assured. "I barely got a scratch on me."

"Still, you need to be more careful." She lectured. "Just because you're a Dragon that doesn't make you invincible."

"You know, you're so cute when you get all huffy like that." He teased her.

She turned beet red before swatting him on the shoulder. "D...don't change the subject!"

While Ruruko and Sammy talked, Akeno walked up and knelt down at Jon's feet before gazing up at him expectantly. He was about to kneel down and kiss her when he stopped and looked at Rias questioningly.

The President chuckled at him and then waved them off, silently permitting the two to do as they pleased. Jon smiled before planting one on her lovingly. Sona, who was watching the whole display, grinned approvingly. Knowing exactly what was going on.

"How's he doing?" Jon asked worriedly.

"Asia assured us he's going to be fine, Master." She spoke confidently. "His wounds were grave but he'll pull through. He may be out of commission for a few days, however."

He sighed with relief. "Alright then. That's all I needed to hear."

Akeno nodded and then stood up before walking over to Rias and bowing politely.

"Akeno." Rias replied curtly, a knowing grin plastered on her face. "And how was your evening?"

She sighed contently while clutching at the collar locked around her neck. "More wonderful than I could have possibly hoped for." An amorous grin spread across her lips as well. "And how was your date with Ms. Asia?"

"Pretty much the same." Rias commented coyly. "I really feel like we connected on a deeper level."

"Oh I'm sure." She giggled before a light frown formed over her features. "Just a shame our nights had to be cut short by such bad news."

Rias's smile glowered and she nodded in agreement. "Honestly, what was Kiba thinking?"

Sona cleared her throat gruffly. "Akeno."

Rias's Queen smiled at Sona before walking over to her. The President of the Honor's Committee ran her hand over the collar around Akeno's neck approvingly before hugging her tight.

"Congratulations." She spoke softly into her ear. "I know you've been waiting a long time for this."

"I really have." Akeno replied, hugging her back sweetly.

Jon couldn't help but be curious about the display. If even Sona was congratulating her, this whole thing may have been an even bigger deal than he thought.

"She looks incredibly happy." Rias whispered to him. "Well done, Jon. I know it doesn't seem like much, but that little gesture means more to her than you think."

He nodded. "I know. I understand exactly what it means."

"Good. You better take care of my girl over there." Rias lectured sternly while perking up her breasts with her hands. "If you ever want to see these girls ever again."

He chuckled. "Duly noted."

As Jon gazed between Akeno and Rias, both girls smiling back at him adoringly. He realized that, despite everything that had happened and everything he just learned, his heart was still at ease. So long as he kept his Treasures close beside him, he knew he could weather this storm.

Yet still, the storm never truly blew away. Irina was alive. And she was out for blood.


	6. Chapter 6

Jon and Irina were on their way back from a hunt they had completed in Arizona. The road trip ended up taking a few days longer than they expected as the roadside phantom they had been tasked with exorcising proved to be far more difficult to track down than they had anticipated.

Nevertheless they had succeeded, at which point the two began the long drive back in the beat up Ford they'd borrowed from the church. They had stopped at a gas station for fuel and Jon used the opportunity to buy more smokes and some snacks for the road, leaving Irina to man the pump.

After filling the car with gas and putting the nozzle away, Irina dusted her hands off before turning back towards the station store expecting Jon to be done soon.

An irritated scowl enveloped her features as she peered into the window of the store. Jon had indeed finished buying their supplies, but he hadn't left yet on account of being too busy chatting up a half naked blonde with shoulder length wavy hair near the entrance. Her boobs were nearly busting out of the yellow tube top she was wearing and her booty shorts were so tight Irina couldn't help but imagine the wedgies she must get.

His shameless flirting was getting on her last nerve. First there was the secretary at the library they stopped at for information on the surrounding area. Then the female police officer at the precinct they visited for info on the deaths related to the spirit.

This was the last straw, she had officially had enough.

Irina huffed in aggravation before storming her way into the convenience store. Jon was getting way too close to her for the angry teens liking, and the wavy haired blonde was going out of her way to put her hands all over him.

"So how many tattoos do you have?" He asked curiously while giving one of his award winning smiles.

"Well I got this one just a couple months ago." The blonde spoke with an obnoxiously thick vocal fry while running her hand over the red heart on the swell of her left breast. "But I also have this one." She turned around to reveal an angel wing tramp stamp on her lower back.

Irina was appalled. There was nothing angelic about this woman or that tattoo whatsoever.

"I really love your Dragon." She continued in a sultry tone, running her hand along his left palm while placing her other hand on his pec. "Is there any other Dragon you'd like to show me?"

He chuckled in amusement before tilting her chin up with his finger. "Not if you're still talking about tattoos."

"That's alright. I've got enough ink for the both of us." Her lips got waaaay too close to his. "Would you like to see?"

"Ahem!"

The two lovebirds turned to see a rather perturbed looking teenager glaring back at them with her arms crossed.

"Oh...hey Irina." Jon chuckled awkwardly. "Didn't see ya standing there."

"You realize we're on a deadline, right?" She asked in an impatient tone. "We have to be in the next state by morning."

He was about to speak up when the blonde clinging to his arm did it for him.

"You must be Jon's little sister." The woman spoke in a fake bubbly voice. "Well aren't you a cutie."

Irina gawked at her in disbelief before turning to Jon for confirmation. "His what?"

"You know I think it is so sweet that you're taking her on a road trip across the country." The blonde smiled back up at him while fluttering her false eyelashes.

Despite his calm charming exterior, Jon was starting to sweat under the collar. "Well I mean...family first, am I right?"

Boy if looks could kill. He didn't even have to look at her to know she was sending him death glares, he could feel the dark foreboding aura emanating off Irina like a plume of black smoke. The blonde finally let go of his arm and walked over to her. She leaned over and placed her hands on her knees, her boobs looking about ready to spill over at any minute.

"Listen Sweetie. Would it be okay if I borrowed your Big Brother for an hour or two? I've got something I want to show him."

Irina's left eyebrow twitched. "I think you've seen enough already…Big Bro." She spoke through clenched teeth with as much restraint as she could muster. Jon, for his part, was doing his best to avoid eye contact.

The blonde giggled at her. "Awww, how adorable. You're so protective, aren't you?" She began to wiggle her butt in the air while swaying her chest. "I promise I'll take very good care of him. You don't have to worry about a thing."

Despite the anger in her eyes, a smile formed on Irina's lips. "I just can't help but worry. What with his medical condition and all."

The blonde gave her a confused look. "Medical condition?"

She nodded innocently. "Yeah, Big Bro has this really nasty allergy to silicon. I'm worried if you keep waving those overinflated water balloons in his face you'll give him a reaction."

Her coy smile instantly vanished as did the sweetness in her voice. "Alright, I get that you've got spunk, kid. But it's time to run along now and let the adults have their fun."

Jon placed his face against the palm of his hand. This was not going to end well.

"If by fun you mean a rash that won't go away without a penicillin shot." Irina retorted without missing a beat.

The blonde was taken aback by the comment for a moment before sneering angrily at Irina and grabbing her by the shirt collar. "Listen, you little twerp! I told you to get lost!"

Jon quickly averted his eyes just in time to be spared the absolute massacre that followed. When he opened his eyes again, Irina was standing over the battered body of the cute blonde he was chatting up a second ago. She was laying face first on the floor, her hair a mess, not moving. Irina then calmly picked her up by the hair and dragged her outside, before hoisting the unconscious girl over her shoulder and promptly tossing her into the place she felt she most belonged.

A trash bin.

Jon winced at the sound of the blonde's body making contact with the metal can before Irina dusted her hands off and walked back inside.

"Time to go, Jon." She calmly, if a bit forcefully declared with her hands on her hips.

"Err, right. Coming." He coughed awkwardly before grabbing the provisions and making his way outside with her.

As they made their way back to the car, a tense silence filled the air.

"Sooo, I see you've been practicing your Aikido." He laughed nervously.

She continued to silently stew beside him, a dark aura wafting off of her like a cloud of smoke.

"Look it was just a bit of harmless flirting." He insisted defensively.

"It's always just a bit of harmless flirting." She growled. "But it always ends with you being chased out of the Sister's quarters with your pants around your ankles and the Head Mother screaming at you in Italian."

"For the record, that time, I only managed to get to second base." He retorted jokingly.

She let out an exasperated groan. "Must you turn everything into a joke?"

Jon frowned at her, slightly put off. "Well excuse me for having a sense of humor."

Irina turned around sharply and glared at him. "Doesn't this behavior ever worry you? It worries the hell out of me. You violate the tenants of your creed on an almost daily basis."

"I somehow doubt I'll be getting a pink slip from the Order any time soon." He chuckled.

"I'm not worried about you getting fired, Jon. I'm worried about your moral standing."

He rolled his eyes and turned away. "Oh Jesus Christ, not this again."

"Lust, anger, gluttony." She listed off. "Any of these things ringing a bell to you? Or have you forgotten that the Knights are a Christian Order."

"No, no I haven't." He insisted, a hint of irritation in his voice. "You and Father Kyle won't let me forget that."

"Face it, Jon. If it wasn't for the fact that you're one of the best damn Hunters in our Chapter, maybe even in the entirety of the United States, you would have been excommunicated years ago for your behavior. The Order may be giving you a pass, but the Lord won't."

"Yeah, well the Lord's done enough favors for me already."

She gave him an appalled look as he turned to head towards the car. "What the hell is your problem? Why are you so insistent on villainizing the one who gave you a reason to live?"

Jon stopped dead in his tracks, his hand inches away from the door handle. He clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white before turning around and storming back towards her.

"You really want to know?" He asked, an edge to his voice. "Alright, then how about this. You mentioned lust, anger, and gluttony a second ago. Right?"

Irina silently glared at him. She didn't like his tone of voice, but allowed him to continue anyway.

"Well how about fraud?" He challenged. "I impersonated being from the DA's office so I could get my hands on those murder files, didn't I?"

She scoffed at him. "Oh please, that's so not the same thing."

"Or how about when we interrogated that cultist back in Nebraska? I knocked four of his teeth out. There's your violence and wrath right there."

"You only did that because it was necessary."

"Necessary?" He laughed at her. "Necessary for who exactly? That spirit that we killed had maybe one or two victims a year. You realize how many homicides there are in the state of Arizona annually? What the Hell are we doing about those?"

"That's not our directive." She insisted. "We protect humanity from a far worse fate. We protect them from the forces of Hell."

Jon's eyes turned to a passing vagrant who had just finished barfing up the whiskey he had for breakfast.

"Yeah? And for some people life is Hell. Humanity doesn't need the forces of the Underworld to make themselves miserable, they're perfectly capable of doing that on their own."

She remained silent.

"The fact is…" He continued undeterred. "...we don't do this because it's what's best for humanity. We do it because it's what's best for us."

He tossed the keys to her which she caught in her right hand.

"You drive. Some practice will do you good."

As he turned to head for the passenger seat she stared at the keys for a moment before casting her gaze back at him.

"So when you saved my life in the woods from that werewolf...were you doing it just because that was what was best for you?"

He stopped again, but this time he didn't turn around.

"No, I didn't...I'm sorry." He finally spoke up. "Forget I said anything. Let's just go."

With that he entered the passenger's seat of the old Ford. Irina walked towards the car with a heavy heart, entered the driver's seat, and started the car before taking off down the road.

The old car they were using as their means of transportation was hardly pretty. It had over a hundred thousand miles on it, smelled faintly of old cheese, and had a busted radio that only got static. It made road trips an awkwardly silent affair. And given everything that was on Irina's mind. A silent drive with her thoughts wasn't what she wanted right now.

Which was what made Jon and his guitar such a blessing. Despite his insistence that he was still 'finding his pitch' the man was an honest to God virtuoso. Any gripes he had about his voice were bull as far as she was concerned.

As it was, that particular evening, while they drove. Jon tuned his guitar and prepared to sing an acoustic version of a song he learned to experiment with his pitch. Content with the sound of his instrument after strumming a few times, he brought his hand up to the fret and began to play.

"Another day in this carnival of souls."

"Another night ends as quickly, quickly as it goes."

"The memories are shadows, ink on the page."

"And I can't seem to find my way home."

"And it's almost like, your Heavens trying everything."

"Your Heavens trying everything to keep me out."

A small smile covered her lips as he strummed into the next verse.

"All the places I've been and things I've seen."

"A million stories that made up a million shattered dreams."

"The faces of people, I'll never see again."

"And I can't seem to find my way home."

As he went into the chorus, Irina found herself hopelessly transfixed. Despite the somber message.

"And it's almost like, your Heavens trying everything."

"Your heavens trying everything to break me down."

"It's almost like, your Heavens trying everything."

"Your Heavens trying everything to keep me out."

He finished the song before placing his guitar to the side, popping a cigarette in his mouth, and lighting it.

"So be honest." Jon took a long drag from his smoke. "How'd it sound?"

Irina took a moment to let the butterflies fade away before speaking. "I mean...it was beautiful. But the song is so sad." She admitted somewhat somberly.

He quirked a brow at her before removing the smoke from his mouth. "How do you figure?"

"The artist left no room for hope in the lyrics." She observed. "It's pretty, but the message it conveys is rather depressing."

"Music is a very emotionally driven medium." Jon explained, taking another drag from his smoke. "Some songs tell stories but others are just the artist putting his emotions on paper."

She frowned at him. "I just find it odd that you'd choose something so...dark."

He shrugged before cracking the window and tapping the ashes off his cigarette. "Some people find it cathartic."

"And some just find it pessimistic." She countered.

He twiddled with the cigarette in his hand in contemplation. "I've always believed that a pessimist is what an optimist calls a realist."

Her mood soured somewhat. "Are things really that bad? You and I are still alive after all. God still has a purpose for us."

Jon blew a cloud of smoke into the air. "Right…"

And there it was. The one thing Irina could not freaking stand about her mentor. Never mind the fact that he chased after anything in a miniskirt, never mind that disgusting smoking habit of his, and never mind that he made jokes to blow off major issues.

It was this right here. This total cynicism that occasionally popped up over him like a toxic little cloud. She hated when he got this way.

The thing that disturbed her the most, however, was the apparent weakness of Jon's faith. In the three years she had been a Hunter she had never once seen him attend a service at the monastery or even pray for that matter. Father Kyle assured her that Jon's faith was as strong as any, he just had his own way of showing it. But she could never see it whenever they were alone.

It just begged the question. If Faith in the Lord was not the source of his strength, then what was? What was it keeping this man going? Was revenge really the only thing he had left?

"I worry about you." Irina admitted while keeping her eyes on the road.

"Why?" He asked dismissively without even looking at her.

"Hearing you talk like this. You make it sound like you've already given up on life. Like the only thing you have left is your vengeance."

Jon glowered somewhat before sighing and flicking the rest of his smoke out the window. "I swear you start sounding more and more like Father Kyle every day."

"Good." She insisted. "Father Kyle is a great man in addition to being a great Hunter." The worry returned to her eyes. "You're a great Hunter too…"

"But I'm not a great man. Am I? Not like he is, anyway."

"I think you're a wonderful man." Irina insisted, her cheeks flaring red. "But I also think you try really hard not to be."

He remained silent.

"I see the way you push others out." She continued. "You're trying so hard to do everything by yourself and I swear one of these days it's going to kill you."

Jon groaned in exasperation. "Okay, I can see where this is going. Irina, for the last time, you cannot come with us on the Carlia Hunt."

The car came to a lurching stop on the side of the road, nearly sending Jon smashing into the dashboard.

"Have you lost your damn mind?!"

"Why not?!" She retorted angrily. "You said it yourself. She's an Elder Vampire. Incredibly dangerous. You need all the help you can get."

"This is something we have to do on our own." He insisted. "Father Kyle and I can't afford any distractions when we-"

"Oh, so I'm a hindrance! Is that it?!" She cut him off.

He pointed a finger at her sternly. "Don't put words in my mouth. You know that's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" She glared back at him, her arms crossed.

After a moment of silence he swore under his breath and looked away. "Enough people have lost their lives on my account. I don't need to add your name to that list."

"You think I want your protection?" Irina sounded horribly offended. "Jon, if you died then-"

"Then the world would keep on turning." He cut her off sharply. "I'm not so important that life would stand still just because I'm not in it."

She gasped at him, a look of genuine shock on her face. Her features eventually switched from shock to genuine hurt as her eyes began to glass over.

Jon frowned, realizing what he had done. "Irina, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"Screw you, asshole!" She opened the driver's side door and hopped out before he could see the tears fall down her cheeks.

"Irina!" Jon stood up from his seat and shut his car door. "Irina, wait!" He swore under his breath. "Way to go, Johnny Boy."

He quickly took off after her. She wasn't running, but her step was quick, angry. From behind, he could hear her sniffling and occasionally see her wipe her cheek.

"Irina stop." He insisted apologetically. "What's the plan here? You gonna walk back to the Monastery?"

"Just go away!" She shouted back, her voice catching as she tried to hide her crying from him.

"Come on now." Jon's voice carried the regret of his words. "I can't at least try to apologize?"

"You don't get it, do you?" She choked out. "Just because you don't care if you die that doesn't mean-Wah!"

At that moment a pothole snagged her foot. Irina tripped and stumbled forward, rolling her ankle in the process. Jon quickly darted over to her before inspecting the damage.

"You okay?" He asked sincerely.

She groaned in both pain and embarrassment. "Stupid, friggin busted road."

"I hate to say it but I think it's sprained." Jon observed apologetically.

"I'm fine." She insisted before shoving him aside. "I can walk on my Ow!"

She fell back over as a sharp pain radiated up her leg. Why did this have to happen right now?

"Uh huh. That's what I thought." He chided jokingly. "Come on, I'll carry you back to the car."

"Go away." She scooted away from him, a bitter scowl on her face. "Just leave me alone, I can make it back myself."

He sighed wearily before shaking his head in disbelief. "You really have grown into a stubborn little thing, you know that right?"

After a moment her scowl faded. "Well I did learn from the best."

Jon chuckled in amusement. "Alright, I guess I earned that one." He held out his arms. "Now come on. Let's get you back."

Her sour look turned to one of embarrassment as a light blush crept over her cheeks. With a reluctant sigh she nodded her head.

Despite her having grown significantly in the past three years, Jon could still pick up Irina like she weighed next to nothing. That wasn't what was bothering her though. It was how he was holding her that was making her so uncomfortable. The way Jon swept her up off the ground and cradled her in his arms was far too reminiscent of the way he first carried her the night they met.

Before he slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and bolted, anyway. She was thankful that, this time around, he didn't go that far.

They walked back to the car in silence. Irina's heart was thudding like a drum in her chest the entire way there. She had forgotten just how sturdy Jon's grip truly was. Something about his arms just felt so...safe.

"You're not falling asleep on me, are ya?" He asked with a cheeky grin.

Her eyes popped back open and her face instantly flushed. "N...no no! Not at all!" She chuckled nervously.

Try as she might, Irina just couldn't stay mad at him. For all his faults and his cynical philosophy, the fact remained that Jon was incredibly important to her. It was for that very reason that his words bothered her so much.

After all, no woman could ever bare to see the man she loves throw his life away.

Irina had known it for some time. Maybe it shouldn't have come as any surprise to her. Though at first she wrote it off as nothing but a little crush. "Of course I would have feelings for him." She thought to herself. "He saved my life after all."

And yet those feelings never went away. The older she got, and the closer they became, the stronger her affection for her Mentor grew. It wasn't just a crush. Irina was in love with Jonathan Hyodo.

Truthfully, the more she thought about it, maybe that was what was bothering her the most. Not Jon's behavior, or his code of conduct. Really, the only thing she could think about since they left that gas station, was what that Blonde Airhead called her.

Was that really all he saw her as? Just...a little sister?

* * *

Jon quickly ascended the stairs up to Sona's bedroom. Where he and Sammy had carried his half dead Peerage Brother so Akeno and Momo could treat him. Now with Asia, he decided to check in on him as well as see how she was holding up.

The moment Jon entered the room she turned and smiled at him before standing and rushing over. Asia leapt into his arms and kissed her Dragon lovingly.

"How's he holding up?" He asked worriedly.

"He should be okay now, but it was really touch and go for awhile." She admitted. "I've never seen injuries like these before. They were almost completely unresponsive to our magic."

"Christ, what a nightmare." Jon shook his head in disbelief. "Those Holy Swords are no joke."

"They're really not. Holy Swords comprise some of the deadliest weapons in existence against a creature of the Underworld." Momo spoke up, still quietly working on Kiba's battered body. "Thank Lucifer Asia got here when she did. Were it not for her Twilight Healing we'd be working on a corpse by now."

Asia frowned softly. "I did what I could."

"You did more than that, you saved his life." Jon insisted. "Asia, I don't say this nearly enough. But you are an absolute Godsend to our Peerage. You've saved my life with your Twilight Healing more times than I can count and now this."

She beamed up at him. "Thank you."

The two lovers kissed again.

"Guys, I think he's waking up." Momo announced.

They both turned and looked at Kiba before rushing to his bedside. As the Knight slowly lurched up, groaning in pain, Asia helped ease him back down.

"Kiba, relax." She gently pushed him back towards the bed. "You've just been through quite the ordeal."

He sat up in bed and leaned his head against the wall. "Is this the Honor's House?"

Momo nodded. "Sammy brought you back here after you fell unconscious."

"But…" He shook his head vigorously. "Hold on, what happened to those two Holy Sword Users?"

"Is that really important?" Asia asked. "You're lucky to be alive."

"No no no." He began rubbing his temples vigorously. "We have to go back there, we have to track them down and-"

"Come on, Bro." Jon knocked him on the shoulder gently. "Let's forget about that right now. We're more worried about you."

"Look, Jon, you don't get it!" He insisted angrily. "We have to get back there! One of those girls, they knew you!"

He nodded in understanding, a light frown on his face. "I know. Her name is Irina Shidou. She was a Pupil of mine back in the Order."

"Then you know we've got to track her down! Immediately!" Kiba insisted frantically.

Jon peered at him curiously. "Why?"

"Because she's a Holy Sword User."

Everyone turned around to see Rias and Akeno standing in the doorway. Rias was standing with her arms crossed, a perturbed expression on her face.

"Ms. President!" Kiba sat up. "Thank goodness you're here. We need to-"

Rias raised a hand up to silence him. "How are you feeling?" She calmly asked.

"I'm fine." He insisted.

She nodded in understanding before walking straight up to him. The President then raised her right hand and slapped him sharply across the face.

"Rias!" Jon stood up and put his hands out to stop her, but was quickly intercepted by Akeno.

"I cannot believe you." She seethed irately. Glaring at Kiba while he sat in stunned silence, his cheek red. "I cannot honestly believe you. Of all the reckless, idiotic-"

"Rias." Jon insisted. "What the hell?"

"Don't interrupt, Master." Akeno insisted. "Please. Just let her do this."

He wanted to protest further but the look in Akeno's eyes stopped him. She wasn't looking at Jon, she was glaring at Kiba. Seemingly just as angry, if not more so.

Kiba cast his gaze to the bed as she continued.

"What were you thinking?! You not only deliberately disobeyed my orders and nearly got yourself killed, you put Sona's Pawn in mortal danger!"

The more she spoke, the more Kiba's expression darkened.

"But as if that wasn't enough." She flared, her lip quivering in rage. "Your gravest sin by far...you compromised Jon's safety by freely giving away confidential information to a woman who wants to kill him!"

"Be honest. That's why you're really upset, isn't it?"

Rias glared at him in disbelief.

"Forget everything else, I put Jon in danger. That's really all that matters, right?" He continued in a low, bitter voice, his eyes still cast down to the floor.

"How dare you." Akeno shook her head at him in disbelief. "You don't get to speak to the President that way. And she's absolutely right, you put your Peerage Brother in serious danger."

"I see you're getting in on this too, Vice President." Kiba continued. "Nice collar by the way, think I wouldn't notice that new piece of jewelry you're sporting?"

Akeno looked sourly at him. A mixture of anger and disappointment in her eyes.

"You haven't given me that look in awhile." He commented flatly.

"Kiba, what's wrong?" Asia walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder gingerly. "I've never seen you behave this way before."

He pushed her arm away. "I'm fine, Asia. This doesn't concern you."

"Hey!" Rias growled at him. "She just spent the past twenty minutes saving your life after your catastrophically reckless behavior. You swore to me when we made our Pact that you wouldn't let this Holy Sword nonsense affect your judgement."

"I saw an opportunity and I took it." Kiba responded, glaring back at her coldly. "Now are you going to let me finish the job I started, or not?"

"No." Rias replied sharply. "You're still injured. Until Asia clears you for active service again, you're to remain here for bed rest. That is a direct order."

He scowled at her angrily. "You were more than happy to let Jon disobey orders to extract his vengeance on Raynare. How is this any different?"

"We were watching the whole time." Akeno retorted. "Or have you forgotten that that entire rescue operation was your idea?"

"Set up or not, he still broke the rules." He shot back. "Why is it he's allowed to get away with doing whatever he wants without consequence?"

They remained silent. Jon, for his part, could not believe what he was hearing. He had no idea who this was, but it certainly wasn't Kiba.

"Face it. You're all biased." He continued. "But then again, what else should I have expected? All of you are his precious 'Treasures' after all."

"I'm not discussing this anymore." Rias shut him down. "As of this moment you're on bed rest until further notice. Everyone, let's leave Momo to tend to his remaining wounds."

As everyone began to leave, Jon cast one last disbelieving gaze at Kiba. Who still refused to look at anyone. What the hell happened to him?

They all made their way outside the room where Koneko was leaning against the wall.

"He's got a point." She spoke up calmly.

Rias turned around and glared at her. "Excuse me?"

Koneko shrugged her shoulders. "Don't get me wrong, I don't agree with what he did any more than you do, Ms. President. His actions were reckless and foolish." She cast two cat like eyes at her. "But you can't deny that you've all been pretty biased towards Jon in regards to treatment. Especially lately."

Jon frowned thoughtfully. He hadn't considered how Kiba must have been feeling since he started these relationships. But if that was really the case, then why the hell didn't he say something?

Rias's Rook sighed wearily. "Look, I'm not blaming anyone. Especially not you, Jon. But it doesn't surprise me that Kiba is a little bitter. He's been nothing but loyal to us since his Reincarnation, and has never asked for anything in return. Nothing...except this."

"That doesn't change facts." Rias insisted in a slightly somber tone, having finally managed to cool off. "What Kiba wants from us is impossible under the ceasefire."

"What is it exactly he wants?" Jon asked.

"He wants to destroy the Holy Excalibur Swords."

He gawked at Rias in disbelief. "Is he out of his mind? Those five swords comprise the deadliest weapons the Vatican has in their Arsenal."

"You know about the Excalibur Swords, Jon?" Asia asked curiously.

"Of course. There's not a Hunter in the Order who doesn't know about the Excalibur Five. They're the absolute best of the best. Paragons among the order, and Holy Swordsman with power that Rival Angels. Or at least...that's what the stories say."

"And the truth?" Rias asked.

"They're the Vatican's Black Ops." Jon explained. "Five Holy Swordsman who perform missions that would be considered suicidal for normal Hunters."

"And two of them are here in the city." Rias groaned, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her thumb and pointer finger. "What a nightmare."

"They're the only two left."

Everyone turned to see Sona standing in the hallway with Tsubaki close behind her.

"My Queen just finished digging through our database. Our informants in the Vatican have made us aware of a rather troubling development. Apparently three of the Excalibur Five have been murdered and their Holy Swords stolen."

"So then that sword that Freed Sellzen was using…"

"We can confirm it truly was Excalibur Rapidly." Tsubaki explained. "A Holy Sword capable of imbuing unimaginable speed and reflexive capability on its wielder. In the hands of a master swordsman, it's said to be capable of even rivaling the speeds of a Satan Class Devil."

"And now Freed has it. Along with two others." Jon cursed. "Could this night have taken a more drastic turn for the worst?"

"What did you find on the remaining two Holy Swordsman?"

"The first is Irina Shidou." Sona explained while adjusting her glasses. "I'm sure Jon can give you all the pertinent details on her past."

He nodded, his expression darkening again at the mention of her name. "I'd completely lost contact with her after I fled the Monastery…to think she's not only become a Holy Swordswoman but one of the Excalibur Five…"

"You don't need to talk about it right now." Asia insisted, taking one of his hands in hers. "You've been through enough today already."

"What about the other woman?" Rias asked. "Xenovia Quarta. What have we got on her?"

"Nothing you're gonna like." Sona admitted rather bluntly. "Xenovia is their top operative. Half the missions she goes on are buried under blackout ink the day after they're completed. And the ones we do know about paint a rather...intimidating picture."

"At least three Devil Peerages that we know of have been wiped out single handedly by her Holy Blade. In addition to the dozens of Fallen Angels she's killed over the years. And that's just the ones we know about."

"Do we have anything on her background?" Jon asked curiously.

"Nothing came up in our archives." Tsubaki admitted. "However, curiously enough, I did find something rather interesting in the public domain. There was a missing person's report filed by a French Dignitary roughly thirteen years ago. His nine year old daughter mysteriously vanished one Sunday morning and was never seen again."

"How is this relevant?" Rias asked.

Tsubaki pulled out her phone and opened up an image. "Because this is what their daughter looked like."

Rias and Jon both peered down at the image on the screen. Sure enough, it was a small girl with blue hair and brown eyes.

"How many nine year old girls you know of who have hair like that?" Tsubaki asked with a sly grin on her face. "I'd say she's a perfect match for our missing person."

"So...she disappears off the face of the Earth and becomes a Holy Sword User?"

"Somehow I don't think it was that simple." Sona spoke up.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because." Tsubaki chimed in before adjusting her glasses. "That girl disappeared from her Sunday School classroom during Mass."

"You think the Church kidnapped her?" Asia asked, horrified by the mere thought of it.

"It's possible." Sona admitted. "Though we have no way of knowing for sure."

"But why would they do that?" Jon asked, sounding slightly skeptical. "The Church has its issues, I'm perfectly aware of that. But my Order wouldn't stoop so low as to kidnapping children. Not when they have plenty of Orphans to recruit from."

"Unless she possessed a Sacred Gear. Or something else equally valuable." Koneko offered.

"This is all baseless conjecture until we learn more." Sona insisted.

"That still leaves the overarching question." Jon spoke up again. "How does Kiba fit in to all this? Why does he have a vendetta against the Holy Excalibur Swords?"

Rias, Koneko, and Akeno all exchanged sorrowful looks with one another.

"It's something bad, isn't it." Asia observed nervously.

"We...swore to him we would never talk about it." Rias admitted solemnly.

"We all did." Koneko added. "We promised no matter what we wouldn't tell anyone."

Asia nodded in understanding. "Then I won't ask."

"I'll tell you." Akeno spoke up.

Koneko and Rias both gasped in surprise at Akeno.

"I'm sorry everyone." Akeno approached Jon and knelt down before him, bowing her head in submission. "But I made a promise that supersedes all others. I cannot go against the wishes of my Master."

Rias looked like she wanted to protest, but in the end she said nothing. After all, what right did she have to judge Akeno for being honest about her loyalty? If Jon asked it of her, the President would probably tell him as well.

"If you truly wish to know, Sir. I will tell you." Akeno humbly insisted.

Jon shook his head vehemently. "No."

She peered up at him in surprise.

"I'm not going to abuse my power that way. I respect Kiba too much. Not to mention, I wouldn't feel right doing that to you Akeno."

"Master…" Akeno was staring at him doe eyed.

"If Kiba really wants for me to know, then he can tell me himself."

Koneko smiled at him and nodded approvingly.

"Well I'm glad that's settled at least." Sona commented. "But we should still start discussing what it is we intend to do about these two women. Now that their presence is known to us, we can't afford to ignore them."

"I agree." Rias concurred. "But before we begin preparations there's something I need to discuss in private with my Pawn."

Sona peered at Rias curiously before nodding her head. Asia looked as if she wanted to say something, but by the look her President was giving them it was clear this was not an excuse to get some alone time with Jon.

One by one they all turned and left the hallway, leaving Jon and Rias to discuss whatever it was she needed to speak to him about.

"Come with me to my room, Jon." Rias instructed. "This is something I want us to discuss in private."

* * *

"What do you mean I'm suspended from Club Activity?" Jon asked again, a hint of irritation in his voice.

"It's only temporary." Rias assured, placing a hand up to calm him down. "Just until we know more about what we're up against."

"I know Irina better than any of you." He protested. "If anyone should be going after her, it's me."

"Irina's not the one I'm truly worried about." She admitted, leaning against her small personal desk with her arms folded. "It's this other woman. Xenovia. Until we know more about what she's capable of, I can't risk sending you into the field. Not so long as you're their target."

"But-"

"Jon, please." There was a look of deep concern in Rias's eyes. "I need you to do this for me. We already almost lost you once and…"

Seeing the emotion welling up in her eyes, Jon sighed and finally relented. "Fine. We'll play it your way for now."

She sighed in relief. "Thank you for trusting me with this Jon." Her expression became slightly more severe. "And besides, your safety is not the only reason I'm temporarily suspending you."

He gave her a confused look. "What's up?"

Rias cast a nervous glance towards the door. "I want you to keep an eye on Kiba."

Jon's demeanor shifted to that of concern. "Any particular reason why?"

For a moment, she remained silent. Apparently going over what was in her mind before she said anything.

"The thing is...after hearing Sammy's report, I'm afraid that my worst fears may have been realized. Kiba is not as mentally stable as I had hoped."

"What do you mean? Does this have something to do with those Holy Swords?"

She nodded. "I intend to respect his wishes by not telling you what happened, but you should know that it was...hideous. Kiba has absolutely no capacity to move on or forget about his past, his actions tonight were proof of that. Which is why I need you to keep him under surveillance for me."

Jon frowned at her. He didn't like the idea of spying on his Peerage Brother. But he trusted Rias well enough to know that she wouldn't ask him to do this without a damn good reason.

"Okay, I'll do it."

* * *

Irina and Xenovia had just endured the fight of their lives. While her partner seemed to be for the most part unphased, the Brunette Holy Sword User was completely wiped out. She'd incurred multiple injuries during the confrontation. And while none of them were severe enough to warrant seeking medical attention, they had shaken her up enough to fray her nerves. She wasn't used to her tactical armor being pierced through like butter the way it was. Nor was she used to fighting an opponent faster than she was.

Freed Sellzen had become a dangerous adversary. And if they didn't come up with a plan, she feared they would be the ones who ended up being hunted.

"We've got to regroup and start coming up with a new strategy." Xenovia insisted. "As I feared, Freed has gained a tremendous amount of power in a very short amount of time."

After the two Holy Sword Users managed to fight Freed off, they beat a hasty retreat back to the Church to rest and lick and their wounds.

Or rather, to lick Irina's wounds as it were.

She winced in pain as Xenovia poured medicine directly into her cuts. The unique alchemical mixture was a natural antiseptic mixed with a coagulating agent that completely disinfected each wound and encouraged rapid cellular regeneration. Wounds that would take days to heal could be remedied in a matter of hours.

Of course, this was only for physical wounds. If they had taken a magical attack, they would have been in serious trouble.

"I don't understand how it is Freed's gotten this powerful in so short a span of time." Irina shut her eyes tight as Xenovia tended to her remaining injuries. "He's attuned himself to Excalibur Rapidly far quicker than he should have been able to."

"This is Kokabiel's doing, I'm all but certain of it." Xenovia insisted. "Somehow he's discovered a way to expedite the process of attuning one's soul to the Holy Blade."

"So what do we do?" Irina asked nervously. "The situation is getting out of hand."

"I'll be sending a full report to the Vatican first thing in the morning. For now, I think it's best if we reshift our priorities."

Her stomach lurched. "You...you mean."

Xenovia nodded. "It's time. We're going after our secondary target. Jonathan Hyodo."


	7. Chapter 7

**::Author's Note::**

**Just finished this chapter today. I'm worried I may have gone too deep with the dialogue. But at the same time, I want the pacing to feel right. If things start to get a little wordy, just let me know. I'll be starting chapter eight tomorrow, which should be up in a day or so depending on work and possible writers block.**

**In the meantime, however, here is Chapter Seven.**

**::End Note::**

Two weeks had passed and Kiba, while ambulatory again, was still on bed rest. Jon tried to get him to open up multiple times, and while the Gremory Knight's mood seemed to have settled, he still felt incredibly distant. Kiba refused to open up to anyone so Jon gave him his space. Only occasionally peeking in as per Rias's orders.

None of this changed the fact that Jon was bored out of his ever living skull. After months of running contracts and Hunting Supernatural Creatures, spending all this time doing fuck all was really starting to get to him. Though his Treasures did try to keep him occupied.

Rias would pop in from time to time to check on him. Occasionally taking Jon out to a nice restaurant for lunch as well as sparing a few moments of privacy while she fucked him in various styles of lingerie. It was clear she was trying, but most of her attention was focused on the investigation. She didn't really have time for anything else, not that Jon blamed her for it. Any effort on Rias's end at all was plenty enough for him.

Asia was fairly busy as well. What time she didn't spend tending to Kiba's wounds was spent helping pick up the slack for Jon's Contracts. Busy as she was however, she did take time out of each day to spend with her Dragon. Aside from the time they spent together in class, the two would organize picnics on campus or take walks in the park. Jon always made sure to take special care of her at night in the few moments they had together. Though lately the blonde beauty had been getting bolder in her advances. Something he attributed to Rias and Asia's blossoming relationship.

While Asia and Rias busied themselves with work, it was Akeno who spent the most time with Jon. When she wasn't running contracts and assisting Rias with her investigation she devoted herself entirely to her Master. Cooking for him, offering plenty of sensual distractions, as well as occasionally getting on his last nerve so as to have an excuse for Jon to drag her down into the dungeon again. There she would teach him in more techniques of recreational punishment as well as get him familiarized with the equipment. All so he could stay distracted.

As attentive as they were all trying to be, Jon was still feeling incredibly pent up. He had a lot of excess energy to burn off given the eight Pawn Pieces coursing power through his veins and the oversized Dragon's Soul his body was slowly merging with. It was making him restless. And of course there was the other drawback of having nowhere to expend that excess magic

Akeno's energy draining sessions had become more frequent since his initial suspension. Not that she complained. In fact, since submitting herself to Jon, Rias's Queen had discovered an entirely new way of draining his body that the girl absolutely loved. One she insisted on using exclusively ever since discovering it.

On that particular day, Jon was relaxing back in a chair in his room, a content sigh escaping his lips as she rubbed his shoulders. The woman had the skills of a licensed therapist and the hands of a master craftsman.

"Will that be enough, Master?" She asked after finishing her shoulder rub.

He gave a pleased groan before rolling his shoulders a few times. "More than enough. You're an artist, Ju'kara."

Akeno felt her breath hitch and her face break out into a small smile. Every time he called her that Jon could feel the Asian Beauty's heart start to race.

It was Sona's idea. Ever since she learned about Akeno's collaring ceremony she had been offering Jon tips and advice in confidence. One of them was to come up with a pet name for his submissive. Something that wasn't needlessly degrading but also asserted her willful submission to him and acknowledgement of her Master.

After giving it some thought he eventually came up with Ju'kara. Which was an amalgamation of the kanji characters that made up the word Jujun'na takara. Meaning Submissive Treasure in English. The first time Akeno heard it she smiled from ear to ear.

"I know I've said it already, but I truly do love the new name you have gifted me, Master." Akeno grazed over his cheek with her finger as she slowly sauntered in front of him. "If I may, I'd love for you to engrave it on the collar along with whatever words you wish to say."

And then there was that little wrinkle. Coming up with a nickname was one thing. But finding the right words to put on the collar as well as a meaningful pendant to go with them was a whole other story. Akeno really did toss Jon a curveball with that one and he'd be lying if he said it wasn't bugging the crap out of him at least a little bit.

"You know, as stressful as these past two weeks have been for you. I want you to know, Sir, that I truly do appreciate all the effort you've put into making what we have together meaningful." Her voice became heated as she slowly undid the belt on her solid black silk robe. "I've thought a lot about the significance of the name you've given me, and I wanted to put something together that would better reflect the sentiment." She slowly lowered her robe past her shoulders. "It was a little pricey, but I personally feel the investment was worth any hassle."

Akeno dropped the robe to reveal her naked body decorated in glittering diamond gemstones, all set into a spider's web of platinum chains that conformed to the natural shape of her breasts. Her waist was covered in a web of platinum and diamonds that did nothing to hide her sex. Both her nipples had been pierced and were now sporting a pair of diamond studs as well as a vertical hood piercing that matched.

The sentiment she was trying to convey was not lost on him. His priceless Treasure decorated in precious metals and gemstones. Rather on the nose of her if he did say so himself. Not that it mattered. The effects of the reveal were immediate and apparent, judging by the sudden bulge that formed in his pants. A sultry little grin formed on her features as she did a complete circle for him. Giving Jon plenty of time to really drink in her figure coated in diamond studded platinum.

"Well Master? What do you think?"

"You are definitely Rias's Queen." He commented with an amused grin.

She giggled at him. "Funny you should mention it. She's the one who originally came up with the idea." Akeno got down on all fours and crawled over to him before running her slender arms up his thighs and spreading his legs out to either side, her lustful eyes never once deviating from her Master's. "Now then, we better get started on our next session before you get any more pent up, Sir. We wouldn't want you bursting on us unexpectedly now, would we?"

"You're still talking about my heart, right?"

"I might be." She responded coyly before unzipping his pants and pulling out his stiff manhood. "Shall I start the timer?"

He groaned in exasperation and tilted his head back, bracing himself for what she was about to do. "Go ahead, Ju'kara."

She hit the start button on a nearby timer before sliding the entirety of his shaft down her throat. This was the method by which Akeno drained his energy now, and she'd made something of a game out of it. While she sucked him she'd time just how long it took before he 'burst' as she so eloquently liked to put it.

And herein was the problem. Akeno possessed no gag reflex to speak of. None. In addition, she did this thing with her tongue that was unlike anything he had felt before. So while her little game amused her to absolutely no end as she bobbed up and down along the length of his shaft in perfect rhythm, moaning in pleasure around him, it proved to be far more of a frustration to Jon. On the one hand, Akeno was easily the best among his Treasures when it came to giving head. But on the other hand, she was also one of the best girls to ever give him head period. In other words, while Akeno sucking his cock was always beyond euphoric, it never lasted longer than fourteen or fifteen seconds.

This time around, however, he didn't even make it to thirteen.

"Fuck!" Jon slammed his fist against the back wall as he came.

Akeno immediately stopped the timer whilst swallowing everything her Master gave her generously. When she finally pulled away Akeno licked her lips before checking the timer.

"Twelve point four seconds. I'd say that's a new record, Master."

He groaned in exasperation before relaxing back into the chair. "That vacuum throat of yours is doing wonders for my self esteem."

She giggled at Jon before placing him back in his pants and pulling up the zipper. "If it's any consolation, Sir, my self esteem has never been better." Akeno turned around and wiggled her butt at him, making the diamonds jangle noisily. "Now is there any other services I can give to my Master tonight, or am I good to change?"

He blew a breath through pursed lips. "You know I would normally say yes. But I'm pretty sure Rias has been waiting for you long enough."

She pouted at him teasingly. "I suppose so." Akeno reached down and grabbed her robe as suggestively as possible before wrapping herself back up in it. As she made her way out of his room she suddenly turned around.

"I love you, Master."

He jolted awake having been momentarily stunned in place. It wasn't like he was surprised to hear it. That was just the first time she had said it out loud. Quickly regaining his composure, Jon nodded to her.

"I love you too, Ju'kara."

With eyes full of adoration and a happy smile on her face, Akeno finally turned and left the room. Jon leaned forward in his seat and sighed, his mind suddenly filled with anxiety. He really needed to make sure he didn't screw up his part of the collaring ceremony. He couldn't just buy some random trinket and add hidden semblance behind it. Jon needed to sacrifice something truly special and unique to his person.

Only problem was, aside from his Smith and Wesson he didn't have anything that fit the bill. And he somehow doubted hanging a holy revolver on her collar was a good idea. He had a few trinkets stashed away from his days as a Hunter, but they were all, like his gun, holy artifacts. No one in the peerage could touch them without burning their skin.

What was his plan here? If he didn't get anything less than an overjoyed reaction from her then Jon would be spending the remainder of their relationship banging his head against the wall and feeling like a failure. Truthfully, he realized he was probably overthinking this way more than he should be. Yet he couldn't help it. Sometime in the past year, Jon had become a perfectionist when it came to his Treasures.

This must have been the Dragon's Pride at work.

A knock on his door broke him from his train of thought. Asia poked her head in through the door and smiled at her Dragon.

"Hi, Jon. Everything going okay?"

He smiled back at her. "Of course Asia, come on in."

She quickly entered the room and took a seat on his bed. Jon stood up and joined her, allowing Asia to snuggle up next to him, a small yawn escaping her lips.

"Sleepy?" He chuckled at her.

"Maybe a little." She admitted. "These healing sessions with Kiba are really draining. Two weeks and he's still recovering."

"Those Holy Swords are no joke." Jon surmised. "He's lucky to be alive."

"Not only that, he's lucky the damage wasn't permanent." She added. "He's always going to have those scars though. There was nothing I could do about those."

"How's Kiba been, you know, mentally."

She frowned, a look of concern on her face. "He still refuses to really talk about it. But I think that run in with Irina really shook him up."

The wind left Jon's sails at the mention of his pupil's name. "It's still hard to believe she's here."

Asia nodded in agreement. "I didn't know your pupil that well. But I remember seeing Irina from time to time at the Monastery." A sad smile formed on her features. "She was...always so close when you were around. You could tell just by the look in her eyes how much that girl cared for you."

"I really let her down, didn't I."

Asia sat up and peered at him determinedly. "No, of course not. Jon, if anyones to blame here it's the Order for what they did to you. Or...what they tried to do to you."

"I just wish I could have told her the truth." He admitted. "Maybe things could have been different then."

"You can't know that for sure." Asia insisted.

"The funny thing is, I can't help but be proud of her." Jon chuckled. "Becoming a Holy Swordswoman is an incredible accomplishment. Then again, her faith was always stronger than mine. Even after her parents died she never stopped praying. I'd see Irina every night clutching this silver cross that once...belonged to…"

At that moment, Jon had an epiphany.

"What is it?" Asia asked worriedly.

"Of course!" He jumped out of his seat, excitement in his eyes. "That would be perfect!"

"What would be? And perfect for what?"

He pointed to the dresser in his room. "In that second drawer you should find my old revolver case. Could you bring it to me?"

"Okay." Asia smiled and quickly hopped up before going over to the dresser and opening the second drawer. She pulled out the box that he used to store his holy revolver in before bringing it over to him. "But I thought you didn't need this anymore."

"I was using it for more than just storing my weapon." He explained while taking the box from her and opening it up. "The box has a secret compartment behind the velvet interior."

He pulled the lining for the gun out of the box. Underneath it was a small stash of trinkets and old photos. Some of which had been burned at the corners.

"What is all this stuff?" Asia asked curiously whilst peering into the box.

"This…" Jon smiled thoughtfully, a sad look in his eyes. "...is all that remains of my childhood."

Asia gasped before looking into the box again, this time from a completely different perspective.

"Everything you see in this box is what was left after my family home burned to the ground."

"Jon…" Asia clutched a hand to her heart.

"It's mostly junk." He admitted. "A couple of old necklaces, my Dad's watch." Jon then pulled a necklace with a Jade Pendant carved into the shape of a dragon from the box. "But then there's this."

"It's beautiful." Asia marveled.

"It belonged to my grandmother." He explained. "I never knew her myself, but mom talked about her all the time. It was the only thing she was able to take with her after her family fled from Japan during World War Two. Mom treasured this pendant more than any other piece of jewelry she owned."

"Jon, it's perfect!" Asia beamed at him while clapping excitedly. "Akeno will love it, I'm sure!"

"Wait...how did you know that's what I was thinking?"

She giggled at him. "It's not exactly a secret. Rias told me about the Ceremony."

Jon frowned thoughtfully before peering back at the pendant. "Now all that's left is to find the right words to go with it."

Asia peered back into the box and rummaged around in its contents curiously. She pushed away the other trinkets and pulled out an old photo that had been scorched in a few areas. The photo was that of a Japanese family. Of which the daughter was wearing the jade pendant.

"Is this your mother?" She asked, a small smile on her face. "She was really pretty."

Jon nodded. "She really was." He then began rummaging through the box alongside her. "There's one of me and her somewhere in here. One of our vacation photos from..."

He pulled out a newer looking photo. It wasn't burned or sunbleached like the others but it still looked a little worn. It pictured three figures. An older man dressed in priests robes, a nineteen year old boy dressed in a familiar looking leather jacket and jeans, and finally a sixteen year old girl whose hair was being tousled by the nineteen year old, much to her chagrin.

Jon remembered this photo well. It was the only one he had of both Irina and Father Kyle.

"Happier times?" Asia asked in a melancholy tone.

"You know the thing that's been bothering me the most?" He said with a dour look. "I haven't thought about Irina once since I became a Devil. Not once. But now that I know she's still alive...it's like all these old memories are just flooding back."

She placed her hand over his. "You must miss her."

He nodded. "I do. She was the only family I had there besides my Mentor." Jon sighed, shaking his head with his eyes closed. "God...why did it have to be like this? Why did the next time I hear her name have to be connected to a death threat?"

"Is there anything I can do?" She asked him sincerely.

He smiled at Asia before pressing his lips to hers. She shut her eyes and relaxed into him as the two kissed each other passionately.

"I'm going to make this right." He assured. "No matter what, I'm going to make sure that Irina knows the truth."

She nodded in agreement. "I'll help in any way I can."

"I guess it doesn't make that much difference right now." Jon spoke glumly while tossing the photo back in the box and standing up. "Until Rias decides I can go back out in the field I'm basically stuck sitting here with my thumb up my ass."

"I think it's good you're getting a break." Asia commented while rummaging through the box. Feeling just a teensy bit nosey. "Hey...these other photos. Are they?"

He blanched. "Oh no…"

She gasped excitedly and her face lit up into the most obtuse smile imaginable. "Are these...your baby photos?!"

"Dammit! Give them here!" He quickly rushed over to swipe the photos out of her hands but she managed to get away. "You weren't supposed to see those!"

"But they're so cute! Look how tiny you are, you were so adorable!" There were sparkles in Asia's eyes. She had just stumbled upon the Holy Grail.

He cornered her and swiped the photos from her hands, Asia pouted before reaching up and trying to grab them back.

"Come on! I wanna see!" She whined.

"Confidential information!" He insisted. "Look, the only reason I didn't get rid of these things years ago was so my Mother didn't come back from the grave to haunt me."

"But they're so cuuuuute." She pleaded. "Come on, I just wanna see one more!"

"Ain't gonna happen." He assured while continuing to keep the photos just out of reach.

At that moment Rias entered the room. "Guys, I'm calling an emergency meeting. Somethings just come up that we-" She peered at Asia and Jon curiously. "What are you two doing?"

"Nothing!" He assured, shooting Rias a look. "We'll be there in a second, I just need to-"

The moment his head was turned Asia leapt up and snatched the photos straight out of Jon's hands. "I found his baby pictures!" She beamed excitedly before handing them to Rias.

Whatever big announcement the President was going to make, it completely went out the window. She now had the same stupid sparkly look in her eyes that Asia did. "You found his what?!"

"Both of you give those back!" Jon insisted.

They began playing keep away with the photos. The moment he managed to get them back from one girl the other would snatch them right up. While this debacle went down, Koneko calmly entered the room and stared at them.

"So are we having this meeting or what?" She asked in her usual monotone.

"Just a second, Koneko!" Rias assured, giggling like a schoolgirl. "We'll be there momentarily."

"Just as soon as we convince Jon to let us see his cute little baby butt again!" Asia leapt into the air, snatching the photos back.

"Koneko, some assistance please!" Jon requested imploringly.

After taking a moment to consider everything that was happening, an evil gleam shone in her eyes. Without another word Koneko tackled Jon to the ground, wrapped her legs around his waist like a spider monkey and held his arms back.

"What are you doing?!" He started struggling against the girl's monstrous grip.

"Go ahead you two, I'll hold him back." She calmly explained.

"Koneko, I swear I'll get you for this." Jon growled.

"Suck it."

While Koneko held him down, Asia and Rias proceeded to go completely nuts over Jon's baby pictures.

"Look at him in his little cowboy hat." Asia gushed, her baby speak coming out.

"Oh no, it's a tiny itty witty little Jon." Rias added in an equally obtuse manner.

"I totally agree with you, Rias. Tiny, itty bitty, and cute!"

"I mean right?!" Rias agreed wholeheartedly. "These are simply too much."

Jon groaned in embarrassment before slamming his face into the floor.

"Somebody kill me."

* * *

The meeting with the ORC was called in the Lounge of the Honor's House. Koneko, Asia, Rias, and Akeno were all present alongside Jon to discuss the new information that had just popped up. The only one who wasn't present was Kiba, who was still under strict orders to remain in bed.

"So what's up, Rias?" Jon asked, taking a seat on the couch. "Why'd you call us in?"

She fidgeted nervously. "Something's...come up. I need your opinions."

"Okay, but opinions on what?" Asia asked nervously.

"Don't tell me Irina's making a move."

Rias shook her head. "No, Jon. It's not that." She sighed. "The thing is...the Big Fish just called."

Akeno shot up out of her seat. "No way! He called again?!"

"And you're sure it was him." Koneko asked insistently.

She nodded her head. "I'm sure. He sent a request for another contract."

"Sooo, one of you guys wanna explain this to the newbies?" Jon asked while Asia nodded in agreement.

"The Big Fish, as we like to call him." Rias began to explain. "He's one of our most sought after clients. A 'big catch' in the sea of minnows we've been hunting so far."

"His real name is Aldin Zefford." Akeno picked up where Rias left off. "He's an Oil Magnate with political ties to multiple different countries around the world. Last year he etched out some Chinese Business Mogul for a spot on the Forbes list of the twenty wealthiest men in the world."

"And he's not connected with any Devil Families yet." Koneko added.

"Well shit." Jon exclaimed. "Sounds like one hell of a catch. How is it I've never heard of this guy?"

"He's a recluse." Akeno explained. "Mr. Zefford has made a conscious effort to keep himself out of the public eye. Though he does contact us quite often."

Rias nodded. "We've somehow convinced him to give the ORC exclusive access to all his Devil related needs. If we can successfully form a Pact with this man, it could put our Peerage on the global platform in terms of political and economic influence."

"So why is it we haven't already?" Asia asked curiously.

Rias frowned. "The things he always asks of us are...bizarre."

Jon gave her a suspicious look. "Wait, bizarre as in like…"

She shook her head vehemently. "No no no. Nothing creepy. It's just...things you wouldn't expect someone to summon a Devil for. Certainly nothing that would warrant taking his soul."

"Scrabble games, chess matches, he has a whole list of odd hobbies and distractions he asks us to engage in with him." Akeno listed off. "He pays us generously for our time, but it's always for such mundane things."

"The last time I was there we watched The Omen and he had me point out all the inaccuracies." Koneko chimed in.

"So this guy summons us just to have a buddy?" Jon asked as if not quite believing them.

"That's so sad. He must be very lonely." Asia observed woefully.

"I highly doubt it has anything to do with companionship." Rias insisted vehemently. "He's getting something out of these visits, we just have no idea what. Mr. Zefford has extensive knowledge of the Occult that is far too detailed for a normal human."

"Okay, so he's a bit eccentric." Jon observed with a shrug. "A lot of rich people are. I say give the guy what he wants until something worthy of taking his soul pops up. It's like you said, Rias, this guy could put us on the globe."

The President bit her thumb thoughtfully. She was clearly still nervous. "The thing is...this time he's made a request I'm hesitant to fulfill."

"What is it, Rias?" Akeno asked curiously.

"He asked for us to send Jon...by name."

* * *

The significance of Mr. Zefford asking for Jon by name could not be overstated. After all, no one in the Peerage had ever given this man that information. Or had, in fact, seen him since Jon became a Devil.

Somehow this man knew exactly who their Pawn was. Something that made all three of his Treasures, and indeed Koneko as well, more than a little nervous. Nevertheless, Jon was insistent that he go. If for no other reason than to figure out how exactly this guy knew him.

"I don't like this." Akeno insisted as she and Rias prepared a summoning circle together. "We could be sending Jon into a trap."

"I don't like it either." Rias admitted. "But there's no reason for Mr. Zefford to consort with the Church after all the business he's given us."

"Just because he's not associated with the Church doesn't mean it's not a setup." Akeno insisted. "This guy knows way too much considering he's not a Demon or associated with the thirty three pillars in any way."

"I understand, trust me." Rias assured. "But you know it's always been like this with Mr. Zefford. And besides…"

They both looked over at Jon who was receiving a last minute safety lecture from a very worried Asia.

"I feel bad for cooping him up like this." She admitted. "Dragons aren't meant to be pinned in. I'm hoping letting Jon take this contract will help him feel a little less stir crazy."

Akeno still seemed worried and it was evident on her face.

"We're all concerned for his safety. Especially after what happened with the Rating Game." Rias insisted. "We just have to have faith in my Servant's abilities."

"I'm sorry, Ms. President." Akeno bowed her head pensively. "I don't mean to be so panicky, it's just…"

"It's the same for me." She assured. "The connection we share with our Dragon runs deep. Our first instinct will always be to protect him no matter what, just as I'm certain his first instinct will be the same for us."

The Vice President nodded in agreement, having seemed to finally calm down a little. "Shall we finish this portal then?"

"You be careful out there." Asia insisted for what had to be the hundredth time. "None of that wreckless nonsense, okay?"

"You act like I've never done this before." Jon insisted. "And since when am I ever not careful?"

"The portal is ready." Akeno announced. "Master, please just promise me you'll take this seriously."

Jon chuckled in bewildered amusement. "Come on girls. Yall are gonna dig yourselves into an early grave at this rate."

"We just want you to come back home safely, Jon." Rias insisted. "With everything that's been going on, you can't leave anything to chance."

"I will come back safely." He assured.

As Jon moved to enter the portal he turned around to see three overly worried faces staring back at him. A bright smile formed on his face.

"You know...Dragon or not...I really am one of the luckiest men alive."

He then warped out of the Honor's House while the three ladies fidgeted nervously in place as the quiet enveloped them.

"We really are freaking out over nothing." Rias spoke up, chuckling nervously.

Akeno nodded in agreement. "Yeah...I mean, Jon will be perfectly fine."

"Yes, I agree." Asia added.

They both stood there in total silence for a moment until Rias finally caved.

"The vanity mirror is in my room!" She declared.

All three ladies bolted for the President's bedroom to go check on Jon. Meanwhile, Koneko simply rolled her eyes at them.

"How embarrassing."

She then casually strolled out of the Honor's House and moved to follow them. Just to check and make sure they didn't give themselves a heart attack, and for no other reason whatsoever.

* * *

When Jon next appeared, he was standing in the middle of a well decorated living room. While the place was certainly fancy, it didn't exactly look like Billionaire Money. This seemed more like the kind of place the CEO of a small company or a wealthy Neurosurgeon might call home. Definitely expensive, but not the kind of expensive that screams excessive amounts of cash to burn.

He then noticed a tray of assorted fine cheeses and a side of crackers on the table with a sign that said 'help yourself'. Though Jon decided to abstain from the tray, he used his dragon senses to smell the offerings and found them to be clean of any poisons.

"He seems alright so far." Jon mumbled to himself.

"Ah good, you're here."

He turned to see a tall man who appeared to be in his late twenties with an average build, dark hair, blonde bangs, and a goatee. He was dressed in a V-neck maroon long coat with grey slacks and brown shoes.

"For a minute, I was worried you might be a no show." The surprisingly chipper voice spoke. "Those summoning flyers of yours can be a little dicey sometimes. I've heard they don't always work properly."

Jon could have gone his whole life without knowing that.

"I take it you're Aldin Zefford?" Jon asked formally.

"Call me Al." The man approached and offered his outstretched palm. "Am I to understand you're Jonathan Hyodo?"

He nodded, still peering at the man warily. "That's correct. This is a nice place you've got here. Though I'll admit I was expecting something a little bigger."

Aldin looked around the room. "Oh this? No no, this isn't my house. This is my Hotel Room. I'm only staying in Tokyo a week."

Hearing that, Jon was now looking at the space in a completely different light. A man could live here his entire life and never get tired of it. This guy was just here for a week.

Aldin chuckled at him and raised his hands up assuringly. "Alright, I'm just gonna go ahead and throw it out there so it's said. You're on guard."

He cocked a brow at him. "I am? That's news to me."

"It's true though. Your guard is completely up. Even now I can see the gears in your head turning. Checking your blind spots, coming up with exit strategies, and don't think I didn't notice you sniffing my cheese." He pointed at him jokingly. "But why? Because I know your name, because we're having this conversation right now, or because I'm one of the richest human beings on Earth. I mean take your pick. My point is, all of it has you on edge."

Jon continued to glare at him suspiciously.

"And I get that. I get why you're doing this, but...Dude, can we just get past that? Can we just be two twenty something year old guys? Jon and Al? Not the whole "Devil-Client" thing?"

"I suppose…" Jon answered sincerely, if still warily. "...call it a force of habit. A man in my line of work-"

"Can never afford to be too careful. Yada yada. I get it." Aldin chuckled in amusement. "Dude, I understand. You're this big badass gunslinging cowboy who's a Devil/Dragon Hybrid. It's all very very impressive." A slick somewhat entitled looking smirk crossed his face. "Why do you think I asked you here?"

Again, he could only glared at the man warily. Yet after a tense moment of silence, he finally relaxed.

"So where do you want me to hang my coat?"

* * *

Aldin Zefford left after Jon hung up his hat and coat and took a seat on the couch. He then came back with a tray and a large crystal glass of red alcohol.

"Something to drink?" He asked.

"Sure, I don't mind." Jon admitted. "But is that seriously the only reason you called me here?"

"Is that bad?" Aldin asked sincerely as he placed the tray down on the table and added ice to both glasses.

"Hey, the contract will be fulfilled once I complete your request and receive fitting compensation in return." He replied with a slick grin. "If you wanna pay me to knock back some of your expensive liquor, be my guest."

"I hope you're alright with Sake." Aldin uncorked the bottle and poured two glasses. "This is a Junmai Daiginjo spirit. A bit sweet for some pallets but I find it balances the sour aftertaste of certain Sake brands."

He offered a glass to Jon and the two began to partake of the expensive spirit.

"Not gonna lie...that goes down pretty damn smooth." Jon admitted.

Aldin chuckled. "I would certainly hope so at five hundred thousand yen a bottle."

He nearly choked on the Sake upon hearing how expensive it truly was. Despite having lived with the obscenely wealthy and influential Rias Gremory for over a year, he still couldn't quite get used to the lifestyle of the upper crust.

"So I've gotta ask." Jon spoke up, taking another sip of his sake. "Why summon a Devil just to have a drinking buddy?"

He shrugged, glass in hand. "You know I had lunch with a colleuge of mine the other day. Owns a pretty major software conglomerate. Wanna guess what we talked about for an hour?"

"What?"

"His apparently internet famous dog." Aldin groaned in exasperation. "You know, I thought by becoming insanely rich, I could get myself away from the tedium of monotonous small talk. Yet it persists still." He laughed at himself. "I mean, for fucks sake, I always thought once your bank account hit the tenth digit you were supposed to be plotting world domination or something. Right?"

Jon chuckled in spite of himself. "To be fair, a lot of people do still think that."

Aldin sighed glumly. "But alas, it turns out Billionaires are just as capable of being boring, stodgy, and completely unimaginative as everyone else...hell sometimes even more so." He raised his glass and grinned at him. "I'm not interested in talking about household pets, or global stocks, or the fucking Mets game. I want to know about the state of the world's soul. The war for our very existence that rages all around us, while the cattle graze obliviously in their pins."

Jon leaned forward in his seat, peering at Aldin searchingly.

"I want to know what's going on with the real lords of the Earth."

"You sure seem to know a lot about us already. Some might say a little too much."

Aldin shrugged before taking another swig of his drink. "What can I say? I've a natural curiosity of the Occult. And besides, I've always found Devils make far more interesting conversationalists than Billionaires. I may have money but your kind has true power. Whatever the rest of us do, it's paltry compared to the influence you lot have over the Earth."

He downed the rest of his drink and poured himself another glass.

"And then there's you Jonathan Hyodo."

Jon looked up from his drink and glared at Aldin again.

"From everything I've heard, you're the next big thing." The man continued. "And I mean, so many titles get passed around whenever your name is mentioned. Devil's Colt, Heaven's Revolver, Red Dragon Emperor, Wild Flame." He swigged his drink. "Now in my experience, if a man has that many titles it usually means one of two things. Either A, he's a massive narcissist with an inferiority complex…"

"Or B?" Jon growled in a low tone.

Aldin smirked at him. "The titles are a byproduct of the Legend. Now that I've taken in your full measure. I can rightfully say, you don't look like you have an inferiority complex to me. Not with three gorgeous women clinging on to your lapel."

"How the hell do you know all this?" Jon asked sternly.

"I just told you…" He calmly replied. "...I have a natural curiosity."

"But why?" Jon insisted before putting his drink down. "What's your reasoning?"

"Would you believe me if I said I was bored?" He replied without missing a beat.

Jon laughed. "Yeah, I can see how being a multi-billionaire would get old pretty fast."

"Okay smartass." Aldin retorted insincerely. "But let me ask you then. Knowing what you do about the world, and having awakened to this new sense of self you possess, would you want to trade places with me? I'll let you be the Billionaire if I get to be the all powerful Dragon with a Harem of gorgeous women."

His nostrils flared as his protective instincts kicked in. "Over my dead body."

"Now see. There it is." Aldin observed, pointing at Jon with his half empty glass. "There's the man I really wanted to talk to."

He remained silent.

"But to answer your question." Aldin continued unphased. "Being wealthy doesn't excuse you from the monotony of life. No matter how rich you get, there will always be the tedium, the grey, the existential dread. It's funny, I used to think death and taxes were the two things you could never avoid. Now I realize it's death and boredom." He downed yet another drink and poured himself a fresh one. "In the end, we're all the same. Whether you're the world's most powerful CEO or a fucking Homeless Junkie, we're all looking for the same thing at the end of the day."

"And what's that?" Jon asked, taking another swig of his drink.

Aldin's expression seemed to glower somewhat.

"A reason to keep going."

* * *

Kiba lurched up from his bed, gasping for breath. His nights had been filled with nothing but bad dreams as of late ever since his encounter with the business end of a Holy Sword. That damn Hunter. She took him right back. He'd tried so hard to forget, but she took him right back to that hellish moment. The gas masks. The chamber. The needles.

The screaming.

He'd never get it out of his head. Not until his work was done. That bastard needed to pay, he needed to see his life's work ruined by Kiba's blade. The Knight would never know peace until he completed his task. Rias and the others were all against him. But maybe there was one in this building who could understand.

Surely Jon would see why he needed this. Surely.

Kiba needed his help. After all, Jon knew the woman who wielded Excalibur Mimic and had Rias's ear at all times. With his information, and his sway over the Club, the two of them could find those Holy Sword Users again and destroy their precious blades once and for all. Only then would the screaming in his mind stop.

He sat up from his bed and opened the door to his room before peering down the hallway. Normally around now Asia would come in to check up on him. The fact that she was absent gave him time to slip into Jon's room and talk.

Kiba quietly made his way downstairs, avoiding the snoring Sammy who was asleep on the Lounge Sofa. He then slowly made his way to the guest rooms. If Jon wasn't there he'd look for him outside next. After finding Jon's room, Kiba knocked on the door and let himself in.

"Jon, are you there? There's something I need to talk to you about."

Sure enough, Jon wasn't in his room. But Kiba didn't see him in the hall either. More than likely he was with one of the girls.

Or possibly all three.

Either way, he was annoyed he'd have to wait, but decided there was no point doing it here and incurring Rias's wrath again. Before he could shut the door, however, something caught his eye. Jon had left his revolver case open on the bed with the velvet lining having been removed. Curiosity getting the better of him, Kiba decided to enter his room and peer into the box.

What he saw made his skin turn pale. Kiba reached into the secret compartment of the box and pulled out a single photo depicting Jon, an older looking Priest, and a familiar brunette with twintails.

He clenched his other hand until the knuckles turned white as fire began to boil in his blood. This picture told him everything he needed to know about Jon's relationship with this girl. If she wasn't precious to him, he would have gotten rid of it long ago.

That Holy Sword User was another one of his damn Treasures.

"So...that's how it is." He spoke with bitter resentment.

He would never have his vengeance. Not so long as that girl was still breathing. The only way Kiba was going to pry that sword away was from her cold dead hands. But Jon wasn't going to help him kill her.

If anything, he was now a major obstacle.

* * *

Aldin and Jon both burst into a fit of hysterical laughter. At first, Jon wasn't too sure about this guy. But after consuming enough social lubricant, he was in relatively good spirits. And was willing to pardon his client's suspicious character. Though he certainly did not overlook it.

"So let me get this straight. She wanted you to shoot this guy's junk off?"

"That was the original plan." Jon explained, still snickering under his breath. "To be fair, the guy had been cheating on her for months by this point. I explained to her that doing that would kill him, and thus cost her her soul. A life for a life, as it were."

Aldin nodded before taking another swig of his drink.

"We eventually reached an agreement more within her budget." He continued. "Her brand new Porsche to go over to the motel they were staying at and scare the hell out of him."

"Right."

"So I get over there, bust down the door, guns out and eyes glowing, doing my whole fire and brimstone routine. Only, the dude wasn't there. Come to find out she gave me the wrong fucking room number."

Aldin nearly spit out his drink. "You're kidding."

"So here I am in the middle of the room with three terrified old spanish ladies. One of them starts shouting El Diablo! El Diablo! and starts swinging her purse at me. Meanwhile my target is in the room next to us with the secretary he's banging and once he hears the commotion he grabs his clothes and bolts. Well, on his way to the first floor he slips down the bannister and breaks both his legs."

They both burst into another fit of hysterical laughter.

"Anyway, long story short. Her husband isn't cheating on her anymore these days. And I got a bonus for making the whole thing look like an accident."

"Man…" Aldin wiped a mirthful tear from his eye. "...I haven't heard something that funny in awhile." He raised his glass up. "This has been fun. I appreciate it."

"Hey, it's no trouble." Jon assured before placing down his empty glass. "I'm still curious though. What did you mean earlier about finding a reason to keep going?"

"The reason to keep on living." Aldin replied rather bluntly. "The higher beings move human lives like chess pieces on a game board. Most people aren't even aware of it. But I want to know where it all leads."

"Where what all leads?"

"Let me ask you something, Jon." He set his empty glass down. "If the Angels and the Fallen Ones were to just pull out tomorrow, as in leave Earth entirely, what would happen? Would Devils take over everything? If so, what then?"

Jon shrugged at him. "Honestly, I don't give it much thought."

He chuckled in amusement. "Not surprising. Dragons collect Treasure Hordes specifically so they don't have to think about this shit. But humor me for a moment. What do you think the end game of all this is?"

"A lot of people seem to think it's already been determined." Jon surmised. "That God has a purpose and a plan behind everything."

"And that's all fine and well, but let me ask you this then." Aldin continued. "If that's really true, then what's saying God really knows what he's doing?"

Jon gave him a weird look.

"Or better yet." He retracted his last statement. "What if the Divine Plan he had in store, isn't really a plan at all? What if he's just making it all up on the fly?"

"I take it you're not one for predetermined outcomes?" Jon observed.

Aldin pointed back towards the wall behind his guest. "You see that painting over there?"

He turned back to see the canvas that had been splashed over with various paints in no discernible pattern.

"Is that a Jackson Pollock painting?"

Aldin quirked a brow at him. "You an art guy?"

He shook his head. "One of my Treasure's and I are taking an art class this semester on campus."

The Billionaire nodded in understanding. "That's not a copy. It's an authentic piece from one of his earlier collections."

"No kidding?"

"Sure is. Now as you know, our good buddy Mr. Pollock was a drip painter. He let his mind go blank and his hand go where it wanted. Each splash of paint not completely deliberate, but not completely random either."

Jon listened quietly.

"But if he just slapped some paint on a canvas, no one would buy it, right? Any idiot can dump a bucket over. There had to be some meaning behind the splashes."

"I suppose…"

"But at the same time. If he had flipped it. What do you think would have happened? What if instead of making art without conscious thought, he said You know what? I can't paint anything, unless I know exactly why I'm doing it. What would have happened?"

Jon thought about it for a moment before answering. "He never would have made a single mark."

"Exactly, my friend. Exactly." Aldin encouraged with a slap of his knee. "The point I'm trying to make is, what if life is like a Jackson Pollock painting? Maybe the objective is not to seek out pure chaos, or pure order. Maybe the answer lies somewhere in the middle. Everything from breathing, to talking, to fucking, to falling in love."

"And that's how you see the world." Jon replied. "But what does it have to do with me?"

Aldin peered at him searchingly. As if he were, at that very moment, trying to discern the answer himself.

"You're a Dragon." He finally spoke. "One of the most powerful, intelligent, and destructive species on Earth. Your kind have existed for as long as this planet has had physical form. And yet, despite your tremendous influence over our realm, never once have you directly involved yourself in its development. Not unless you personally stood to gain from it. And why?"

"Why?" Jon asked, deciding to humor him.

"Because Dragons do not concern themselves with the whims of mere mortals." Aldin answered frankly. "A Dragon has one reason, and one reason only for existing. To gather a Treasure Horde and protect it with his life. Now for some that's literal piles of gold and jewels. But you and I both know there's so much more to it than that. Knowledge is treasure, art is treasure, beauty is treasure. That's what Dragons are. They are the keepers and collectors of life's greatest treasures. And for you, the Red Dragon Emperor, that treasure is women. What some may argue is the single greatest Treasure of all." The more he spoke the more excited he got. Maybe it was the booze, or just the subject matter, but Aldin was working himself up over this.

"But why Jon?" He asked while continuing to peer directly into his eyes as if searching for some answer to a question. "Tell me, why do you collect your Treasures? Why these women?"

"My species is going extinct. I need a harem of viable females to-"

Aldin shook his head. "No no no. Now see that's bullshit." He insisted, anger in his eyes despite his smile. "You're deflecting the question with pragmatism because you're insecure about the truth. That's the Devil in you talking, Jon. Not the Dragon. If I wanted to talk to one of them I would have asked for Rias." He leaned forward in his seat, narrowing his eyes at him sharply. "Now I'll ask you again. Why are you amassing this Harem of women? I want to hear you say it."

For the longest time, Jon simply sat there in stoic silence as the gears of his mind whirred into overdrive. He opened his mouth once or twice to speak, but ultimately didn't say anything. Finally, after several moments of this...he answered.

"Because they're my Treasure's. Each of them is precious to me beyond measure. Their minds, their bodies, their very souls are each a priceless gem which I seek to understand and know better than I know even myself." He took a deep breath and flared black smoke through his nostrils. "I desire nothing more than to shelter them from this cruel, chaotic, and unforgiving world. A world I would gladly see destroyed before any harm ever came to them."

Aldin slowly nodded his head approvingly. A calm, stoic, expression on his face. "Now see? That's more like it. I can see it in your eyes right now, Jon. The passion, the desire, the rage."

Jon remained silent.

"I envy you." He spoke in a melancholy tone. "I envy your ability to desire, covet, and love with such passionate fury."

They both sat in the quiet, dark, living room for a moment. Neither one saying a word to the other.

"Well then." The Billionaire stood up and offered his outstretched palm to him. "This has certainly been fun. As for your payment, I'll have that Jackson Pollock original mailed to your Headquarters as compensation for your time. I'm sure your Master will find a dealer who can take it in for an adequate sum."

"Err, alright. Are you sure though? That seems a bit much for a couple of drinks."

"I insist." Aldin assured. "You've performed your task better than I could have hoped. Please do send my regards to Rias Gremory."

* * *

Jon returned to the Honor's House in great spirits. After all he had just gotten paid to drink expensive sake and chat about himself. As bizarre as his client was, he turned out to be a good conversationalist.

Albeit one who knew way too much.

As he made his way back into the lounge, waiting for him their was not Rias, or Asia, or Akeno. But Kiba. While he wasn't looking directly at Jon, he had an incredibly sour look on his face.

"Hey, Bro." Jon waved at him. "Have you seen the girls anywhere? I wanted to let them know the contract went down without a problem."

"Oh trust me...they know." Kiba spoke in a bitter tone. "They've been watching you the entire time. Never mind that I've been recovering from injuries that were apparently so bad I couldn't go after the Holy Swords again, but you can break your suspension to go drink with Billionaires. We wouldn't want you going stir crazy after all. Now would we?"

He frowned at him, a look of worry on his face. "Hey man, is everything alright?"

"Oh just fine." He shook his head, his face contorting into an angry scowl. "Everything's just great...Bro."

Jon chuckled angrily before glaring at Kiba and nodding his head. "Alright. So what's wrong?"

"Wrong?" Kiba asked as if he should already know. "Nothing's wrong. Not according to you anyway. I mean, things are going just great aren't they? You completed another contract. You've got three gorgeous women who hang onto your every word. Everything's been going just great since you've gotten here. Hasn't it?"

"Look, if you've got something to say then just say it." Jon insisted, his voice taking on an aggravated tone. "Don't be shy, Kiba. Spit it out."

"Alright." He sat up from the chair he was leaning against and approached, that bitter, angry look still in his eyes. "I'll spit it out then. I want to know why it is that everything has been about you since you got here."

"Kiba." Jon shook his head at him in disbelief. "What are you talking about? You're the one that's been helping me grow as a Dragon, I thought you understood what it was you were signing up for here."

"Yeah...I thought I did too." He admitted.

"Well then I'm sorry, but…" Jon looked away and took a breath to keep his temper in check. "...I don't get what the big issue is here. I mean, was this not all your idea? Were you not the one who gave me that initial pep talk in the first place?"

"I just thought, after all this time…" Kiba flared at him with gritted teeth. "...I might get something back in return. Some small sacrifice for my sake."

"Since when have I ever not given you anything? Name one instance in which I ever said I wouldn't help you out?"

Kiba crossed his arms and cocked a brow at him. "Alright then. Will you help me kill Irina?"

Jon went wide eyed, his face turning white as a ghost. "You...you want me to kill her?"

"And Xenovia too." He insisted. "It's the only way I can get to those Holy Swords. I doubt they'd give them to you in any way that didn't involve a direct deposit into your sternum."

"We can outmaneuver her." Jon insisted. "We don't have to kill her, I intend to tell her the truth and-"

"Oh of course. Of fucking course you are!" Kiba railed, his pent up anger finally reaching a boiling point. "Never mind what I need, you have feelings for that girl, right?"

"What is your obsession with these things?" Jon asked in exasperation. "Why are you so insistent on destroying the Excalibur Swords?"

"Do you know why it is I refuse to talk about my past, huh? Do you?" Kiba asked, a hint of fright in his voice. "I'm not like you, Jon. I can't just choose to forget what happened to me and move on. I can never forget what that bastard put me through. Destroying his legacy is the only way I can find peace!"

"Look, I don't know what it is you're talking about. But you're wrong if you think that I can just forget about my past." Jon growled at him. "I know how it feels to be kept up at night by-"

"No you don't know how it feels!" Kiba barked at him. "Don't compare your life to mine, Jon! You have no earthly idea what it is I've been through!"

"I will not kill Irina." Jon insisted vehemently. "That's final."

"Then I'll do it without you." Kiba snarled bitterly before turning to leave.

"No...you won't."

He stopped before turning back around and glaring hatefully at his Peerage Brother.

"Let me be clear about this, we handle Irina my way." Jon's tone was deathly severe. "Taking her life is the last resort."

"Right…" He slowly approached Jon again, venom in his voice. "...because it's all about what you want. Isn't it. If the Red Dragon Emperor wants something, he gets it. You want Rias? You get Rias. You want Akeno? You get Akeno. Why not add your little protege from the Church to your collection while you're at it? Hell, that Xenovia chick is decently good looking. I bet she'd look great in your trophy case too."

Jon got a hair's breadth away from Kiba's face, a look of pure unbridled fire in his eyes.

"You're my Peerage Brother, so I'm only gonna say this once." His voice belied the absolute certainty of his intent. "You are treading on very thin ice right now, my friend. Do not test me."

They both glared at each other in silent, seething, anger before Kiba finally spoke up.

"Of course...we wouldn't want to upset the big bad Dragon now, would we?"

Their angry glares only intensified, with Jon's nostrils going so far as to flare black smoke at him as a subconscious warning.

"Jon? Kiba?"

Both men turned to see Asia, Rias, Akeno, and Koneko all staring at them. Each with the same look of deep concern for the two.

"Why are you two fighting?" Asia asked worriedly. "You're supposed to be friends."

Koneko nodded insistently. She didn't like seeing them like this.

"Honestly, you two should know better." Rias lectured. "Letting something like this drive a wedge between your friendship."

Jon looked back at them and then at Kiba once more and frowned before sighing and shaking his head remorsefully. "Look man, I'm sorry. This whole thing with Irina has me a bit on edge. Listen, I promise you we'll work something out."

"Yeah...we will." Kiba insisted, that same bitter resentment in his eyes. "Because like it or not, you owe me Jon."

With that, Kiba turned and left. Leaving every other member of the ORC completely astonished as well as angry at the Gremory Knight.

"That boy, I swear." Akeno shook her head in disappointment. "Why can't he let this go?"

Jon was so tempted to say fuck it and have Akeno tell him Kiba's little secret. Honestly, at this point, he couldn't care less for his privacy. And he certainly didn't owe him any favors, no matter what Kiba believed. But then he stopped, took a deep breath, and reminded himself of who exactly that stubborn asshole was.

Kiba was his Peerage Brother, and that wasn't something he was going to just throw away over one fight.


	8. Chapter 8

**::Author's Note::**

**Hey everyone! Sorry this next Chapter took awhile. Like I said, my editing and my posting of these chapters has officially caught up with me actually writing on them. Still, I worked hard to get this next one out and now here it is.**

**Now having said that, don't be surprised if Chapters from this moment forward take several days to post. While I want to keep posting at a steady, efficient rate, I also want to make sure the quality of my writing remains at the level I've been keeping it at. I want to give you the story efficiently, but not at the detriment of quality.**

**With that out of the way, I proudly present to you Chapter Eight.**

**::End Note::**

Asia Argento spent more time in the Monastery's Church than she did in her own room. It seemed like there was always something she needed to pray for. But tonight, more so than any other night, she had a lot on her mind. That boy she really liked was off on a very very dangerous Hunt. From what the other girls had been saying, there was every possibility he might not come back. Thinking about it was too much to handle. So she came down to the Church that night to pray as she always did.

But this particular night, she was not alone.

"Dear Lord, please watch over your flock in these perilous times." Asia quietly prayed. "One of your shepards, a brave man by the name of Jonathan Hyodo is on a perilous crusade in your name. Please offer him your protection as he-"

It was the sniffling that initially caught her attention. Someone was trying hard not to break down weeping in one of the pews, her head silently bowed in prayer. Asia turned her head to see a familiar looking brunette girl who looked to be about two years younger than she was. Not knowing what else to do, she stood up and walked over to her gingerly.

"Hi…" She greeted.

The girl gasped in surprise before turning up and looking at her curiously.

"Your name is Irina, right?" Asia guessed.

"C...can I help you?" She sniffed.

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you." She bowed apologetically. "I just couldn't help but notice you were crying."

"Wh...what?!" Irina wiped her face and looked away. "I'm not crying, I haven't done that since I was a small kid."

"It's okay to cry." Asia assured, a reassuring smile on her face. "I know it always helps me feel better. Especially in times like these."

Irina frowned before lowering her head solemnly. "Why did he have to leave me here? I could have helped him. Now I have to sit here and wait...not knowing if I'll ever see him again or not." She slammed her fist into the back of the pew in front of her, suddenly angry. "I hate this! That stubborn asshole is going to get himself killed and there's nothing I can do about it!" She flinched upon realizing she just cursed in God's House. "Sorry...sorry."

Asia giggled at her. "I see you with him all the time. You two must be really close."

Irina made a startled noise before turning completely red. "I mean, I guess we're a little close." She sighed in a melancholy tone before casting her gaze away dejectedly. "He thinks of me as a little sister."

"That's so sweet." She clutched at her chest with both her hands.

Irina decided not to comment. "Why do men insist on doing things alone?" She asked in a hurt tone. "How come I'm the one who has to sit here and worry to death?"

"I think we're all worried." Asia admitted before frowning slightly. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She peered at her curiously for a moment. "What's your name?"

"I'm Asia Argento." The blonde nun introduced with a friendly smile. "I know you probably haven't seen me before, I haven't been around for very long."

"And yet you know Jon?" Irina asked curiously. "How?"

Asia peeped in a startled tone. Now it was her turn to blush. "I...I mean...I don't know him. I've just heard a lot about him." She smiled shyly and cast her gaze to the floor. "I admire his courage. That someone so brave and so strong is out there fighting for us is truly a blessing."

"Turning down help from those close to you doesn't make you strong. It makes you selfish." She retorted angrily.

Asia frowned at her. "Maybe he's just trying to protect you."

"Or maybe he's just trying to protect himself." Irina countered. "I know Jon better than anyone. He and Father Kyle shouldn't be doing this alone."

Try as she might, Irina couldn't hide the fact that she was terrified. She hated waiting on the sideline like this.

"Would you...would you like to pray together?" Asia offered.

She frowned for a moment before nodding. "Okay."

Asia joined her at the pew, getting down on her knees and bowing her head with her hands clasped together. Both women then silently prayed for the man they secretly loved.

* * *

Asia and Jon walked hand in hand through campus. They'd recently taken it upon themselves to spend some time alone together after classes. Though that particular day the blonde beauty was deep in thought and her Dragon was quick to pick up on it.

"Something on your mind?" He asked her curiously.

"Hmm?" Asia quirked her head up at him. "Oh...I guess I was just thinking about the past. You and Irina have so much history together. Yet when I think about how well we knew each other then, versus now, it's hard to believe how far we've come." She smiled as a blush crept over her cheeks. Asia took her free hand and pressed it against her face thoughtfully. "Some days it feels like a dream and I'm just waiting to wake up."

Jon chuckled at her before stopping and taking both her hands in his. "Asia, these past few years of my life have been so turbulent and so uncertain. But you and the girls have made the most of this last year." He caressed her cheek tenderly. "For what it's worth, with where we are now, I couldn't be happier."

She sighed contently while leaning into his touch. "I feel exactly the same way. I was so nervous at first when I learned the truth about what you are. But now...I couldn't imagine life without either you or Rias."

He smiled back at her before pointing over to a blanket with a basket next to it out on the main quad of campus. The spread was set up under the shade of a nearby tree away from the foot traffic.

"How sweet. Someone set up a picnic." Asia marveled.

Jon gave her a slick smirk. "Yeah...me."

Asia gasped in surprise with her hands over her mouth before clutching at her heart and gawking at the setup. "When did you have time to do this?"

He shrugged. "You and Rias aren't the only ones who know how to cook. Now granted, I may not be as good as you two. I'm mostly used to preparing game meat."

She giggled at him before taking his hand and eagerly walking over to the picnic blanket. The two sat down and opened the basket to reveal freshly made sandwiches and chocolate covered strawberries. Asia beamed at the well prepared lunch.

"Jon, this was so sweet of you."

He chuckled before getting everything set up. "I realize it's been awhile since you and I went on a proper date together just the two of us."

Asia smiled at him appreciatively, her cheeks breaking out into another light blush before they both began digging into the sandwiches.

"Goodness Jon, this is a lot of seasoning." She observed, placing a hand up to her mouth.

"Oh shoot, I didn't go overboard did I?" He asked worriedly.

She giggled and shook her head. "No no, it just caught me by surprise is all." Asia grabbed a napkin and brought it up to his lips before wiping it. "You got some ketchup on your face."

While the two enjoyed their picnic, off in the distance Matsuda and Motohama were spying on the couple through two pairs of binocs.

"Maaan." Matsuda whined through his binoculars. "Jon's getting all up in Asia's golden blonde business again."

"We just have to gather more data." Motohama insisted, his palms starting to get sweaty. "But you're right. Asia in that tight ass miniskirt is the very definition of spank city."

"Ahem."

Both pervs jumped before slowly turning around to see Aika Kiryuu glaring down at them sourly. Her glasses reflecting the rays of the midday sun.

"So I catch you two red handed again, eh?" She knelt her head down towards them with her hands on her hips. "You know, I have half a mind to go over there and tell them what you're doing."

"But...but…" Matsuda stuttered.

"Please don't!" Motohama begged. "If we don't make observations we'll never discover the secret to Jon's potent love mojo!"

"And besides." Matsuda added, a mischievous look on his face. "I think he and Asia are about to start getting busy on the blanket."

She felt her eye twitch and her whole body break out in goosebumps.

"Come oooon." He continued to egg her on. "You can't tell me you're not curious about those soft pink lips of hers. I bet you wanna know what kinda freaky deaky shit she gets up to when she thinks no one's looking too."

Aika began to quiver slightly as her curiosity slowly overrode her self control.

"Oh shit! Dude, Jon just fed her a strawberry and now she's straddling his lap. They're gonna start making out!" Motohama suddenly declared, having continued to spy on them from his binocs.

"Give those here!" Aika insisted before snatching the binoculars away from him and taking her place in the bushes.

"Hey!" Motohama protested.

"So you're curious too, huh?" Matsuda chided her with a victorious grin.

She shook her head vehemently while pressing her face up to the binocs. "I just wanna make sure he's keeping it kosher out there."

Both Matsuda and Motohama gave her the side eye, not believing her for a single moment.

"Uh huh. Suuuure."

As she peered through the binocs she watched as Asia wrapped her arms around Jon and began kissing him passionately. Putting her whole body into it.

"Jeez girl, remember to come up for air." She mumbled.

Her grip on the binocs tightened as Jon reached down and slowly began lifting up Asia's skirt.

"Okay Stud, keep it clean now." She growled somewhat enviously. "You two are in public."

And then something happened that Aika was in no way or shape prepared for. The two lovebirds, along with the entirety of the picnic they had set up, vanished into thin air. It was like an invisible shroud fell over them, and where one minute the two were happily sucking on each other's faces on the Quad, now they were just...gone.

She dropped the binoculars, her mouth slightly ajar as her brain tried to process what it was she just saw.

"What is it?" Matsuda asked curiously before raising his own pair of binocs back up. "Awww, man! They bailed!"

"He must be taking her back to the ORC Headquarters for some two player log splitting." Motohama whined through crocodile tears. "Jonathan Hyodo, I swear one of these days we will learn your secret and tap in to your God Level Sex Aura!"

"Did you see where they went?" Matsuda asked Aika.

She simply continued to stare ahead of her in stunned silence. Whatever it was she just saw, she somehow doubted she was supposed to see it. Suddenly this went far beyond just Jon and her bestie having an adventerous sex life.

Was that...magic?

* * *

Asia and Jon continued their passionate make out session while the Dragon hiked up his Treasure's skirt. Her flowery white panties were poking out and yet she didn't even seem to notice. As they finally unlocked lips, Jon peered up at her worriedly.

"You sure about this?"

She nodded at him. "Mhmm, the illusion spell completely conceals us from the outside world and muffles any sound we make. Although...it only works on humans, and even then, it has to be done in a calm and serene environment. This spell would never work on a battlefield. But…" Asia slowly pulled her blouse over her head. Revealing the light pink, frilly bra she was wearing underneath. "It's convenient for those moments you don't have access to a bedroom."

He cocked a disbelieving brow up at her. "You've certainly gotten bolder these past few weeks, Love."

She giggled at him, her face breaking out into a light blush. "What can I say? Since Rias and I have gotten closer, I've felt more comfortable opening up to you. I guess I kind of want to be more like her."

"You won't hear me complaining."

They pressed their lips together again. As they kissed, Jon ran his hands up her smooth flawless skin before unhooking the clasp against her back. They stopped kissing long enough for Jon to pull the bra away and toss it aside. Asia pulled her shirt open and pressed her naked chest against his as the lovers embraced once more.

She finally broke away and lowered herself down to his jeans. Asia freed his stiff manhood from the zipper before parting the seam of his underwear and allowing his erection to burst free.

"Goodness Jon." She murmured before glancing away in embarrassment. That was one thing she still had a hard time getting over. Slowly she took him in her hand and began to stroke his shaft gingerly. "I know I'm still new to this, but I've been really trying to better myself as a lover. So I'd...like to try some new things on you, if you're okay with it."

He nodded. "Of course."

She smiled at him lovingly before slowly lowering her head and taking him into her mouth. This was certainly a new one. Asia had never given him head before. Every time they tried her anxiety would get the better of her and she'd freeze up. As it was now, Asia didn't seem to have any problems at all. Though she struggled to get more than half his shaft down her throat all at once before her gag reflex triggered.

"Have you been practicing this?" He marveled at her.

She nodded, letting out a small Mhmm noise that sent vibrations along his cock. As Asia continued to suck him she peered up at her Dragon with those enchanting emerald eyes while brushing a strand of golden blonde hair away from her face. After a few moments of this she finally raised herself back up and began stroking his slickened shaft with her hand again.

"Rias and I have been practicing on her toys." Asia explained. "We want to be able to get as far down as Akeno can one day." She frowned insecurely. "Does it...does it feel good Jon? Am I doing it right?"

"It's perfect." He assured with a loving smile on his face.

She smiled at him before nodding thankfully. "Rias told me you like it when she...touches herself while doing this." As she spoke, her free hand began to slide down into her underwear before pressing against her little heated flower. A soft moan escaped her lips as she began to squirm for him. "Like this, right?"

He nodded, his Devil Heart thudding like a wardrum against his chest. This was far and away the most active he had ever seen Asia be when it came to sex. Normally it was all she could manage to let him explore her body before holding on for dear life as he made love to her. Now she was playing with herself while sucking him off.

Barring the occasional grazing of the teeth as she worked to stretch her jaw out around him, her technique was beyond pleasurable. Not only that, he could see what Rias meant when she said Asia had a lot of talent with her tongue.

Once they were both sufficiently warmed up, Asia took her boldness one step further by standing up and approaching the nearby tree their picnic was under. With a slightly embarrassed look in her eye she lowered her soaked panties and braced herself against the trunk. Arching her back in a way that was very reminiscent of something Rias would do.

"We've made love many times." She stated shyly. "But this time J...Jon…" She swallowed back her nerves. "...please f…" Her heart skipped in her chest and her face turned red. "...please fu…"

He stared back at her with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. She wasn't really going to say it was she?

With another deep breath she shut her eyes and braced against the tree.

"...please fuck me." She quietly squeaked, her face turning the deepest shade of crimson imaginable.

"Be honest…" He replied in a half state of shock. "...that's the first time you've ever used that word in your life. Isn't it."

She nodded meekly. "Did...did it sound stupid? I know I'm not as vocal as Rias during sex but…"

He stood up and gripped her waist, causing her breath to hitch.

"You don't ever have to compare yourself to Rias or Akeno, my Treasure." He assured while bringing his manhood up to her slick heat.

She shook her head vehemently while biting her lower lip in need. "I'm not. I didn't ask her to teach me these things purely to please you, Jon. I want to give you all my firsts. You've always been so gentle and patient with me. You and Rias both. But I'm not that same insecure little wallflower I once was. I don't just want to know what it feels like when you make love to me. Now..."

Her ass began to grind against his shaft wantingly.

"...I want to know what it's like...to be fucked by my Dragon."

Jon couldn't help but smile. Not only was hearing Asia use that word for the first time in her life a massive turnon to him. But to see the confidence she had gained and the assuredness she was slowly starting to possess regarding her beauty as a woman was wonderful to behold. Asia was really coming out of her shell, and he couldn't have been more proud of her.

His grip on her hips became firmer.

"Whatever my beloved Treasure wants, she gets."

He slammed himself into her without any warning whatsoever. Ever thankful for that sound dampening field around them. For otherwise the scream of startled ecstasy she emitted mere moments later would have been heard by everyone present in that park.

* * *

Irina loaded her revolver and holstered it before grabbing Excalibur Mimic and attaching it to her belt as well. Finally, she pulled her white cloak over her head and left her room in the Church. Waiting for her outside was Xenovia. Already in her cloak and ready to go.

"Are you prepared?" Xenovia asked in a calm, insistent tone.

Irina nodded her head assuredly. "Yes. Are you certain he'll take the bait?"

"If our information is correct, the Unholy Creature that has wandered into the city will be too great a menace for Rias's Peerage to ignore. Which makes this the perfect opportunity to strike. They'll begin the hunt at sunset. Which is when we'll go in for the kill."

She took a deep breath and steeled herself. "I understand."

"You're not having second thoughts, are you?" Xenovia asked insistently. "We won't have another chance like this."

"Of course not!" She retorted.

"Irina, your hand is shaking." Her Partner observed. "Are you sure you're alright?"

She frowned before clasping at her wrist and turning away. "I'm just...antsy. That's all."

Xenovia cast her gaze at one of the pews before turning and sitting down, patting the spot next to her. "We have some time before we need to move out. Come sit."

Irina gave her a squirrely look but otherwise complied, sitting down next to her.

"Is it true you used to have feelings for that boy?" She asked calmly.

Her face heated up and she was about to protest but Xenovia cast a look her way as if saying And be honest with me. Irina sighed before bowing her head somberly. "Yes...I did. But I swear to you that's in the past. I don't have feelings for Jon anymore. He's my enemy."

"You can still have feelings for an enemy." She retorted. "Perhaps you no longer feel love for him now. But fond memories can override the senses and affect our judgement."

"So what do I do?"

Xenovia considered her words carefully for a moment. "What of the other Hunters that Jon killed? Were you not close with them as well? You should try focusing on those memories instead. It will make the road ahead of you less severe."

A long, dark silence followed before Irina finally spoke up. "To be honest, I can hardly remember their faces. I've been trying, but lately it just seems like they all blurred into the background. Is that normal?"

"You've got to think of them within a certain context." Xenovia offered. "Don't just think about their faces, think about something specific. Something you did together that didn't involve our Target, that also brings back fond feelings."

Irina thought long and hard about something that truly stuck out while running her thumb along the glove of her left palm. "There were a couple of others I was close to. Mostly Hunters a few years older than me. They'd sometimes treat me like the runt of the litter but...they were good people."

Xenovia nodded in understanding, silently allowing her to go on.

"This one time, two of my friends, Becky and Ryan, came and woke me up in the middle of the night." She continued. "They said they had a surprise for me. So they took me up to the attic of one of the old Church towers." A small smile formed on her features. "There was the oldest member of our group, Daniel with…" She began to chuckle under her breath. "...with Sister Alice." Irina slowly began to crack up as the memory came bubbling back to the surface. "He always tried to be like Jon with the ladies, but could never quite get there. I mean, picture a girl who took a nosedive out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down."

As she laughed at her own story, Xenovia couldn't help but crack a smile.

"So Daniel's got her habit over her head, trying to get her bra off, when all of a sudden Becky just screams…" Irina took a deep breath. "Dani you're a saved man, don't do it!"

She burst into another fit of hysterical laughter while Xenovia quietly chuckled as well.

"And so Sister Alice hears this, screams, and tries to run out of the attic. But she's still got her Habit over her head so she goes running into the wall and knocks herself out!" The more she talked the louder her laughing became and the harder it was to speak. "So now Daniel is just so mad, he starts coming after us. But at the same time Alice is still unconscious, he's got to wake her up." Her sides were hurting from laughing so hard. "So he grabs her by a leg and starts dragging her while in his other hand he picks up a shovel and starts swinging at Becky. And so she says what are you trying to hit me for?! I just did you a favor!"

She keeled over in her seat from the exertion of laughing so hard, as if the memory were playing out in front of her eyes all over again. Xenovia meanwhile, covered a small smile with the tips of her fingers. Her chest bouncing in rhythm with her silent chuckeling.

Irina wiped a mirthful tear from her eye while trying to get her laughter under control long enough to finish the story. "So this just makes Daniel madder, so he tries to swing this shovel and he loses it. It knocks over this old kerosene lantern, the thing explodes, the whole tower almost goes up because of it."

By this point, they were both audibly laughing. As the good humor faded away a sudden realization washed over Irina. Her laughing slowly died down, as did the smile on her face. Silence enveloped the room once more.

"That was it…" She quietly spoke up. "...that was our last memory together. Jon went rogue the very next night, killed all three of them making his escape."

Xenovia slowly stood up and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"And that's what you need to remember before you plunge your blade into his heart."

* * *

Jon had Asia on all fours out on the Main Quad of Kuoh. Her tiny hands dug into the picnic blanket as she moaned in ecstasy, eagerly taking everything he gave her. With one last thrust of his hips Jon growled in pleasure, his nostrils flaring at his climax before he collapsed down onto her. They both panted heavily, their bodies slick with sweat.

"So…" Asia tried to steady her breath while she spoke. "...I guess this is what Akeno meant when she told me she liked it rougher."

He chuckled in amusement before brushing her hair aside and kissing her neck. "Something like that."

At that moment his phone went off. Jon groaned complacently before reaching over into his pants and answering it.

"What's up?"

He suddenly lurched upright, a concerned look on his face. "You're sure?"

Asia peered at him worriedly before sitting up onto her side.

He swore under his breath. "Right, we'll be there in a minute." Jon then hung up the phone. "And things were going so smoothly today."

"What is it?" Asia asked while quickly working her bra back on.

"We've got a Stray Devil loose in the city." He groaned while rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Seems like we never get a freaking break with these things."

She gave him a confused look. "Weren't you just complaining the other day about not having anything to do?"

He chuckled in response. "Oh right...I guess there is a silver lining here."

* * *

The ORC waited for nightfall before teleporting to the condemned building near the outskirts of the city where the nest of the Stray Devil was located. Everyone was on edge that particular night. Knowing full well how vulnerable this unexpected development made them. Sona Sitri was busy tending to some family issues in the Underworld, and had taken her whole peerage with her. They wouldn't have any reinforcements to bail them out if something went wrong.

"I'm sorry I had to call you all out here." Rias addressed the group after they successfully teleported. "But given everything that's going on, I'm not taking any chances."

"This Stray Devil was once a Queen." Akeno spoke up. "She has an incredible amount of power and is highly unstable. Expect a tough fight from this one."

"Wonderful." Jon joked in a blithe manner. "Twenty bucks says half of her is insanely hot while the other half looks like something out of an H.R Giger Drawing. Eh, Kiba?"

Kiba remained silent. Refusing to acknowledge him and causing Jon to scoff and roll his eyes dismissively.

"Fine then." He grumbled angrily.

"One more thing." Rias's tone took on a grave severeness to it. "We cannot dismiss the possibility that the two Holy Sword Users currently in the city will show up during the attack."

Kiba suddenly perked up at the mention of the Holy Sword Users. He gripped the hilt of his sword until his knuckles turned white.

"Rias, if I might make a request." Jon spoke up. "In the event that we run into Irina, I'd like to confront her alone."

Kiba shot him an incredulous look.

"Jon." Asia was about to protest but Akeno stopped her.

"I'm the only one here immune to Holy Light. And I know her methods and tactics better than anyone." He explained. "Irina will be gunning for me, which will leave you and Akeno to take care of Xenovia. Meanwhile, Kiba and Koneko can finish off the Stray Devil if we haven't destroyed it already."

"Hmm, you make a fair point." Rias admitted. "But what makes you so certain Xenovia won't attack you as well?"

"It's standard Hunter tactics. One lures the prey out of hiding while the other sits on standby and provides backup. Or in this case, runs distraction."

"And you're sure she'll use this particular tactic, Master?" Akeno asked worriedly.

He nodded. "I'm sure. It's what I taught her to do after all."

"With all due respect, President." Kiba spoke up while glaring at Jon. "Would it not be more prudent of us to attack her as a group?"

Jon shot daggers back at him.

"That's not your call to make." Rias retorted sharply. "Koneko cannot take on a Stray Devil of this magnitude all on her own. Even a wounded one."

Koneko nodded in agreement. "I'll need you there with me, Kiba."

"In that case, perhaps I should be the one to go after Irina." He insisted vehemently.

"That woman already almost killed you once. It's out of the question."

Kiba scowled horribly. "So instead you're sending him? We all know Jon has a history with this woman. What's to say he won't just let her go?"

"I trust Jon's judgment." Rias responded with an aggravated tone. "It's your judgement that has been questionable as of late."

He scoffed at her dismissively. "The Treasure siding with her Dragon. Why am I not the least bit surprised?"

"Look, if you've got a problem with me why don't you say it to my face, Pretty Boy." Jon snarled at him.

The two squared up for a moment while Asia watched nervously. Finally, Rias let loose a sharp whistle and called for attention.

"Boys, that's enough!" She insisted. "Kiba, we're sticking with Jon's idea. The two of you and Koneko will go after the Stray Devil while Akeno and I stand guard. If Irina shows up, Jon will be the one to confront her. End of discussion."

Kiba and Jon both shot hateful looks at one another before turning and going in opposite directions. Rias and Akeno, meanwhile, cast nervous gazes at one another. They hated seeing those two fighting like this.

"Right then. We all know the plan. Asia, I want you to stay back with Akeno and me."

"Understood, Rias." Asia nodded curtly.

"The rest of you have your assignments." She cast a suspicious glare at her Knight. "Right Kiba?"

"Right…" He responded bitterly.

"Let's not waste any time." Jon took out his carton of cigarettes, popped one in his mouth, and lit it with the tip of his finger. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can go home."

He then let loose a sharp whistle. From a bright portal of moonlight, his faithful familiar Hati appeared.

* * *

An awkward silence filled the air as Jon, Hati, Koneko, and Kiba all made their way towards the decrepit remains of the old building that made up the Stray Devil's lair. Jon took a long drag from his cigarette before blowing it straight into the air.

"Must you feed that filthy habit right now?" Kiba asked in an annoyed tone.

Jon ignored him in favor of taking another, longer drag, before blowing it directly towards Kiba. Using his magic to send the cloud of smoke directly into his face. Kiba coughed violently and waved the annoying carcinogens away before glaring at Jon spitefully.

"Hey! Knock it off!"

He shrugged, a twisted grin on his face. "Not my fault you're standing down wind."

"You did that on purpose!" Kiba seethed at him.

"Now what would give you that idea?"

Koneko wheeled around and narrowed her eyes at them both coldly. "Would you two stop it? You're behaving like children."

"He started it!" They both shouted in unison before glaring at one another again.

She sighed wearily before turning back around and continuing to walk. "And again, you just proved my point."

They approached the entrance whereupon Kiba pushed on the door.

"It's locked alright."

"You could always try knocking." Jon remarked sarcastically. "Maybe the Stray Devil will let you in."

"Yet another inciteful comment from the Pawn." Kiba remarked blithely.

Koneko groaned in frustration. "Both of you move."

She brought one of her gloved hands up and struck the door with enough force to knock it off the hinges and send it flying into the dark barren room it lead to.

"Now that's what I call a knock." Jon commented while flicking his smoke onto the ground and stubbing it out.

The four of them slowly entered the condemned building and looked around. Hati began sniffing the air around him and let loose a low, threatening, growl. Jon pet his faithful familiar reassuredly.

"Easy Boy." He then turned his attention to the group. "Guys, I don't know about the rest of you, but I can't see shit in here." He observed while summoning his Black Revolver to the right hand and his Boosted Gear to the left.

Koneko nodded in understanding. "The Stray is using Illusion magic to thicken the shadows around us. Be careful."

Kiba seemed to be off in his own little world. At that moment he was focusing not on the shadows around him, but the balconies and windows.

"Hey, Kiba. Did you hear me?" She asked.

Hati's ears suddenly perked up. He sniffed at the air again before going into a low stance and snarling at a far corner of the room.

"Yeah, I smell it too." Jon observed. "Guys! It's over here!"

Way off in the far corner of the room. A small, lithe, silver haired girl with a luscious naked figure cowered from the approaching members of the ORC. The closer they came the more she began to tremble, hiding her head away from them in fear.

"Nice try." Jon commented with a slick grin. "But my Familiar's nose doesn't lie, and neither does mine."

The silver haired girl peered at him curiously.

"That's a smart ploy, I'll admit." He continued. "Pretending to be a helpless, naked, young girl to lure your victims in. You must catch both good samaritans and perverts alike with that act."

Her curious gaze turned into a twisted smile that spread from ear to ear, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth. The Stray Devil shrieked in a frenzied bloodlust as she jumped up onto the ceiling on a set of spiders legs with scaly lizard feet and large talons.

"Human, spider, and lizard." Jon observed with a hint of disgust. "You Strays really need to pick a species and stick with it."

The Stray snarled at him before turning around and shooting green acid from her thorax. Jon easily dodged out of the way in time to see the stone floor he was standing on dissolve into nothing. He pulled his revolver and fired off six shots in rapid succession. The Stray dashed from pillar to pillar, avoiding all but one of the rounds, which hit it right in the abdomen.

"Damn, this thing moves fast." Jon cursed while twirling the Revolver on his finger.

"Remember we're dealing with a former Queen Piece." Koneko retorted. "Kiba, think you can pin her down?"

He didn't respond. Whatever the Knight was focusing on, it definitely wasn't the Stray Devil.

"Kiba focus." Koneko insisted. "Hey, Kiba!"

The Stray landed on the floor and fired more acid from its thorax directly at Koneko. Jon barely had enough time to jump in front of her and form a barrier. However the splash back hit her on the shoulder, burning through her shirt and her bra before finally singing her skin. Koneko clutched at her wounded arm but otherwise remained standing.

Jon quickly retaliated by firing six shots at the creature one after the other. One of the shots managed to sever its middle left leg at one of the joints from the rest of its body before it managed to get away. He let loose a sharp whistle whereupon Hati quickly gave chase to the beast, leaping on its thorax and sinking its fangs into the Stray's shoulder.

"You alright?" Jon asked, quickly turning his attention to Koneko.

"I'm fine." She insisted, still wincing in pain while clutching the burn mark on her skin.

Jon flared before shooting two burning eyes at Kiba. "What the hell are you zoning out for, Princess?!" He barked at him angrily.

The Stray managed to shake Hati off of her before the two began furiously clawing and biting at one another like feral beasts. While Hati appeared to get the upper hand at first, the Stray pulled a cheap trick and sprayed toxic gas from an opening in her chest. The noxious fumes disoriented Hati and temporarily blinded him long enough for the creature to kick with her hind legs and send him flying into a column.

"Kiba!" Jon shouted again. "What are you doing?!"

"She'll be here…" Kiba mumbled to himself. "And when she is...I'll be ready this time."

The Stray leaped up and pounced on Kiba, who drew his sword a fraction of a second too late. Jon managed to charge over and knock the creature off of him before she had a chance to sink her teeth into Kiba's neck. She quickly retaliated with another massive kick that sent Jon flying all the way to the other side of the room before smashing straight through the wall and out of sight.

"Jon!" Koneko shouted in concern. Before she could run to see if he was okay, the Stray leapt in front of her and aimed its thorax for another acid attack.

The shot went wide however, when Hati, who had recovered from being knocked into the column, pounced on the creature and began biting at another one of its legs. While the Stray tried to shake him off, Koneko grabbed one of its other legs and pulled. The leg that Hati had in his mouth popped off and the creature shrieked in agony before Koneko used her strength to hurl the monster into the ceiling.

"Kiba! We need to check on-"

He was nowhere to be found. Their Knight was long gone, and the Stray Devil was now angrier than ever.

* * *

Asia, Rias, and Akeno sat outside. Nervously waiting while Kiba, Jon, and Koneko faced the stray alone. They were placing a lot of faith in Jon's plan. And despite their confidence in Devil's Colt, it still felt like they were leaving a lot to chance.

"Maybe...maybe we should go check on them." Asia was the first to crack. Her nerves finally getting the better of her.

Rias shook her head emphatically. "We have to have faith in Jon. I'm confident he knows what he's doing."

"Jon's not the one I'm worried about." Akeno admitted. "It's Kiba who has me nervous. That boy has been unstable as of late."

A nervous pit formed in Rias's stomach. As much as she hated to admit it, her thoughts were similar. There was no telling what Kiba might do given his current mental state. As she pondered on her next course of action, Rias began weighing the pros and cons of stepping in and joining the others.

Unfortunately, the decision was quickly made for her. Jon was right. The Holy Sword Users did exactly as he said they would.

"Girls...behind us." Rias tapped on their shoulders and pointed.

Off in the distance, a figure clad in a white robe slowly approached. A monstrous level of holy power radiated off them that only seemed to get more intense with every step they took towards the group. The figure slowly pulled their hood down to reveal the blue haired woman matching Sammy's description of Xenovia.

"Asia, get behind us." Rias warned severely. "Whatever you do, do not move from this spot unless I specifically call for you."

Asia gulped, trembling in fear slightly before nodding her head in understanding. Rias and Akeno slowly approached Xenovia, who regarded them with a cold and calculated expression.

"Am I speaking to Rias Gremory?" She calmly called out to them.

"You are." The Crimson Queen of Kuoh responded. "This is Akeno, my Queen Piece, also known as the Priestess of Thunder."

Akeno nodded, a steely look in her eyes as electricity began to dance off her fingertips.

She bowed to them respectfully. "Can I assume then, that you know who I am?"

"Xenovia Quarta." Rias calmly replied, a slight edge to her voice. "The strongest swordswoman among the Excalibur Five."

"I am but a humble servant of the one true God." Xenovia insisted before raising her head back up.

"We have no need of your religious dogma here, child of Heaven." The President insisted. "You are intruding on a private matter concerning the Gremory Clan and my Peerage. I suggest you turn around and leave, right this instant."

"And I wouldn't make her repeat herself on that matter if I were you." Akeno added.

Xenovia shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't do that. As you know my name, I'm certain you are already aware I'm here for the fugitive you're harboring. I'm to keep you occupied while my compatriot deals with Jonathan Hyodo herself."

"Fugitive?" Rias chuckled at her in amusement. "The arrogance of the Church, I swear. It gets to me every single time." A nasty scowl formed on her face. "I'm only going to say this once, call her off and retreat. If you don't, I will make you both regret showing your filthy hides in my city."

A blue magical circle appeared to Xenovia's right. A massive blue two handed sword appeared from behind it which she took in her right hand, slamming the tip of the blade into the ground and tossing aside her cloak. The shockwave that followed nearly blew Asia, who was standing a good ten yards away from the battle, off her feet.

"I may be acting as a deterrent." Her voice took on the slightest hint of an edge. "But don't think for one second that I will hesitate in destroying you if you threaten me again."

A wicked grin formed on Rias's features. She brought her own terrible power to bare. Her hair beginning to blow along an invisible breeze as red and black magic danced off her person. Asia brought her hands together and formed a sign before raising them up into the air. Her club uniform disappeared and was replaced with her Priestess of Thunder Regalia. She too, brought the full brunt of her awesome magical power to the surface as lightning danced off her body in intricate patterns.

"The Holy Sword Excalibur Destruction." Rias declared, glaring at the dangerous weapon with that same sinister smirk on her face. "Versus my Power of Destruction. Let's see which is the better of the two."

As the titanic forces squared off, Asia bowed her head in a small, silent prayer to whatever cosmic force might be listening, that they didn't completely tear this whole city apart.

* * *

Jon groaned in pain as he slowly lurched up out of the pile of cardboard boxes, smashed shelves, and other rubbish he had landed on after his unceremonious flight into another room. While the attack itself didn't do much lasting damage, he would definitely be feeling that bump on the back of his head tomorrow. As he rubbed the sore spot he slowly stood back up and brushed himself off.

"And of course I lost my hat again." He spoke aloud in frustration before heading back towards the fight. "I swear one of these days I'm gonna find some superglue and just freaking-"

The sound of a revolver hammer cocking stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Hello, Jon." A female voice spoke up in a calm, even tone. "It's been awhile."

All went quiet as his senses honed in on the figure speaking to him. Jon slowly turned his head to the side to see a woman with brunette hair and two long twintails, dressed in a skintight battlesuit, and pointing a silver revolver directly at his head staring back at him. The razor sharp look in her eyes was that of a seasoned Hunter, concluded in her intentions, and resolute in her actions. Fierce, deadly...and insanely beautiful.

She had grown so much in the years since he last saw her, was the first thing that came to his mind.

"Hey, Irina." He calmly replied. "It's good to see you again."

For a moment it looked as if her expression softened, but as quickly as it did, her eyes were sharp again.

"I wish I could say the same."

Her revolver fired, cracking off like holy thunder in the cold night air.


	9. Chapter 9

Irina stretched her arms over her head and yawned sleepily. She, alongside her good friend Becky had been assigned to patrol duty that particular night. One of the most boring posts imaginable as a Hunter.

"You can't seriously be tired already." Becky teased her insincerely. "We've only been at it for like twenty minutes."

"Sorry." She grinned back at her. "It's just that, thanks to some doofus buddies of mine I didn't sleep very well last night.

Becky chuckled in amusement. "It was totally worth it, though. The look on that poor girl's face…"

Irina snickered at the memory. "I totally agree."

As they both made their way to the central courtyard, Irina glanced over at the fountain to see that Jon wasn't there. She frowned in concern. Normally around now he was out playing his guitar. The music always helped make these boring watch posts more tolerable.

"Something up?" Becky asked.

"I'm worried about him." She admitted. "It's only been a few weeks since Father Kyle passed away and he hasn't really opened up about it since. He's been even more withdrawn than usual."

"He probably just needs time to process it." Becky offered. "Jon's one of our strongest, he won't let this be the thing that breaks him."

She remained silent, still quietly staring at the empty fountain.

"Of course, it doesn't surprise me you're worried either." Becky continued, a slick grin on her face. "Considering you have the biggest, most adorable crush on him ever."

Irina's face heated up like a thermometer and she quickly wheeled around and stared at Becky in disbelief. "Wh...wh...what did you say?!"

She continued to smile at her. "Oh come on, Irina. Just about everyone knows."

The poor girl froze like a deer in headlights.

"You hang onto his every word and are always the first to offer him help. Between that, and the way we see you staring at him whenever he's not looking, it's completely obvious."

Irina frowned before looking away in embarrassment.

"You should tell him how you feel."

"I can't!" She insisted. "Regardless of my feelings, Jon doesn't think of me that way. He just sees me as a little sister."

She folded her arms and cocked a brow at her. "Really? Is that what he told you?"

"Yes! Well I mean...no. He's never said that out loud. But that doesn't make it any less true."

Becky remained silent, that same 'who are you trying to fool look' still on her face.

"I'm serious! Jon sees me as a little sister. I just know he does."

"Is that what you really think?" Becky asked sincerely. "Or are you afraid he might reject you if he knew the truth?"

Irina was about to protest but couldn't. Finally, she lowered her head meekly.

"It's just scary knowing he might not feel the same way." She admitted shamefully. "I mean...what if he thinks I'm weird? Or treats me different?"

Becky shook her head emphatically. "Not the Jon I know. Come on, you're like his best friend. You know he'd never treat you differently."

"Maybe…" She still sounded unsure.

"And who knows." Becky continued. "With everything that's been going on. Hearing your confession may just be the one thing that puts a smile on his face again."

Irina made a small startled noise, her face flushing. She smiled and stroked her hands through one of her twintails while fidgeting in place nervously.

"I don't know...maybe. Do you really think I should?"

"Of course." Becky encouraged. "Trust me, life here is too short not to take that chance. The last thing you want is to be looking back years from now wondering what could have been."

She took a deep breath before nodding determinedly. "Okay. I'll do it."

"Wonderful!" Becky beamed before grabbing her by the hand. "Let's go."

"W...wait. Where are we going?" Irina stammered.

"To go find Jon." Becky stated matter of factly while dragging her by the hand.

"Hold on, right now?!" Her heart started to race. Irina put on her breaks as the panic began to set in. "But I haven't even prepared yet!"

"You'll be fine." Becky assured while tugging on her to keep moving. "Come on, you'll chicken out if you don't just suck it up and do it."

"But...but…" The terror in her eyes was very real.

"I'm not letting you back out of this." Becky insisted. "I promise you it will-"

At that moment they were both knocked over by a blonde haired girl running down the hall of the courtyard. Becky and Irina crashed to the ground before slowly raising back up and rubbing their heads.

"Ow. What the heck?" Becky groaned. "Mind watching where you're going?"

Irina peered at the terrified girl curiously. "Asia?"

"He...he…" Asia trembled in terror, her face was white as a ghost. "He was just defending himself...he didn't mean to."

"Who didn't mean to? What are you talking about?" Irina asked insistently.

"I'm sorry! Forget I said anything!" Asia insisted before getting up and sprinting away.

"Hey wait!" Irina called out to her but Asia didn't respond, she simply continued to run until she was well out of sight. "What the heck do you think that was about?"

Becky shrugged. "Who knows? That girl has a screw loose if you ask me." She quickly grabbed Irina by the hand again and tugged her down the hall. "Don't try to change the subject. You've got a crush to confess to."

"But...wait!" The panic returned. "Becky wait!"

She dragged Irina down the hall. For better or for worse, it would seem Jon was about to know the truth. Whether she wanted to admit it or not.

* * *

Freed Sellzen was ecstatic. The psychotic glee in his eyes made that apparent. It was the carnage of the destructive battle taking place below him that had the Stray Hunter so giddy at that moment. Despite the blonde bitch's attempts to form a noise barrier around the three destructive combatants, it was clear that the city would be feeling the effects of this fight.

His only criticism was he wished they had chosen a less isolated part of the city. He wanted there to be fallout from this. But as it was, the tremors would likely be blamed on an earthquake.

"Just as well…" He sighed wistfully. "...soon, very soon, the real war will begin."

At that moment his cell phone went off.

"What?" He answered taciturnly.

"Is everything going according to plan?" A powerful male voice, dripping with malevolence spoke through the receiver.

Freed felt his back stiffen. "Sir! So glad you called. I was just about to give you an update on the situation."

"All I'm concerned with is whether or not you've successfully lured out the primary target."

"He's here this time. I'm sure of it. The Stray I guided into the city lured out the entire Gremory Peerage." Freed insisted. "The Holy Sword Users still think I'm going after them. The dumb bimbos have no idea they're being played."

"Good. After your failure last time, I was beginning to wonder if I had wasted the Holy Power I imbued within you."

"To be fair. I did manage to lure out a Dragon. It just wasn't the right one." Freed joked nervously.

"I have no time for your excuses, Freed." The voice on the other end sounded angrier. "The Red Dragon Emperor represents the single biggest threat to our plans. He must be eliminated at all costs."

"At the rate things are going, the Holy Bitches down there will do our work for us." Freed announced excitedly, his mouth seemingly beginning to water.

"We're not taking any chances this time. Get down there and finish it yourself. Now."

"I…" He scowled angrily. "...yes Sir. I'll get right on it."

The caller hung up. Freed stared at his phone in aggravation for a moment before stuffing it back in his robes.

"Get down there and finish it yourself." He repeated in a mocking voice. "Ungrateful cretin."

* * *

It had been a long time since Xenovia faced off against opponents this tough. Rias Gremory and her Queen Akeno were proving to be a far bigger obstacle than she had initially anticipated. To think that their were Devils beyond Lucifer who could cast magic capable of destroying holy barriers. She had underestimated her opponent's Power of Destruction magic.

And then there was the Queen. Something about her lightning was abnormal. It wasn't a simple elemental attack, of that she was certain. There was something more to her ranged attacks. But damned if Xenovia could figure out what.

"Are you ready to give up?" Rias called to her opponent, her body enveloped in an aura of red power.

"Or do we get to play with you some more?" Akeno added while licking the sparks on the tips of her fingers.

Xenovia smirked assuredly. As confident as they appeared to be, it was clear her holy attacks were getting to them. Slowly but surely she was wearing the two down, and the Holy Swordswoman wasn't about to fall for a bluff.

She just had to hold out long enough to get in close and achieve a direct hit with her blade. The two Devils had done well in keeping her at a distance, but it wouldn't be long before she could bridge the gap. Xenovia gripped her sword in both hands before swinging the massive blade in a horizontal slash. A beam of energy cut through the air which Akeno and Rias both deflected with a barrier they erected together. The blast that followed sent tremors that shook the ground around them once more, knocking Asia off her feet. The Holy Swordswoman launched herself into the air, pulled her SMG from the holster on the small of her back and fired directly on Rias. Akeno quickly darted in front of her President and erected another barrier, deflecting each round albeit falling to a knee from the extra magic spent blocking holy ammunition.

Sensing an opening, Xenovia swung her sword out in front of her and began flipping end over end in the middle of the air as she sailed back down to Earth. Upon making contact with the ground, her blade smashed into the road, sending a vertical wave of blue energy toward the two Devils that tore up the ground beneath it.

Acting fast, Rias and Akeno clasped one of their hands with the other while holding their free hand out towards the incoming attack. A pentagram shaped barrier erected in front of them composed of yellow and red energy. When the two opposing forces collided, the resulting blast sent Akeno and Rias sailing backwards before landing hard on the asphalt.

"Rias, Akeno!" Asia called out in worry.

"You're powerful, I'll admit." Xenovia calmly stood up and raised her sword. "But compared to the divine blessing bestowed upon my blade. No power on Earth can help you. Your fates were sealed the moment you challenged me."

"Don't flatter yourself just yet, Holy Woman." Rias slowly stood up, doing her best not to show how winded she felt. "There are powers on this Earth that can defy even the will of God."

"For instance." Akeno added, standing up as well. "A Sacred Gear capable of healing Devils. Asia, would you be a dear?"

"Right!" Asia channeled a ball of green energy into the palms of her hands. She'd been working on this new spell for quite some time and was finally ready to put it to use.

She aimed the ball of light at both Rias and Akeno before casting it from her palms. Her newest spell, Twilight Radiance, dispersed upon reaching its target, as waves of energy surged through both her compatriots. Power exploded from both of them as their bodies and magical reserves were completely restored.

Xenovia went wide eyed. "That's...that's Twilight Healing!" She stared at the blonde haired girl behind her opponents in a state of shock, who backed away at her gaze. "But then that would make you…"

"The former Holy Sister of your Order, Asia Argento." Rias declared pridefully. "She's my Bishop now. And her Twilight Healing abilities belong to me."

"But that's impossible!" Xenovia replied angrily. "The Church assured me that woman was dead!"

"You heard wrong." Akeno taunted. "We managed to reincarnate Asia after rescuing her from the Fallen Angels."

In that moment, anger gripped Xenovia. It took a lot to get under her skin, but seeing the former Sister of the Order Asia Argento alive and well seemed to be enough to make her entire body quiver in rage.

It was then that Asia recognized her. Specifically, it was the angry, hateful look on her face she recognized.

"You're the one." Asia declared, her eyes going wide with shock. She clasped a hand to her mouth as her knees gave out. "You're the one the Church sent to kill me."

Rias was taken aback by that last statement. "She...she what?"

"After I made my escape." Asia explained. "They sent a Holy Sword User after me. I recognize those eyes, it was this woman!" She pointed at her frantically. "She held a gun to my head and told me to say my last prayer! If Raynare hadn't intervened with her Fallen Angels I'd be dead right now!"

Rias glared wickedly back at the Holy Sword User. "Is that true?"

Xenovia sneered at Rias. "That girl represents one of my biggest failures. I let a murderer go free, while the Fallen Angels got their hands on Twilight Healing." She cast a sharp, hateful gaze at Asia, who trembled in fear. "To see you still breathing, still healing Devils, is a bigger slap in the face than any insult you could possibly make about my Lord." She gripped her sword tightly. "I swear to you, before this is done, I will correct my mistake one way or the other."

Asia backed away, terror in her eyes.

"You put a gun to her head…" Rias seethed, a dark aura beginning to envelope her. "...and now you threaten her life in my presence?!"

"Careful Rias." Akeno spoke nervously. "Remember the Rating Game. You need to keep your Mother's Blood in check."

"Don't worry." Rias responded through clenched teeth. "I won't lose control. But I need this anger. I need it to fuel me for when I destroy this woman."

Akeno frowned but nodded in understanding.

"Because no one threatens the life of someone I love and gets away with it!"

* * *

The sound of Peacemakers cracking off in the dark barren building echoed down the halls as two former allies turned enemies did battle. The moment Irina pulled the trigger on her revolver the war had started. Jon erected a barrier and returned fire with his Devil's Colt, which Irina dodged nimbly out of the way of using her Holy Power. Since then, they'd been taking shots at each other. Ducking behind the cover of walls and moving from room to room as Irina gave chase to her quarry.

"I know this is probably a bad time." Jon called out to her from behind a wall, his revolver next to his head. "But you've really grown up. And I don't just mean you've gotten better with that Single Action." He chuckled before popping out of cover and firing on her position. She quickly returned fire while he ducked back behind the wall. "If your plan was to distract me with that skimpy battlesuit of yours, I can assure you it's working."

"I know what you're trying to do, Jon." She called back from behind the pillar she was using for cover. She used the pause to reload her weapon as she spoke. "It's not gonna work. No amount of your old jokes are going to distract me from the abomination you've become."

"Abomination?" He laughed heartily. "That seems a bit harsh."

They both rolled out of cover and opened fire again. Irina dodged all six of Jon's shots before aiming her gun to retaliate. Only for him to twirl the gun on his finger and fire off six more rounds. Taken by surprise she quickly dashed back into cover, getting nailed in the shoulder in the process. Somehow he had figured out a way to use magic in place of standard ammunition. Irina winced in pain as she checked the damage only to find her armor had absorbed the entirety of the round. It hurt like a bitch but didn't seem to do any real damage.

"I mean, I get that you're pissed and all. But come on. I thought you'd at least be a little happy to see me."

"Shut up and fight, Devil!" Irina shouted back angrily before popping out of cover again and firing.

Jon quickly ducked behind a wall while erecting a barrier to deflect her shots. Slowly but surely closing the gap between them.

"Come on, Irina." Jon replied sincerely. "Let's not do this. If you'll just give me a chance to explain-"

"There's nothing to explain!" She shouted back before moving to another piece of cover. "You betrayed our Order! Killed our comrades! I watched you gun my friends down!"

They exchanged fire again before moving to new positions.

"I was defending myself!" He insisted. "Father Belmont and the other Priests turned on me. They wanted the Sacred Gear I possess."

"Liar!" Irina shot back before ducking out of cover and firing again. "You wanted to keep the Sacred Gear for yourself! Rather than share it with the Church. That's why you killed them!"

"Is that what the Vatican told you?" He responded angrily. "Christ, I was afraid of this. They really have brainwashed you, haven't they?"

"You're the one who's brainwashed!" She quickly reloaded her weapon. "Just because you've lost sight of your faith and your purpose doesn't mean I have!"

She popped back out of cover and aimed only to find that her target wasn't there. The next thing she knew, a barrel was pressed against her head followed by the sound of a hammer cocking back. Irina swore under her breath. She didn't even hear him approach.

"Come on now." He spoke in a gentle tone. "You know I've got ya, give it up."

She slowly raised her hands in the air and dropped her revolver. Jon quickly kicked it away while keeping the barrel of his revolver trained on his former protege.

"Well what are you waiting for?" She replied, shutting her eyes tight. "Finish it."

"It's already over." He insisted. "And I sure as hell ain't killing you."

"So what, you're going to torture me then?" She asked, her voice bitter. "Is it information you want? Or am I to be your newest sex slave? Either way, I'll die before I let you lay your filthy hands on me, Monster."

He gave her a disbelieving look. "I know you can't see the face I'm making at you right now but I'm genuinely disgusted. Do you really think that low of me?"

"How else should I feel?" Her body began to quiver in pent up rage. "After what you did…have you already forgotten, Jon?"

He remained silent.

"I was the one who found you!" She cried, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Me, Ryan, Becky, and Dani. We were all there when you...when you…" She held back her emotions, taking a deep breath to steady herself.

"I'll never forget that night. Not for as long as I live..."

* * *

Becky wandered the Monastery looking for Jon while dragging Irina reluctantly along. After hearing from a group of Nuns that he was last seen entering the Church, Becky guided her nervous friend, practically having to push her the whole way.

"Come on, girl. You can do this." Becky assured while pushing her forward.

"I...I really don't think I can." Irina was practically hyperventilating at this point. "We should just turn back."

"You've taken on ghouls before." She struggled against Irina's concrete legs. "This is nothing."

Irina continued to remain stiff as a statue. "I'll take the ghoul over this any day of the week."

Becky stopped and turned her around. "You've gotta stop getting in your own head. Practice on me."

"Practice on you?"

She nodded excitedly. "Come on, it'll be fun. Just pretend I'm Jon and tell me how you feel."

"I don't know." Irina sighed nervously. "You really think that'll work?"

"Won't know unless you try."

Finally, she took a deep breath and stood up straight and resolute. "Okay. Let's do it."

Becky broadened her shoulders and plastered on the best shit eating grin she could muster. "Hey there, Irina. How yall doin this fine moonlit evenin." She said in an absolutely absurd parody of his Southern Accent.

Irina gave her a perturbed frown. "Look, if you want me to do this, you've got to take it seriously."

She giggled at her own impression before nodding her head. "Sorry, sorry. I couldn't resist."

"Okay…" Irina prepared herself. "...hi Jon. I just happened to be walking by when I noticed you there, and I was just wondering if I could-"

"Uh uh." Becky cut her off. "Don't open with something like that, you'll just start rambling."

She groaned in depressed frustration. "I'm not cut out for this Becky."

"I'm telling you, you've got this." Becky took Irina's hands in hers. "Just look him straight in the eye and...say it."

She gulped as sweat began to form on her brow. Even just saying it to Becky was making her a nervous wreck.

"Jon…" She cleared her throat. "...the truth is. I…"

Becky nodded encouragingly. "There you go, you've got it."

"...I...I love-"

"Irina, Becky! There you are!"

Two figures came running up to them out of breath and panic in their eyes.

"Ryan? Dani?" Becky peered at the two Hunters worriedly. "What's going on?"

"Something happened." Ryan huffed in between breaths. "Jon killed Father Belmont and the other members of the clergy."

"What?!" Irina's eyes bulged in terror. "Why the hell would you say that?! That's not funny, Ryan!"

"It's not a joke!" Dani insisted vehemently. "One of the Sisters saw Jon come bolting out of the Church like a mad man. When she went inside to inspect what was going on she found their bodies. He spilled Church blood on Holy Ground. The Monastery is no longer sanctified, our Holy protection is gone!"

"Dear God…" Becky placed a hand against her chest in abject horror.

Irina, meanwhile, was reeling from this revelation. Her mind couldn't accept the information that was being presented to her. So for now, her primary concern was to just get answers from the man himself.

"We need to find Jon!" She insisted.

The four of them darted off towards Jon's room. As they rounded the corner towards the men's Dorm, the sound of gunfire could be heard along with the sight of muzzle flashes. Irina felt her stomach lurch. She couldn't believe it, she wouldn't believe it until she saw it with her own two eyes.

From the stairwell of the second floor, a familiar figure burst through the side door and peered down at the grounds below. His breath was ragged, his eyes were wild, and he was covered in blood.

Irina's world came crashing down around her head. It was Jon, soaked in the blood of his comrades.

"It...it can't be." Becky shook her head in denial of what she was seeing.

Jon silently stared down at them. From below, three Hunters armed with semi-automatics slowly made their way up the stairwell in a Swat formation. Heaven's Revolver pulled a Heckler & Koch p30l from his jacket, his weapon of choice for human targets, before turning around and firing on the unsuspecting Hunters. Nailing the first in the head, before grabbing the gun of the second one, shooting him in the gut then the third in the leg. He then popped both remaining hunters in the head, all within the span of about five to six second.

"You damn traitor!" Ryan bellowed in rage before pulling out his semi-automatic and firing on Jon's position.

The rogue Hunter leapt from the stairwell and darted down the outside corridor heading for the exit.

"Quick! Let's cut him off at the front gate!" Dani called.

They bolted for the main entrance while the sound of Jon's Heckler punctuated the night sky. The man must have been slaughtering everyone in his path by the sounds they were hearing. The chaos, shouting, and gunfire served to only stoke the fire in their legs and make them run faster. Irina needed answers, she needed to know why he was doing this.

As they reached the front entrance they pulled their sidearms and braced by the central fountain. Another squad of Hunters was slowly making their way towards a far corner where the gunfire had originated from.

"So what's the plan?" Becky whispered.

"We wait." Dani insisted. "Let the older Hunters try to take him down before we make our move."

The sound of a Heckler caught their attention, followed by the pained wails of a hunter falling to the ground as a round went through his leg. He was then quickly silenced by a round to the head. A second Hunter turned and shined his flashlight in time to watch as his brains were splattered out the back of his skull by another round. Jon used the shadows to his fullest advantage, constantly moving, constantly changing position, eyes seemingly on the back of his head.

He then sprinted down another corridor and took cover behind a column to reload his weapon. A hunter appeared from around the corner but didn't see him in time to stop Jon from grabbing his gun arm, snapping it to disarm him, before flipping his victims body over his shoulder and putting a round into his head. Another Hunter appeared from directly behind him which Jon quickly snapped around and blasted in the head as well.

He then sprinted for the front gate. Ryan, Dani, Becky, and Irina waited for him to get to the gate to enter the passcode before popping out of cover and aiming their weapons at his back.

"Drop it!" Ryan shouted.

Jon cursed loudly before raising his hands in the air.

"Jon, listen to him." Dani insisted, his gun shaking in his hand. "Drop the weapon."

He finally did as instructed and dropped the firearm before slowly turning around with his hands raised and looking at them. He was out of breath and panicked. His eyes scanning over the four targets in front of him.

"Becky, take him into custody." Dani ordered.

"Right." She nodded before slowly approaching him with her weapon trained.

As she approached, Jon stared into Irina's tear stained eyes. Slowly, she lowered her gun as he mouthed the words 'I'm sorry' at her.

His revolver appeared from out of his jacket faster than Becky could pull the trigger. He placed a round straight through her sternum before grabbing her lifeless body and using it for cover as Ryan and Dani opened fire on him. Their rounds hit Becky's corpse square in the back before two more deafening blasts of Jon's revolver marked the end of the fight.

The world went dead quiet around Irina as she felt the blood of her friends splatter her in the face. Jon dropped Becky's lifeless body on the floor, turned, quickly punched in the code for the gate, and took off into the dead of night.

Irina fell to her knees as her whole body went numb. From behind her, fellow Hunters armed with rifles, shotguns, and flashlights blew straight past the shell shocked girl. Who could only watch as the man she was about to confess to slowly faded off into the distance.

* * *

A deathly silence filled the halls of the derelict building as the dark memory replayed in Irina's mind. Jon said nothing, his eyes cast away from the back of her head while maintaining a grip on his revolver.

"The Hunters who chased after you never made it back." She finished, pain in her voice. "By the time the fighting was over, I was the only one left aside from the Sisters. You killed everyone Jon. Everyone except me...why?"

"They didn't give me a choice." Jon finally spoke guiltily. "I begged the ones who first found me to let me explain, but the moment they went for their guns, I had to act."

"But why me?" Her bottom lip quivered as tears began to roll down her cheeks. "Why did you let me live? I could have put a round in your back that night, stopped all my comrades from dying, but you let me live with that shame. Why?!"

"You know why." Jon insisted. "Irina, I could never kill you. You're like family to-"

"Don't you dare say it!" She shouted in rage. "You don't get to call me that! Not after what you put me through!"

He remained silent. There was nothing he could say that was ever going to make this better. Her mind was made up. Jon was an enemy now.

"I'm not asking you to forgive me." He finally said, pain in his voice. "But I can't let you kill me, either. I have a new family now, new responsibilities. I won't let the Church take away my home a second time."

"It's not the Church you have to worry about Jon." She seethed as an aura of power began to envelope her being. "It's me!"

Before he could react Irina spun around, grabbed his wrist and leapt into the air. Latching onto his arm with her thighs and knocking him to the ground in a full arm bar. The gun dropped from his hand as she sunk in and tried to hyperextend the joint. Jon quickly retaliated by summoning a ball of fire to his hand and blasting it in her face. Not enough to burn her, but enough to scorch her eyebrows and stun her long enough to let go. He capitalized and assumed the dominant position. The two struggled on the ground as he desperately tried to pin her down.

"Just listen for a second!" Jon insisted as he tried to pin her wrists back. "That ritual Father Belmont wanted to perform would have killed me! I was only defending myself from-"

She brought a swift, powerful kick up into his groin that he was in no way prepared for. The breath left Jon's lungs as pain wracked his body, followed by a swift boot to the sternum that sent him flying through a glass window into another room. Irina combat rolled over to her revolver before diving through the broken window and firing down on Jon in midair. During this time he had successfully summoned both his gauntlets to his arms and crossed them in an X in front of him, forming a barrier. Irina landed on her feet and turned only to be struck in the gut with one of the metal gauntlets. She was sent flying backward, losing the revolver in the process.

"Okay, so I admit you did a number on me there." He shot her a slick grin while assuming a combat stance. "Unfortunately for you, that's not the first kick in the balls I've had since becoming a Devil. I've built up a bit of a tolerance."

"I won't listen to your lies anymore, Jon!" Irina insisted before pulling Excalibur Mimic from her belt and cracking the whip of light beside her.

The two combatants circled each other for a moment before Irina charged, whipping the stream of light out in front of her and wrapping it around Jon's right gauntlet. She pulled back as hard as she could but found it to be quite sturdy. The metal armor wouldn't give.

"What?!" She shouted in disbelief.

Jon proceeded to pull her in closer by wrapping the whip of light around his gauntlets as she struggled to break free.

"You may as well give it up, Irina." He insisted. "I know every strategy you have in your arsenal. You can't possibly hope to beat me."

She growled at him in rage as her weapon suddenly morphed. The rope of light disappeared from his gauntlets as she charged in with her katana. Irina began slashing and hacking at him like a woman possessed as Jon brought up one barrier after the other to parry and deflect each strike.

"I've not lost my pride, Jon!" She bellowed before dashing backwards, darting to the side and striking again. "I'm still a Hunter! And you are my prey!"

And yet despite her best efforts. Jon was no longer even bringing his arms up to defend himself. He had boosted his power to a point well beyond anything she could possibly hope to match.

"Sorry." He apologized sincerely. "But I'm afraid that's simply not true. You see…"

He blasted her with a wall of green light as she was about to charge him again. Irina was sent flying backwards, dislodging her Katana from her hand, before landing roughly on the ground. As she righted herself back up he slowly approached her.

"...Dragons are not prey." He finished.

She stared up at him in wide eyed terror. How was he this strong? No Devil on Earth could possibly hope to stand up to a Holy Sword for as long as he had. Where was all this power coming from? How had they not anticipated this?

"What the Hell are you?!" She shouted in frustration. "What have you become, Jon?!"

He shook his head. "This is what I was from the very beginning, Irina. What you're seeing is the real me."

"NO!" She screamed in denial before flash stepping over to her revolver and aiming.

The sound of a Holy Gun cracking off brought the fight to an end. The revolver in Irina's hand flew away before clattering down to the floor. She stared in utter shock, her skin turning white as a sheet at the sight of John's Smith and Wesson which he firmly gripped in his left hand.

"But...but how?" She slowly quivered as her mind reeled on itself. "How are you still able to hold that gun? Devil's can't touch Holy Weapons! They just can't!"

"I just told you." Jon calmly insisted, the grip on his weapon remaining firm. "This is what I really am, Irina. Not a Devil, not a Human, but something else entirely. The laws of the three factions do not apply to me. Nor does the will of your God."

"No…" She shook her head vehemently in denial before collapsing to her knees. "...that Revolver. You can't still...it's just…"

Seeing him holding his old gun again, that look of fire in his eyes, the power in his voice.

"You look just like him." Her voice came out as a choked whisper. "You look just like the old Jon I used to know."

As the memories came flooding back. The training, the Hunts, the small moments they spent alone together, she stared up into his piercing gaze.

And in that moment, her heart answered a question.

The strength completely left her body as the will to fight evaporated. All the pain, the hurt, and the emotion she had tried so hard to keep buried for all these years came spilling out through her eyes and in her voice.

"Why did you leave?" She asked weakly as tears streamed down her face. "You were the only family I had left, and you just left me there without so much as a goodbye." Her voice caught in her throat as the real source of all her bitter resentment and anger came to bare.

He slowly lowered his gun before walking over to her and kneeling down. "Irina…"

"You abandoned me!" She cried before breaking down entirely.

Jon wrapped her up in his arms and brought her close to his chest. Tears began to form in his eyes as he held Irina close. Now at last, she was with him again.

"I'm so sorry." His voice cracked as his own emotion welled up to the surface. Jon took a moment to steady his breathing and force the tears back before continuing. "I'll never forgive myself for doing that to you. Never."

"You could have taken me with you!" She bawled at him, her arms banging against his chest as she took out all her anger and frustration on him. "You could have told me what happened! But you just left!"

"I've missed you more than words can describe." Jon smiled despite her repeatedly beating on his chest. He had earned this, after all. And better she take her anger out on him with her fists than with the barrel of a gun.

What little strength she had left was gone. Irina's arms fell to her side as she allowed herself to be held by Jon and silently wept.

"What a touching display. Honestly, it makes me want to fucking puke!"

They both turned sharply to see a figure with white hair dressed in Priest's Robes standing near them.

"I mean honestly, you had the opportunity to strip her down and bang her right then and there and you wasted it." He cackled maniacally.

"Freed Sellzen." Jon growled, his nostrils flaring black smoke. He slowly let Irina go and stood up. "It's been awhile."

"Oooo, look at the big bad Dragon, all grown up and huffing smoke at me." Another psychotic cackle left his lungs. "Give me a fucking break! You're not hot shit just because you grew a couple of scales, Douchebag!"

He cocked a sly grin at him. "Last I checked our fight record is one to one. I've been meaning to correct that mistake and end this silly tie breaker with you."

"You don't really consider that pitiful performance of yours at the Church a win do you?!" Freed snarled at him before drawing his Excalibur Rapidly. "In a one versus one I would have wiped the floor with you!"

Jon cracked his neck and popped a smoke in his mouth before lighting it. "I'm here right now, ain't I? So go ahead." His eyes began to glow, not like that of a Devil, but that of a Dragon. "But I can assure you, Freed. The opponent you're facing now is nothing like that man you first fought."

"Hope you have the skill to back up that tough talk of yours this time." Freed sneered at him. "I'd be pissed if you blue balled me again."

Jon's revolvers appeared in his hands. Devil's Colt on his right, and Heaven's Revolver on his left. Two opposing forces brought together in the hands of one Master Gunslinger. Irina had never seen anything like this in her life.

"I've heard through the grapevine that that sword of yours is supposed to make you pretty fast." He took a long drag from his smoke before flaring it out his nostrils again. "But I reckon I can make you dance even faster."

Freed charged him with a psychotic laugh, causing Jon to open fire with Devil's colt. Freed seemingly vanished from sight before appearing ninety degrees to his left and charging again. Without even looking, Jon fired Heaven's Revolver straight at him, catching the Stray Hunter off guard and forcing him to deflect the shot with his sword, as well as the one following it. He darted ninety degrees to the left again and charged Jon from behind, who raised his guns over his shoulders and opened fire without turning around.

"Damn you!" Freed bellowed as he deflected each round. "How are you able to keep up with me?!"

Irina was wondering that as well. She was having a hard time just tracking Freed's movements let alone following them. How was Jon doing it? There was no way he could be faster than Excalibur Rapidly.

Freed launched into the air and landed back in front of him. It was then he noticed something that made his skin turn pale.

"W...what the fuck?"

Irina peered at him curiously before turning and looking at Jon. A small gasp escaped her lips as she realized what it was Freed was looking at.

Jon's eyes were closed.

"I don't need to be able to see your movements to know where you're going, Freed." Jon calmly explained, his eyes firmly shut, his smoke still securely in his mouth. "I possess the senses of a Dragon. Sound, smell, aura, choose your pick, I can track you down with any one of them and predict your pattern of movement before you've even made it."

Freed shouted in psychotic rage. "Just die already!"

He continued to keep the Stray Hunter at a distance with nothing but his two Revolvers. Jon would twirl the weapons on his fingers while firing, simultaneously reloading and firing in multiple directions without even looking. Hitting his target with precision accuracy every single time. His heightened senses offering him three hundred and sixty degrees of vision. It was one of the most impressive and inhuman displays of gunslinging Irina had ever seen in her life.

Jon had been holding back. She was glaringly aware of it now. During their whole fight, Jon was holding himself back from her. All so that she wouldn't be hurt. Even after all this time, Irina realized he was still protecting her. She'd never forgive him for this. Irina would never forgive Jon for making her feel this way for him again.

"Weren't you listening?" Jon calmly remarked. "I told you to dance, Freed!"

He began spinning the revolvers on his fingers and firing in rapid succession. The rounds of Holyfire and Hellfire flew from his weapons like machine gun rounds as Freed desperately tried to deflect and dodge each one.

"Fuck fuck fuck! Ow! Fucking fuck!" The Psychotic priest swore loudly with each deflection as the rounds grazed his skin and cut through his robes.

Jon's revolvers came to a dead stop above his head, both barrels glowing red hot and smoking. Freed collapsed to a knee, exhausted and clearly running low on magical energy. He wasn't used to having to exert himself like this.

"I warned ya, didn't I?" He spat the smoke from his mouth and stubbed it out on the ground.

A gleam caught Freed's eye. To his right, Excalibur Mimic laid on the ground like a tantalizing prize waiting to be nabbed up. He quickly dashed to it with his inhuman speed and reached out with his free hand to nab it up. Even if he couldn't beat Jon, he would still take a consolation prize.

At that moment, a yellow blur darted in front of him and clashed his sword with Freed's.

"Kiba?!" Jon shouted in surprise. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

As Kiba's Holy Eraser clashed with Freed's Excalibur Rapidly he fought like a man possessed. "Destroy it, Jon!"

"What?" Jon gave him a confused look before glancing over at the Excalibur Mimic at Kiba's feet.

"Destroy the sword!" He insisted as he continued to clash with Freed. "Now's your chance!"

As many questions as Kiba's presence raised, he had an interesting point. The sword was within his grasp, he could theoretically rob the Vatican of one of their greatest weapons. And his Peerage would be safer with one less of those things in the world.

Jon looked back into Irina's eyes. He knew exactly what he had to do. As Kiba slowly pushed Freed back, he ran over to Excalibur Mimic and kicked it straight back to Irina.

"What are you doing?!" Kiba shouted hysterically moments before being knocked back by Freed's blade and sent flying into the concrete wall.

Irina took the blade and peered up at Jon curiously.

"What say we finish this joker off together?" He smiled at her. "Just like old times."

Her heart fluttered and her eyes welled up again. Just like old times...fighting together side by side with her Mentor once more. There was nothing on Earth she wanted more than a chance to do that again.

"O...okay." She smiled at him before readying her weapon, determination returning to her eyes. "We'll take him down together."

Freed peered at the two pissed off opponents he was facing off against. The situation was rapidly getting out of hand. As much as he hated to admit it, he was in trouble.

"I knew it!"

Jon, Irina, and Freed all turned their heads to see Kiba glaring at Jon in rage. He was livid.

"I knew you'd do this! You had an opportunity to destroy one of the greatest weapons the Church has in their arsenal and you blew it! All so you could side with the enemy!"

"Irina is not my enemy!" Jon barked back at him. "Rias trusted me to handle this! You're the one who was supposed to-"

It was then he realized something. A horrifying thought occurred to Jon as he argued with Kiba. If the Knight was here...

"Where is Koneko and Hati?" Jon asked, his voice taking on a grave severeness to it.

Kiba turned pale. "I...I left them back with the Stray Devil." He replied, realizing much to his dismay what he had just done. "But...but I had to make sure you didn't-"

"You left Koneko...and my Familiar...to face that thing alone?!" He bellowed as a familiar fire began to well up in him.

"We had a chance to destroy the Holy Swords!" Kiba shouted back at him angrily, having clearly become unhinged. "We need to destroy them! I need to destroy them!"

The ground around Jon began to tremble as loose stones floated up from the floor. Koneko and Hati were now in grave danger if they weren't dead already and it was entirely Kiba's fault. He needed to fix this mess and he needed to do it now.

As his rage boiled over, Jon's teeth grew into razor sharp points. He reared back his head and roared. Bellowing hellfire into the ceiling above. His revolvers disappeared, replaced with his gauntlets and two metal boots on both his feet. The Dragon's mark covered his face and he sprouted two horns from his forehead. Finally, two massive Dragon's wings sprouted from his back.

"Welp...it's time for me to go." Freed declared before bolting for the exit at lightning quick speeds.

Irina barely noticed. She was too busy marveling at the being in front of her. This creature, this...Dragon...this was what Jon really was?

Sensing an opportunity, Kiba readied his sword and charged at Irina. He didn't make it far, as Jon rocketed in front of him and struck the obsessive Knight in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and rendering him unconscious. He then hoisted the catatonic Kiba on his shoulder and cast two Dragon's Eyes back at his Pupil.

"I have to go." He spoke in a powerful, booming voice. "But I swear to you, Irina. I'll find you again. I promise."

With that, Jon rocketed away. Leaving Irina completely alone in the room. She dropped the sword in her hands and collapsed onto her knees. Too tired to move. Too tired to think.

She'd been wrong. She had been so completely wrong about everything.

* * *

Koneko and Hati were hanging on by a thread. The fact that either one of them was still standing came down to pure determination and grit. Most of Koneko's clothes had been completely dissolved away and multiple burns marked her body. Her legs felt like jelly and her vision was blurring. Yet still she remained standing.

But it wouldn't be for long. The Stray Queen was circling them both like a hungry lioness about to pounce on her dinner. Any moment now and they would be done for. Koneko raised her fists, her breath ragged as she braced herself for the worst.

She closed her eyes as the Stray leapt on to her. Before making contact, however, the creature was harmlessly knocked away by a firey red gauntlet and sent careening into the far wall. Koneko slowly opened her eyes to see a figure standing in front of her, his Dragon's Wings beating angry gusts of wind along the floor.

"Get away from her, you Bitch!" He roared at the Stray Devil.

"Jon…" Koneko dropped to a knee and clutched at her wounded arm.

The Dragon turned and frowned at her, before kneeling down and taking her cheek in one of his gauntlets. "Look at you. I'm so sorry I wasn't there to stop this sooner Koneko."

Her heart fluttered in her chest and her cheeks turned rosey. "Wh...where's Kiba?" She asked nervously.

His expression turned sour. "Don't worry about him right now, I'm more concerned with you."

Jon felt a cold wet nose nuzzle him in the back, he turned around to see Hati panting at him happily. Though clearly wounded, the Great Warg still stood his ground.

"Thank you for keeping her safe." He spoke gratefully. "Return and lick your wounds. You've earned yourself a proper rest, my friend."

Hati bowed his head in understanding before vanishing in a bright ball of moonlight. Jon then focused all of his attention on the slowly recovering Stray. As he walked towards the downed creature she reared back and snarled threateningly.

"I'm gonna make you regret ever laying a finger on her." He spoke in a cold, severe tone.

The Stray felt palpable fear grip her body as she turned around and shot a stream of acid at him in a desperate bid to fend her attacker off. The green liquid struck the shield around Jon harmlessly. Doing no structural damage whatsoever. The Stray then darted away, only for Jon to ignite the rockets in his boots and catch her by one of her remaining legs. He spun his prey around in a circle before flinging the creature into a far wall. Jon then reared back and unleashed his Dragon's Roar attack, blasting the Stray and engulfing her in a stream of Hellfire. The creature shrieked in agony before burning into a crumbling heap on the floor.

He smirked, knowing full well the Stray wasn't truly dead. Sure enough, a few moments later the top half of her emerged from the burning abdomen, large claws growing on her hands, and wings bursting from her back. Finally, a single massive horn grew on the Stray's forehead as it took to the sky. The Stray shrieked in unbridled anger as her power doubled with this sudden change in form.

"Koneko, you just stay put for a moment." Jon calmly requested. "This won't take long."

* * *

The battle raging outside was slowly starting to get out of hand. Both parties were trying to keep the collateral damage to a minimum, but it was clear to everyone involved that as the fight progressed they were all out for blood. Xenovia would not leave without rectifying her mistake, and as for Rias...well, the more her opponent resisted the angrier she got, and the more she found herself tapping into her Mother's Blood.

It was a powder keg situation to be sure, and if something didn't change, both sides were liable to not only draw attention from the city, but outright destroy it.

Xenovia deflected another of Rias's barrages of Destruction magic before returning fire with her SMG. Akeno darted in front of Rias again and erected a barrier, defending her from the bullets before retaliating with Chain Lightning. The Holy Swordswoman erected a Barrier of her own to defend, sending lightning scattering in all directions and knocking out the local power grid.

"This is your final warning!" Rias barked at Xenovia, her eyes slowly taking on that same dark hue they had at the Rating Game. "Leave now or I will turn you into ash!"

Xenovia gritted her teeth and held firm. At that moment, a red light caught her eye off in the distance. It was Irina's signal flare. The marker indicating her mission was complete. With a satisfied smirk, she slowly lowered her weapon.

"And so my task is complete." She declared. "All I had to do was get you worked up enough to keep the both of you here while my partner finished killing Jonathan Hyodo." She pointed off in the distance. "That signal flare marks the end of her assignment. The Devil's Colt is no more."

"No!" Asia shrieked in horror.

"Relax, Love." Rias assured, an angry scowl on her face. "Jon is fine. Don't you feel that enormous power back in the building?"

Asia reached out with her senses and her body visibly slumped in relief. "Oh thank goodness. He's alive."

Akeno nodded approvingly. "Of course he is. And by the feel of things, Jon's more pissed than actually hurt."

Xenovia glared at them all in confusion before reaching out with her Psionic presence. What she felt nearly made the woman collapse to a knee. This...fire...this constantly burning fire. It was as if the very flames of Hell itself had found their way into a single man.

"What...what in God's name is this?" She wondered aloud. "Where is that power coming from?"

"You really thought that the two of you could take down my entire Peerage, and kill my Pawn?" Rias laughed before shaking her head. "We know all about your partner and her past with Jon. Which is why I had him temporarily suspended from club activity."

Akeno nodded in agreement. "We were worried about him. But not that he would die.'

"We just didn't want him to have to kill a dear friend of his." Asia added.

Xenovia felt her stomach lurch. They'd been played for fools.

"I wasn't protecting Jon from you." Rias assured, her hands on her hips. "I was protecting you from him!"

At that moment two figures burst from the roof of the building. One of them was leaving a trail of fire behind him as rockets burst from his feet. While the other one was desperately trying to get away, her fly like wings beating rapidly as she zoomed up towards the sky.

"That's...that's Jonathan Hyodo?" Xenovia gazed up in disbelief.

Rias nodded. "What you are seeing is the reincarnated form of the Red Dragon Emperor."

"The Wild Flame lives?!" Xenovia shouted in horror. "The beast who melted the Pearly Gates and burned a scar through the Seven Realms of Heaven?!"

Akeno nodded pridefully. "We are the Red Dragon Emperor's Treasures. Mess with any of us, and you bring his wrath down upon not only yourself, but upon the entirety of your Order." She then added with a slick grin. "Still think threatening our Bishop is a good idea?"

This changed everything. The situation had just taken a very dire turn indeed, and Xenovia knew that she could no longer continue this fight. These Devils belonged to Ddraig. The beast whose name even Archangel Michael spoke in a hushed tone.

From above, the Stray Devil turned and shot a volley of poisoned barbs at her pursuer from the tip of her horn. Rather than shield himself from them, however, Jon instead elected to hurl a massive wall of fire at her that completely incinerated the barbs before scorching her as well. As the Stray fell Jon grabbed her by the throat, brought her over his head and then slammed her back down on his knee. Completely snapping her spine in half.

He then proceeded to hurl her body back up into the air before aiming his left gauntlet and producing a small orb of red light. Jon unleashed a devastating Dragon's Shot, launching a massive beam of red energy at his target. The Stray shrieked out its final death rattle before burning away into nothing.

Xenovia shielded herself from the blinding light of power until the attack was finished. When she reopened her eyes she stared up at the beast towering over them. In that moment, it was as if she were seeing the Soul of the Earth itself bellowing in rage.

Jon reared back his head and roared, his Hellfire lighting up the night sky.


	10. Chapter 10

Jon slowly descended back down into the building after having successfully defeated the Stray Devil. The gauntlets on his hands disappeared, as well as the metal boots on his feet. The horns receded back into his head and the mark back onto his hand. Finally his wings disappeared. Now back to normal, Jon quickly rushed over to Koneko to check on her. She was injured, but none of the wounds appeared to be life threatening.

"How are you holding up?" He asked worriedly.

"I've been better." She admitted while wincing in pain.

"Let's get you off the floor." As Jon reached down to pick Koneko up she suddenly squirmed away. "What's wrong?"

"My clothes…" She spoke softly, a light blush creeping over her cheeks as she tried to cover herself.

It was then Jon remembered she was practically stark naked. He coughed awkwardly and turned away. "Errr, right." He removed his jacket and used it to cover her.

"Thank you." Koneko quietly replied, her cheeks still burning.

Jon then proceeded to pick her up off the ground, cradling Koneko in his arms as he made his way outside. Her heart began to beat faster in her chest as they headed for the exit.

"Still holding up alright?" He asked sincerely.

"Y...yes." She squirmed a little but otherwise didn't protest to being carried. "I just didn't know you were so...soft."

He chuckled at her. "I guess I'll take that as a compliment."

Koneko finally seemed to relax into him. A small sigh escaped her lips as she began to drift off.

"Nyan…"

Jon quirked a brow at her. "Did you say something?"

Her body immediately went rigid and her face flared. Koneko quickly shook her head from side to side. "Nothing! It's nothing!"

He shrugged. "If you say so."

Jon carried her outside were Asia, Akeno, and Rias were all waiting patiently for him.

"You're back!" Asia rushed over to him. "Does Koneko need help?"

"Yes please." She replied weakly as Jon set her down.

Asia immediately got to work healing Koneko's injuries as well as using her other magic to repair her clothes. Meanwhile Jon went to check up on Rias and Akeno.

"What happened out here?" He asked while inspecting the damage to the surrounding area.

"We got into a slight disagreement with a Holy Sword User." Akeno commented coyly.

"Xenovia?" Jon guessed.

Rias nodded in confirmation. "Shortly after you killed the Stray Devil she took off. Popped one of those glass vial light grenades and bolted."

"What about Irina? Did you find her, Master?" Akeno asked worriedly.

He remained silent for a moment before a small smile enveloped his features.

"I did."

* * *

After Jon explained everything that went down in the building, Rias asked him what happened to Kiba. At which point he lead them to the side of the structure where they found the Knight pinned to the wall, Jon having tied him in place with a bent rebar.

"I wasn't sure what else to do so I put him here until he calmed down."

Kiba refused to even acknowledge anyone's presence. That same look of bitter resentment plastered on his face. Rias immediately walked up to him and slapped the Knight in the face.

"Think you've got it together now?" She growled at him angrily. "This is the second time you've deliberately disobeyed my orders. And what's worse, you put Koneko in serious danger."

"I'm sorry, Ms. President." He responded completely dispassionately.

"Your reckless behavior and complete disregard for the safety of your Peerage has been unacceptable." She lectured sternly. "As of this moment, you're suspended from any and all Club activities indefinitely. Until you get your head on straight, you'll be making deliveries and handing out fliers. Is that understood?"

He remained silent.

"You should be thanking her." Jon snarled at him. "It's a lot kinder than what I would have done." He got directly in the Knight's face. "What the hell has gotten into you? It's one thing to take your anger out on me, but this is your Peerage, Kiba. You're better than this."

"This has nothing to do with any of you." He responded flatly. "Just let it go. You're obviously not going to help me, so you may as well just stay out of my way."

Jon flared at him, his face turning red with anger. "I've about had it up to here with that attitude. Can't you get it through your thick skull that we're worried?"

"Worried?" Kiba chuckled at him, finally raising his head and looking Jon in the eye. "Why would you ever be worried about anything? You got your revenge. You got your life back. You won your fight, and you found love again." There was pain in his eyes. "You have no idea what it's like to lose. To fight so hard for yourself, and for those you love, to feel so right in your convictions. And yet fail all the same."

"You think I haven't suffered?" Jon asked incredulously. "Kiba, I only made it this far thanks to you and the girls. I never would have been able to manage on my own. And you can't either."

"I'm not like you, Jon." Kiba continued. "I don't care about finding love or building a life. I follow Rias because she has the money and the power to get me my revenge. The only thing I have left to live for is destroying the legacy of the Holy Swords. It's the reason I fight."

He frowned at him. Jon understood this feeling perfectly well. After all, that's exactly how he felt back before killing Carlia.

"I used to think like that too." He spoke assuringly. "I obsessed over my vengeance because I thought I had nothing left to lose. But I was completely wrong."

Rias, Akeno, and Asia all frowned at him in concern.

"I've paid for those mistakes, Kiba. I'm still paying for those mistakes. But you don't have to be like me. You can still choose to let it go."

For the longest time Kiba remained silent. Finally, he looked back at Jon, a sour expression on his face. "Is this the part where I'm supposed to be grateful? You think I haven't heard this speech before?"

Jon frowned at him angrily. "You're really going to be like this? I'm trying to help you, you stubborn Prick."

"Save your self righteous sermon for someone who wants to hear it." Kiba responded dismissively. "You're just wasting your breath at this point."

He just silently stared at him, a look of disappointment on his face. "Fine…" Jon pulled the rebar away and let him loose. Kiba then proceeded to walk away from the group without a word.

"I mean, what the hell do I know, right?!" Jon shouted at him angrily. "I'm just your friend!"

Kiba stopped dead in his tracks, turned around, and glared at him.

"I don't have friends."

The wind left his sails. Jon stared back at his Peerage Brother, shaking his head in complete disbelief.

"Kiba!" Rias scolded him like a stern mother. "You apologize to Jon right this-"

He raised a hand up to stop her. "You know what? No." Jon waved him off. "Let him go. He wants to be alone? Let him be alone." He then turned and began walking away angrily. "The fuck should I care for?"

"Jon. Jon wait!" Asia quickly ran after him worriedly.

"Master!" Akeno quickly followed suit.

"Kiba…" Rias spoke to him, her voice full of concern. "...why are you doing this? Why are you pushing us away?"

He didn't respond, instead, Kiba simply began walking in the opposite direction.

"Go be with your Dragon, Rias. We both know that's what you really want."

Rias scowled at him angrily before huffing and turning sharply in the other direction to join the other girls. Koneko continued to watch, still wrapped in Jon's jacket, as Kiba walked away from the others. Finally, with a heavy heart, she too turned and left him behind to go join the group. Leaving the Gremory Knight alone, just as he wanted it.

* * *

Irina laid back in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Completely lost in thought. Over in the next room, Xenovia was giving a full report to the Arch-Bishop regarding the catastrophic failure of Jon's assasination. Despite her Partner's assurance to the contrary, Irina couldn't help but feel like this was entirely her fault. She told herself over and over again that she wouldn't let her feelings for him interfere with her mission. And yet despite her failure, Irina wasn't terribly sad. If anything, she now felt hopeful for the future. She and Jon had reconciled their differences...or at least they sort of did. At the very least, she knew she didn't hate him anymore.

But there was still one major problem. Dragon or not, Jon was still sided with Hell's forces. He was still, as far as her order was concerned, an enemy. What was she supposed to do now, knowing that?

Sitting in her bedroom and sulking over her conflicted feelings wasn't getting her anywhere. So she decided for now the best option was to talk to Xenovia about it. Irina sat up from her bed and walked out to the main service room where her Partner was pacing back and forth, a phone up to her ear.

"I still don't get why you felt the need to keep this information from me." Xenovia spoke into the receiver, her voice sounding slightly irritated. "Not only is Asia Argento still alive, but she and Jonathan Hyodo have both aligned themselves with Hells forces, your Holiness." She tapped her foot impatiently as she listened to the Arch-Bishop drone on. "I understand the information is on a need to know basis, Sir, but nevertheless we were taken completely off guard. The Red Dragon Emperor has gained far more power than you lead us to believe. I'm not sure the two of us can…" She sighed wearily before rubbing the bridge of her nose. "...yes Sir, I understand that we're under a ceasefire. No, I haven't forgotten what our primary objective is." She crossed her free arm across her chest and scowled in annoyance. "Yes your Holiness, I understand. We'll get back on track."

She then hung up the phone and tossed it aside. "Dick…"

Irina slowly entered the room and smiled at her nervously. "Everything going okay in here?"

Xenovia slumped into one of the pews. This was the most stressed out Irina had seen her in awhile.

"Just dealing with bureaucratic nonsense. The usual."

She took a seat next to her and nodded in understanding. "So...what's our next move?"

"For now, I suppose we have to put aside our secondary objective and redouble our efforts on tracking down Freed."

Irina sighed in relief, which Xenovia immediately picked up on.

"You seem pleased by this development."

She went rigid in her seat before turning red in the face. "Wh...what?! No no! Not at all! Whatever gives you that idea?" Irina chuckled nervously.

Xenovia regarded her warily before casting her gaze away worriedly. "Can I be honest with you for a moment?"

She peered at her curiously but otherwise nodded her head. "Of course."

"I'm getting really tired of this."

"What do you mean?" Irina asked in concern.

"This." She insisted, motioning towards the barren, lifeless shell of a Church that once offered Holy Protection. "Seeing our faith crumble around us. I'm sick of our battle being a constant struggle against the tides of darkness whilst seeing no clear view of the light at the end of the tunnel."

"Are things really that bad?" Irina asked her worriedly. "I still believe in God's plan. If evil's shadow is cast longer than the light can reach, it's only a test of our faith. Is it not?"

"Of course it is." Xenovia insisted. "But...are we really so certain that this Shadow was not our doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is...the Church's influence is slowly beginning to wane. People...people just don't need us anymore. The world has moved on, and our inability to adapt to the changing social climate could threaten to undermine everything that we've worked so hard to accomplish."

"Are you saying…"

"We're losing this war, Irina." Xenovia's voice was grim. "No one wants to admit it. We go on praying for God's salvation whilst turning a blind eye to the wickedness that is slowly consuming the Earth. Today was just another reminder for me of how powerful our enemies have become." She clasped her hands together and bowed her head. "I can't help but feel that we are to blame for this. The Shepard is nothing without his flock. But we have continuously pushed our own flock away by rigidly enforcing ancient teachings that do not conform to modern society."

"You mean the Bible?" Irina asked disbelievingly. "But that is our doctrine. The words of Christ our savior put to paper."

"Perhaps…" Xenovia spoke, knowing full well she was treading on shaky ground. "...but if I can ask a candid question to you. Do you not ever find the Testament to be...slightly frustrating?"

"In what way?" Irina asked, curious as to where exactly she was going with this.

"I've read through the Holy Scriptures numerous times. In English, in Russain, in Japanese. I've deciphered versus written in Latin. I've done so much research into the meaning of Christ's words. Yet so much of what the Bible espouses seems to...contradict itself."

Irina felt her stomach churn. "This is...very close to blasphemy Xenovia. Are you feeling alright?"

"Should I be dishonest about how I feel?" She challenged. "I've studied our text more thoroughly than some members of the Clergy, and I can only speak to what it is I see. One minute it espouses that we should love and respect each other without question, the next it calls for stoning homosexuals to death. For every passage of wisdom I read in our scripture, it feels as if there is another passage almost immediately afterwards that espouses the exact opposite. It's as if our Holy Text had two different authors attempting to write the same book. With both of them having very different ideas on what exactly the Church should be."

She was trying very hard not to feel anxious about this. After all, hearing the text of her faith brought into question was always a sore spot for Irina. Especially considering she had this very same discussion with Jon many times before. And look how that turned out.

"What is it you want me to say, Xenovia? Ours is not to question, only to believe and follow the divine plan."

"But is this really God's plan?" Xenovia asked sincerely. "Is this really the future he had envisioned for mankind?"

They both sat in silence for a moment, until Xenovia breathed a melancholy sigh and spoke again.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to alarm you. My recent failures have just had me on edge as of late. I feel as though I am letting the Lord down."

"They're my failures too." She insisted. "But what we have to remember is that God made us Human. Where we are weak and ignorant he is enduring and all knowing. Whatever his plan for us, it is far grander than anything we could possibly hope to understand." Irina frowned and cast her gaze away. "I can't claim to fully understand it all either. When I lost my Father, I truly did question for awhile if God cared about me." Her frown disappeared as a small smile enveloped her features. "But then...I met Jon, and I became a Hunter. And since then, I've lived my life every day knowing in my heart that, despite all the darkness around me, so long as I keep strong to my faith, I will see the light at the end of the tunnel one day."

"And it's really that easy for you?" Xenovia asked curiously.

Irina clutched at the Silver Cross around her neck thoughtfully. "No. It isn't. I struggle with the pain of these losses every day. But if anything, I guess I just choose to keep going."

She considered Irina's words carefully for a moment before a realization came over her.

"You still have feelings for Jon, don't you?"

Irina gasped in surprise before turning her head away sharply. "No! What on Earth would give you that idea? I already told you that I-"

"You just mentioned how the two of you met a moment ago." Xenovia challenged. "You said it like it was still a blessing."

"That...that doesn't mean I-"

"Irina, you're blushing." She insisted. "There's no point in hiding it. Did you even try to defeat him?"

She shot up out of her seat angrily. "Of course I did! Xenovia, I swear to you it was not my intention to let him go free!" She sighed wearily before slumping back down in her seat. "But...now that I know Jon was never strictly speaking Human...how am I supposed to compare him to my own standards?" Her frown deepened. "Jon's a Dragon. He was always a Dragon. Though I may not approve, Dragon's have never bound themselves to the will of God. I understand that now, and have come to terms with it."

"And because you've forgiven him, now you can't kill him." Xenovia surmised.

"I'm so sorry." She insisted, shame in her eyes. "I've failed you. And I've failed the Church as well...I'm weak."

After a moment of silence, Xenovia sighed wearily. "You're no more weak than I. After all, you said it yourself. We are only Human."

Irina nodded in agreement. "That we are."

"Which brings me to my next question."

"Hmm, what's that?"

Xenovia peered at her severely for a moment.

"When I go after Jon, are you planning on standing in my way?"

Her stomach lurched and her skin turned pale. "I thought that…we were focusing on Freed for now."

"Irina." Xenovia shook her head emphatically. "We cannot choose to overlook this. Faith aside, I'm still a Holy Swordswoman, and Jon is still a traitor to our Order. I may question our doctrine from time to time, but make no mistake, I'm still loyal to my Kinsmen."

"But-"

"You can't claim to be strong in faith and yet weak in resolve." She insisted sharply, rendering Irina silent. "You espouse that we are meant to follow God's plan and yet you too seem to be clouded by doubt when it comes to Jon. You can't have it both ways."

She stood up and began walking towards her room.

"I won't fault you for not wanting to kill your old Mentor." Xenovia cautioned. "But make no mistake, if you try to stop me from doing my job, I won't hesitate to cut you down."

With that she left, leaving Irina alone to ponder on the gravity of her current situation. She was so conflicted, and so unsure. Not knowing what else to do, she bowed her head, closed her eyes, and clutched at her Mother's Cross.

Dear Lord, please...give me a sign. Show me the path I'm meant to take.

* * *

After the debacle with the Stray Devil, the members of the ORC retired back to the Honor's House for some much needed rest and recuperation. Akeno took Jon down into the Dungeon to work out his frustrations with Kiba. "All the emotions you feel right now, Master, take them out on me." She insisted. Ultimately he didn't go that far. They had a normal session of playtime, where Jon familiarized himself with more of the equipment. While it didn't relieve all of his anger, the session did give him a chance to vent, as well as connect with Akeno on a deeper level.

That night, she pulled out a new toy for them to use. After stripping her down and providing some much needed aftercare, Akeno surprised him with a platinum leash to go with her collar. "Walk me naked to your room, Master." She requested. When he asked why, she explained that she no longer felt the need for modesty about what she was. She had already asked Sona and Rias both if it was okay for her to be more public about her Submission to her Dragon, and they both agreed it was time.

Which was why, after their session of aftercare, Jon attached the leash to her collar and, as requested, lead Akeno in all her stark glory back to his room. The girls in Sona's peerage he passed by along the way all seemed to be relatively understanding, some even smiled. Something he attributed to Sona's own kinky nature. Sammy was the only one who seemed visibly shocked, though if Jon had to guess, that had more to do with the sight of Akeno's gorgeous naked body than anything else. Something he found particularly amusing.

Upon reaching his room, Jon found Asia and Rias waiting for him. Since the Holy Swords Women had been effectively dealt with, at least for the moment, they finally had time to all be together again. Though seeing Akeno naked and on a leash was a bit of a shock to Asia, the former Nun did her best not to comment, as she was trying to be more accommodating to...that sort of thing.

"So...you really like being walked around like that?" She asked curiously.

Akeno nodded happily while Jon disconnected the leash and guided her by her hair to a mat near the foot of his bed. "It makes me feel secure. Like my Master is protecting me from anything that may try to do me harm by keeping his Treasure physically connected to him."

Rias smiled at her. "Sort of like how we feel when we're cuddled up in his arms. I know it's very different from what you're used to, Asia. But to Akeno, this is just another way of expressing love and affection."

Jon guided Akeno onto the mat, upon which she knelt down on her haunches and placed her hands in her lap. He kissed her sweetly before walking over to his desk and rummaging through one of the drawers.

"I see you sitting like that all the time." Asia observed, a hint of curiosity in her voice. "Is there some meaning behind it?"

"This is the pose that represents me waiting for instructions from my Master. But it's also my time for self reflection. It's sort of like meditation." Akeno explained with her head bowed and her eyes shut. "I use it as a chance to clear my mind and let go of worldly troubles."

"Akeno's been practicing this particular form of meditation since before she became my Queen." Rias added. "She's become so adept at the technique she can even draw in magical energy with it. Meaning she never has to sleep."

"That's impressive." Asia admitted.

"It's a technique rooted in Buddhist practices." Akeno continued. "But I've added my own little twist to it."

Jon returned with a blindfold and set of noise canceling earphones. He placed the blindfold over her eyes along with the earphones before turning them on.

"Sensory deprivation." He explained. "These particular headphones cancel out all surrounding noise, no matter how loud."

"So she really can't hear a word we say?" Asia marveled.

Jon nodded in confirmation. "This is her time to be at rest with her thoughts." He explained. "If I have need of her for something, then I'll simply give her the appropriate signal."

"Well look at you, Jon." Rias beamed at him pridefully. "You've really committed yourself to becoming an excellent Dominant for her."

"I may not really understand it." Asia admitted. "But I agree with Rias. You really seem to know how to take care of her."

Jon shrugged at them. "I've been trying at least." He walked over to the bed and took a seat next to Asia while Rias sat in his desk chair. "Truth be told I really like the structure that comes with the role of Dominant. It gives me something to keep my mind occupied."

Rias frowned at him. "How have you been feeling, Jon?"

He blew a breath through pursed lips. "It seems like I solve one problem only for another one to spring up. I've made peace with Irina but…"

"But at the cost of Kiba." Asia finished, a sullen look on her face.

"I still can't fucking wrap my head around it." Jon responded angrily. "Whoever that jackass who stormed away from us is, he's not Kiba. That ain't my Peerage Brother."

"As much as I hate to say this, Jon." Rias spoke up mournfully. "I'm afraid that what you saw was the real Kiba. The calm and collected Knight that you know is a facade masking a boy with very very deep set emotional issues."

He took a breath to calm himself down and let his anger subside. "Well you know what? He's officially used up his last favor with me."

"What are you saying, Jon?" Asia asked curiously.

"I need to know what it is that happened to him." He insisted. "And since he's too stubborn to tell me himself, I'm gonna have to ask you, Rias."

She frowned at him. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." He insisted. "I tried my damndest to respect Kiba's privacy, but at this point, nothing's going to change if I don't know the full story."

Rias brought one of her slender legs up to her chest and thought for a moment on where to begin. "As you already know, Holy Swords are considered to be the strongest weapons the Vatican possesses against our kind. Simply touching one can burn a Devil. But being cut by one...well, you've seen for yourself the devastating effects those blades can have on us."

Jon nodded in understanding. "Irina gained tremendous power from hers. And from what you've told me about Xenovia, it sounds like she's even more dangerous."

"She is." Asia replied nervously. "I'd never seen Rias and Akeno pushed to their limit like that before. It was worse than even the Rating Game."

"If it wasn't for your Twilight Healing, that battle could have ended disastrously for us." Rias admitted.

"Okay, but what does this have to do with Kiba?"

"I'm getting to that." She insisted. "You see, as powerful as the Holy Swords are, they do possess one glaring weakness."

"Which is?"

"Individuals who can actually wield them are incredibly rare. There are over a hundred Holy Swords catalogued within the Vatican's Arsenal. But only about fifteen to twenty people alive capable of actually wielding them."

"That few?" Jon asked. "I mean, I knew their numbers were sparse, but still."

Rias nodded in confirmation. "It's not something that can be taught. Like with the Sacred Gears, the ability to tap into a Holy Sword's power is inherited through genes. In the hands of a normal Human, those swords are little more than sharp metal. Men have gone to great lengths in the past to increase the number of Holy Sword Users. Some of the measures they used were...quite drastic."

They both remained silent, allowing the President to continue.

"They even went so far as to try to artificially create Holy Sword Users. While most of these were monumental failures, there was one attempt that bore some semblance of results...Project Sanguinum Sanctorum."

"Project Holy Blood?" Asia quirked her head at Rias. "The Church must have kept this super secret because I've never heard of such a thing."

"Me neither." Jon admitted.

Her expression turned grim. "There's a good reason for that. But to understand it, we have to go back in history a bit." She took a deep breath before continuing. "It was during the time of the Second World War. While the Axis and Allied powers fought for global supremacy, a very different conflict was taking place among the Three Factions."

"What influence did the Three Factions have on World War Two?" Jon asked curiously.

Rias sighed in a melancholy tone. "More than we should have, less than you think. Officially, due to the ceasefire, none of the three factions were supposed to get directly involved in the conflict."

He quirked a brow at her. "And unofficially?"

"Many of us saw the war as an opportunity to bolster our Faction's influence over the planet. The Fallen Angel's used the chaos of the conflict to expand their network of criminal cartels. We Devils invested heavily in the War economy. And then there was the Vatican..."

"I was always told the Vatican maintained a strict policy of neutrality during the War." Asia nervously observed.

"On the surface, yes they did. However, the same cannot be said for the Order of the Saintly Knights of Michael."

"Tell me you're joking." Jon implored in disbelief.

Rias shook her head solemnly. "I'm afraid not. Several of the more overzealous members of the Order saw an opportunity to expand their influence...by allying themselves with the Axis powers."

Asia clasped her hands over her mouth. "That can't be. The Order would never-"

"Yes they would." Jon cut in bitterly. "As much as I hate to admit it, I know about this."

"The decision was not unanimous." Rias assured. "During the war, the Order had effectively split into two different factions. On the one side was the Papacy, who wanted to maintain the policy of neutrality. On the other, however, was an extremist group lead by Archbishop Valper Galilei."

"I know this man." Jon admitted. "The Church called him the Genocide Priest. He was the head of a Rogue Militant Group known as the Holy Aryan Brotherhood. They dabbled in Occult Magic and ran a rather successful gun smuggling operation for many years."

"Goodness, that's awful." Asia clutched at her chest nervously.

"The roots of that organization began with the Nazi Party." Rias continued. "Valper was one of several members of the Papacy who became enthralled by Hitler's promise of a world dominated by Christianity. But the Pope was adamant that the Vatican maintain its neutral standing. So he, along with several neophyte Hunters, stole one of the five Holy Excalibur Swords in the Church's possession and fled to Germany."

"Where they began the Project." Jon surmised.

"Yes." She responded quietly, a pained expression on her face. "Valper and his neophytes wanted to create Holy Sword Users capable of wielding the Excalibur Blades so they could be used as weapons for the Axis Powers. They set up a laboratory in an underground bunker beneath Auschwitz before collecting test subjects. War prisoners, Jews, Orphans, pretty much anyone who possessed even a modicum of Holy Sword potential." Rias shook her head in disgust. "The experiments they performed on those prisoners were hideous. Even by the standards of the Nazi Party."

Asia began to turn pale. Jon held her hand assuredly.

"In the end, the Project was declared a failure. As the tide of the war began to turn in the Allied Powers favor, Valper decided to close up shop before proceeding to execute all remaining test subjects...all save one."

"No…" Jon shook his head in disbelief.

Rias nodded sadly. "One lone boy managed to escape. By the time I found him he was nothing more than skin and bones, nearly dead from Hypothermia. I knew he didn't have long to live, so I made him an offer."

"Oh Kiba…that poor boy." Asia buried her face in Jon's chest as tears began to roll down her cheeks. "It's too cruel. How could anyone be so monstrous and still call themselves a man of God?"

Jon held Asia close to comfort her. This...was a lot to take in. But it still didn't answer the big question.

"Why the swords?"

Rias peered at him questioningly.

"If what you've said is true. Then Valper is the one responsible. Why is Kiba dead set on destroying Holy Relics and pissing off the Church?"

"When I first made a Pact with Kiba, I promised him we would find Valper, kill him, and destroy his research. After the Axis Powers fell, the Church had him excommunicated and placed at the top of their most wanted list. He fled with his followers before forming the Militant Group you're familiar with, where he continued to work on the Holy Swords. It took us over forty years to finally track him down but by then…"

Jon felt a pit form in his stomach. He knew how this story ended.

"By then what?" Asia asked, finally looking up from Jon's chest.

"The Church got to him first." He answered for her. "They sent a battalion of Hunters to his compound with a kill order. No one was left alive."

"And Valpers research fell into their hands, along with the missing Excalibur Sword." Rias finished. "Rather than destroy his research they refined it. Making the Holy Swords more accessible to their Hunters. To this day they still work to refine the technique so that more Holy Swords can be used." She frowned sourly. "All of their success has been built on the blood of those victims at Auschwitz."

"And Kiba was robbed of his vengeance…" Jon was floored. "It all makes perfect sense now."

"What does?" Asia asked.

"The reason why Kiba is so bitter at me in particular." He answered.

She peered at him questioningly.

He sighed in a melancholy tone and shut his eyes. "The man who led the raid on that compound and Killed Valper…"

"Jon, no." Rias stopped him. "You can't blame yourself for that."

"I don't." He assured. "But I'm not so sure Kiba doesn't if his behavior is any indication."

"Wait, I'm confused." Asia spoke up again. "What are you talking about?"

"The Hunter who lead the Raid on Valper Galilei's compound was Jon's Father." Rias explained. "He seems to think that his Peerage Brother is holding that against him."

"You can't seriously believe that, can you?" Asia asked him worriedly. "Kiba is just upset from being reminded of his past. He doesn't blame you for this."

Jon remained silent as he mulled over everything he had learned, causing Rias to breath a weary sigh.

"Well I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm exhausted. I think it's time the three of us went to bed."

Rias stood up and proceeded to strip away her shirt, shoes, and blouse. Revealing the lacy black and purple bra and panties she was wearing underneath.

"So, is there a reason you're stripping in my room?" Jon asked with a slick grin.

"You know I can't sleep comfortably unless I'm completely naked." She insisted teasingly.

"Is it that time already?" Asia began stripping down as well, removing her skirt to reveal white cotton panties with pink borders and a matching bra.

Both ladies then unhooked their bras and dropped them to the floor, allowing their gorgeous breasts to spill out in full view for him.

"Now fair is fair, Asia." Rias lectured while brushing her hair aside. "You already got him once today, now I get a turn."

Asia pouted adorably, pushing her arms together and perking up her breasts. "Well okay, just don't keep him for too long."

"Don't get me wrong, I want you here." Rias grinned wickedly at her. "Give me thirty minutes with him while you warm yourself up, Love."

"Eep!" Asia squeaked before heating up like a thermometer. "W...warm myself up?"

"You know what I want." She retorted with lustful eyes. "There's no need to be coy, Asia. Not after what Jon told me you said on the quad."

The poor girl went wide eyed before turning completely scarlet. "He told you?!"

"Sorry, Asia." Jon scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "She cornered me. I had to spill it."

"Honestly, such a vulgar mouth on you young lady." Rias retorted while pretending to be offended. "What on Earth am I to do with you?"

"Be nice to her." Jon insisted with a smile. "She's still learning."

"I know she is." Rias pressed a finger up to her lips, her breath heated. "And I find it simply adorable."

She whined plaintively, placing her hands up to her cheeks and shaking her head. "Why do you always have to embarrass me like that, Rias?"

The redheaded beauty giggled at her while sticking her tongue out in a silly manner. "Now then." She removed her panties and splayed out on her side at one end of Jon's bed while caressing the other end with her hand, a sultry look in her eyes. "Don't make me wait, Cowboy."

Jon unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it aside before walking over to her. Rias got up on her knees and undid the buckle on his belt while unzipping his pants, biting her lower lip at him before sliding his jeans and boxers down.

"Asia and I have been practicing." She whispered lustfully into his ear. "I won't ask you to compare, but I am curious to see if you'll notice a difference from me this time."

She slowly went down on Jon, taking his fully erect member into her mouth while placing her hands in her lap and locking eyes with him. He tilted his head back and let out a satisfied growl, flaring puffs of black smoke from his nostrils. Sure enough, Rias's technique had gotten noticeably better.

After about a minute of sucking she pulled away from him before casting two heated eyes at Asia.

"I thought we agreed you would warm up, Love." Rias giggled at her before licking up his shaft.

Asia's breath became heated. She pulled down her underwear and took a seat in Jon's chair. "Like this, Rias?" She panted through erotic moans as she slowly spread her legs and began playing with her slick little folds.

"Atta girl." She praised while stroking Jon. "Keep your eyes on me, Love. Let Jon and I treat you to a show."

Asia nodded her head, her eyes locked to Rias as she played with herself, panting in heated pleasure. Rias stood up on her tiptoes and kissed Jon passionately, still stroking him with her hand. She then turned around and pressed her back against him before pulling them both down onto the bed. The Crimson Queen of Kuoh laid on her side with Jon directly behind her before raising her leg high in the air. Jon gripped her thigh before pushing himself inside her all the way to the hilt. Rias let out a small gasp of surprise followed by an overtly erotic moan of ecstasy as he slowly started thrusting.

Asia watched as Jon fucked Rias on the bed, rubbing her little clit faster and faster with each passing minute. Eventually, the redheaded beauty began switching it up. First by raising herself up onto her knees and posing like a feline, keeping her eyes permanently locked to Asia.

"Mmm, I think she likes it Jon. You like watching me get taken from behind don't you, Love?" As coy as she was trying to be it was becoming increasingly hard for Rias to keep her moaning in check. This was slowly becoming too much for her. "God Jon, you never let a girl lead, do you?"

He swatted her on the ass, eliciting another erotic moan from his crimson locked princess. "Sorry, did you say something?"

She sat up and pressed her back against him, reaching back and placing a hand against his neck while kissing him passionately. He brought his hands up to cup her breasts while she completely melted into him.

"Jon, I haa I'm going to haa dammit, how are you haaaa!"

She bit down on her finger hard and came. Jon chuckled in her ear as she convulsed against him.

"Having a hard time?" He teased her playfully.

"Well aren't you pleased with yourself." She panted, still coming down from her orgasm. "But I'm not letting you off the hook that easy, Jonathan Hyodo. Now it's your turn."

Rias turned around and shoved him backwards before straddling his lap and slowly lowering herself down onto him. Jon gripped the sheets in both his hands and she slowly began to ride him. Her hair and breasts bouncing in perfect time with the movement of her hips.

"Still enjoying the view, Love?" Rias brushed her hair aside and offered Asia a perfect view of her backside.

Asia was breathlessly moaning in pleasure as she furiously played with her aching heat. "Rias...I...I ahhhh!" She shut her eyes and arched her back as she rode a wave of pleasure.

Rias tsked her before pumping her hair up with her hands and gyrating her hips. "What a little mess you are. Goodness, what are Jon and I to do with you silly girl?"

"Fuck!" Jon barked out before slamming his fist into the covers.

Rias arched her back and grinned down at him victoriously as he filled her insides. "Glad I could even the score. Now we better let Asia in before she permanently stains your chair."

"Yes please…" Asia whined pitifully.

She giggled at her before waving with her finger for the blonde beauty to join them. Asia beamed before eagerly hopping up and joining Rias on the bed. The two ladies kissed each other tenderly.

"I'm not quite done with the little Dragon here." Rias commented while grinding her hips against Jon. "Why don't you make him put that tongue to use for something other than snarky comebacks?"

Asia giggled. "Okie dokie!"

Jon rolled his eyes at Rias. "Don't pretend you don't love my quips."

"You hush." She pressed a finger up to his lips. "Asia, he's all yours."

The Blonde Beauty slowly straddled his head before sitting on his face. Jon wrapped his arms around her thighs before greedily beginning to lap at his Treasure's heat. Asia squeaked in surprise before slipping back into a haze of pleasurable huffing.

"Well done, Love. I think you just woke him up again." Rias observed, not referring to Jon. Slowly she began to ride her Dragon again while Asia curved her backside and braced herself on his pecks.

The fiery redhead and the golden locked beauty's moans of pleasure reverberated off his room before being silenced as their lips made contact. Two loving Treasures, and their beloved Dragon, coming together as a single presence once more.

* * *

It was raining out. Just like the night he arrived at Auschwitz on the train. Ever since his run in with that Holy Sword User, Kiba found himself being constantly reminded of the past everywhere he went. Jon was lucky. His nightmares only appeared in his dreams. He could never understand the constant torment of one's own memories haunting you at every waking moment.

The screaming, the screaming never stopped.

Kiba leaned against a lamppost and clutched at his head. Why? Why did it have to be like this? Was he ever going to know peace? Or would his life be this constant never ending torture of seething hatred and self loathing? As he tried desperately to reign in his thoughts, his mind wandered to the words Jon last spoke to him.

What the Hell do I know, right? I'm just your friend.

Anger gripped his heart. What right did Jon have to try to make him feel guilty? Kiba had enough of that in his life already. He had no time for family or friends. That was all in the past.

Back when he still had hope for the future.

"Such a curious thing. Your Peerage doesn't seem terribly concerned that one of their own is out here all by his lonesome."

Kiba turned his head sharply to see Freed leaning against the wall of a building wearing that same psychotic grin he always had plastered on his face.

The Knight scowled hideously at him before summoning his Holy Eraser. "I'm in no mood for this, Freed."

"Woah woah woah now." The Stray Hunter raised his hands up defensively, chuckling in amusement. "No need to blow your load just yet, Princess. I'm not here to fight you."

"Save it." Kiba insisted, gripping the hilt of his sword tighter. "I've got no interest in whatever words you wanna say to me. Now if you're not going to fight then just get out of my way."

"Look, you've got the wrong idea, Dibshit." Freed snarled at him angrily. "I'm not the one who wants to talk to you." A devious grin covered his face. "It's my Boss who does."

Kiba slowly lowered his sword. "Your...your boss wants to speak to me?" He immediately raised his guard back up. "Why the Hell should I trust you?!"

"Oh right, sorry." Freed apologized insincerely. "My bad. I didn't mean to make it sound like I was giving you a choice in the matter." He drew his Excalibur Rapidly as a surge of Holy Energy enveloped his being. "Now come along Devil Scum. My Boss is not the sort of man who likes to be kept waiting."

"Like Hell!" Kiba roared before casting tendrils of shadow from his sword at Freed's Blade. The shadows wrapped around Excalibur Rapidly before promptly sputtering into harmless vapors.

"That was cute. Nice try." Freed mocked mercilessly before giggling in psychotic glee. "You win some, you lose some. Am I right?"

"Stop toying with me!" He shouted angrily before charging.

Freed disappeared in a flash before reappearing directly behind Kiba. The next thing he knew, the Knight felt a sharp pain in his arm followed by the familiar sensation of his strength draining away.

"Now there's a tone of voice I wouldn't have expected from you." Freed observed, clearly intrigued by the wild look in the Knight's eyes. "Maybe he was right after all."

Kiba clutched at his wounded arm before dropping to his knees. "Dammit…"

"That was just a little nick on the arm." Freed explained. "If you'd like I can make the next cut deeper." He then raised Excalibur up to Kiba's neck. "Or you can stop flailing about like an imbecile and come with me. The choice is yours."

It killed him to admit this, but Kiba had no choice. If he died here, he'd never have his vengeance, and all the suffering he had endured would have been for nothing. For now, his only option was to play along.

The Knight put away his sword and silently nodded his head, a dour expression on his face.

"Atta boy." Freed cackled with delight. "Now then, right this way."

As Freed guided Kiba down the sidewalk towards a quiet intersection, a pair of catlike eyes watched from a nearby back alley. Koneko peered around the corner and glared at them as they walked off.

"I need to follow them."

* * *

Freed lead the hapless Knight to a small road behind the building. There, a stretch limo with the Virgin Mary as a hood ornament awaited them both. A grim looking man wearing a chauffeur's outfit and holding an umbrella stood at the very back door. As Kiba approached, he opened the door and silently ushered him inside.

"Well go ahead." Freed insisted, still pointing the business end of his sword at him. "No need to be shy."

Kiba glared back at him hatefully before slowly entering the limo and taking a seat.

"Say." Freed spoke to the driver. "You think you got room for one more in there? It's a little wet out here."

The door slammed shut and locked before Freed could enter. As Kiba's eyes adjusted to the near pitch black darkness, he could make out three figures sitting opposite of him near the driver's side window. On the left was a boy who looked to be about eighteen or nineteen, he was decked in Gucci and sported a septum piercing and a vape in his right hand. On the right was a girl who looked to be about sixteen or seventeen, wearing similar apparel. Her eyes were glued to the smartphone she held in both hands and she would occasionally smack on a piece of gum in the back of her mouth.

Finally, sitting in the middle in the seat directly behind the driver window, was a tall man with long raven black hair, dressed in a tailored two piece suit.

His lip curled into a sinister grin as he spoke in a deep powerful voice. "Welcome. So glad you could join us."

Kiba knew he was in trouble. These were Fallen Angels he was sharing a limo with. And by the feel of things, ridiculously strong ones too. It wasn't the fact that he could feel any sort of tremendous power that gave it away.

It was the fact that he couldn't feel any power at all that let him know these were not people to mess with. Even Humans gave off an energy signal no matter how weak. Only a being with ungodly levels of magic could shut off their auras to such a degree as this so effortlessly.

"Who are you?" Kiba asked cautiously, not letting his guard down for a second.

The man chuckled in amusement, power echoing through his voice. "Who am I? That depends who's asking." He straightened his posture and spoke. "The Church knows me as Kokabiel. I suppose that one will do."

Kiba felt his stomach bottom out. "You...you're the Angel of the Stars?"

Kokabiel simply continued to grin at him maliciously, answering his question. This was bad, Kiba was sharing a limo with a Ten Winged Angel. A being with powers comparable to that of a Satan Class Devil.

"These are my children, Tamiel and Ramiel." He motioned to the two teenagers sitting on his left and right. "Say hello you two."

"Hey." Ramiel nodded his chin up at Kiba before taking a hit off his vape.

"Sup." Tamiel replied disinterestedly, her eyes never once leaving her phone.

The Chauffeur, having returned to the driver's seat, rolled down the back window to which Kokabiel simply nodded. The window rolled back up and the limo began a slow drive down the street.

"May I offer you something to drink?" Kokabiel waved to the open bar. "We have an exquisite selection, I assure you."

"Just don't touch the last sprite." Tamiel commented, her eyes still glued to her phone. "It's mine."

"What do you want from me?" Kiba demanded, trying his best not to look as intimidated as he felt.

"Straight to business then." Kokabiel relaxed back in his seat. "Very well. Ramiel, I'll let you take it from here."

Ramiel blew a perfect smoke halo up into the air while twirling his vape pen through his fingers. "Right, so let's cut the bullshit and just get to it. You've got information we want and we're willing to make you an offer." He took another hit before continuing. "And by offer what I really mean is ultimatum. Fuck with us or try to leave and you're gonna have a bad time."

"I'm not in the habit of making deals with Fallen Angels." Kiba seethed. "So why don't you do me a favor and drop me off at the campus before my Master-"

"Tamiel, hit him." Her brother ordered.

Without any warning whatsoever, Kiba was violently knocked across the face by...something. He had no idea what, all he knew was that it felt like a brick punched him in the jaw. The bewildered Knight slowly lurched up after taking the hit, rubbing the wound while staring in shock at the young girl still typing away on her phone. Having seemingly not moved an inch.

"Now see." Ramiel pointed at Kiba with his pen accusingly. "I just said don't fuck with us. What you did just now was fucking with us." The more he talked the more violent his voice became. "So how about we stow away with the attitude before I have my little sister here fucking kill you."

"Or maybe just break every bone in your body." She commented taciturnly.

"One or the other." Ramiel glared at him venomously. "Either way, I'll say it again. Don't. Fuck. With us."

After taking a moment to let the ringing in his right ear subside, Kiba quietly nodded his head. "Got it…"

"You're working for Rias Gremory, correct?" He asked impatiently.

Kiba glared at him coldly for a moment before answering. "I am."

Ramiel nodded before taking a hit off his vape and blowing another perfect smoke ring. "What the fuck is Ddraig doing here?" He asked, completely shifting gears.

Kiba's mouth hung open in shock. "How do you know about-"

"Tamiel." Her brother called again.

Another strike to the face by a force Kiba could neither see nor detect.

"I'm the one asking the questions here." Ramiel stated impatiently. "Now the Red Dragon Emperor's got to have a plan. He wouldn't be with you otherwise. So what's his plan?" He blew yet another smoke ring. "What's the game plan man?"

"There's no plan." Kiba insisted, still shaking off that last hit. "Rias found him, not the other way around."

"How auspicious for her." Ramiel commented completely disinterestedly. "It's cute that she really thinks that's how it works. Now don't make me ask again. What is Ddraig up to? Why has he joined forces with the Devils?"

"Rias made him an offer." Kiba responded. "Same as the rest of us."

He shook his head vehemently. "Dragon's don't make deals, and they don't pick sides either. Not without a damn good reason."

"I'm telling you, I don't know."

Ramiel blew a cloud of smoke into the air before glaring at his father. "So then why the fuck are we wasting our time here?"

"Give the boy some respect." Kokabiel lectured in a stern fatherly voice. "After all, this one's an individualist, just like him." The Angel of Stars leaned forward in his seat, seeming at that moment to be as tall as a mountain. "I understand that. I really do. Unfortunately, that's not the way the system works anymore."

"Ddraig is history, a fossil from a bygone era." Ramiel insisted. "Forgotten and just…" He shivered in disgust. "...just so fucking old. He should have just let his extinction happen, instead of languishing in a time period he doesn't belong in."

"He's still better looking than you." Tamiel teased him, a malicious grin spread across her face as she continued to type on her phone.

"Really? That's your thing?" Ramiel asked her disbelievingly. "How backwater of you, Little Sis."

"Nothing wrong with a distinguished Southern Gentleman." She insisted. "Society's depiction of the American South is so needlessly crass."

"Enough, you two." Kokabiel lectured before turning his attention back to Kiba. "If I may speak with you directly for a moment here. I really do feel the need to insist on your cooperation with us. We are the ones in control here now. Not your Master."

"But why are you here?" Kiba insisted.

"We're here to bring about change." Kokabiel explained. "One that will break us all free from the shackles of this tedious power struggle."

"We are the future. The shifting paradigm." Ramiel spoke up pridefully. "The Three Factions? The Great War? We don't give a fuck about any of it anymore. As far as we're concerned, they're all consigned to the dumpster. The Human race is a virus, the Church an operating system, and Prayer? Well that's just so much fucking spam."

"A new war is coming." Kokabiel spoke up insistently. "One which will shake the foundations of the established order. As the old is buried under the new." A sour frown covered his face. "But that relic from the past, the Red Dragon Emperor, could prove to make things...difficult for us if we continue to let him gain power at such an expedient rate."

"He's gotta fucking go." Ramiel added. "Your pal needs to take a one way trip to dirtnap city, and buddy boy, you are just the man for the job."

"You want me to kill Jon?" Kiba asked incredulously. "Why would I do that?"

"Because we have something you want." Ramiel explained before pointing up three fingers. "Three somethings actually."

He went wide eyed as his heart began beating out of his chest. "The Holy Swords…"

"Ding ding, we have a winner." Ramiel commented while taking another hit off his Vape. "The Holy Swords are really just a side project for us. Getting rid of Ddraig is our top priority right now. So we'll trade you. His life, for their destruction."

"We can offer you so much more than that." Kokabiel added. "I can get you unbound from your Master if you so desire. You'll be free to do whatever you want, without having to become a Stray. Hell, you can even join my organization. You'll have more power and prestige than you know what to do with."

"But...to kill a member of my own Peerage…"

"Oh come on." Ramiel groaned in annoyance. "You can't seriously still be hung up about that. What have those ingrates done for you lately, huh?"

Kiba frowned, casting his gaze away as the anger returned.

"Correct me if I'm wrong. But isn't Ddraig fucking your Master?" Tamiel asked before sending another text message then checking her email.

"More like the entirety of his Peerage." Ramiel laughed in amusement. "Word on the net is he's got every single one of those girls parting the pink for him at the snap of his fingers."

"That's gotta be tough." Kokabiel surmised, while he was trying to sound empathetic, something about it didn't come off exactly right. "Constantly playing second fiddle to the Dragon and his Harem of Harlots."

His silence was all the answer the Angel of Star's needed.

"I want to give you something." He continued. "Ramiel, give him the vial."

Ramiel reached into his pocket and pulled out a glass jar containing a mysterious white powder before tossing it to Kiba. The Knight inspected the substance curiously.

"That little darling is my specialty." Kokabiel's son stated pridefully. "It's officially known as Compound 2-12. But I prefer Wicked Grace." He explained. "It is odorless, tasteless, dissolves instantly in liquid, and is deadly enough to take out even a Satan Class Devil. It is my magnum opus, what you're holding is a concentration of the compound that took centuries to acquire. Nothing can cure that dosage."

"So...you want me to poison him." Kiba surmised.

"Just something to think about." Kokabiel offered. At that moment, the limo came to a halt. "Ah, we're here."

The door to the limo opened up.

"Give it some thought." He continued, that same wicked grin plastered on his face. "We'll be in touch."

"That means beat it." Tamiel insisted, her eyes never having once looked up from her phone.

Kiba quickly got out and shut the door. The limo drove away and he was left standing at the entrance to campus, poison in hand, and a lot of conflicted thoughts on his mind.


	11. Chapter 11

Jon awoke the next day to Rias and Asia each sleeping fully naked on one of his arms. Akeno had not moved from her spot of meditation all night, as was normal for her. The first to stir awake was Rias, who's eyes fluttered open delicately before she slowly raised her head off the bed and smiled down at him.

"Good morning Jon." She purred.

Asia awoke soon after and sat up as well. "Did you sleep okay?"

He groaned in a half conscious stupor before sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Fine all things considering. Y'all sure you weren't uncomfortable squeezing together on this one tiny bed?"

Rias shook her head and smiled at Asia. "We made the best of our sleeping arrangements and each used one of your arms as a pillow. It was quite comfy."

"Very." Asia nodded in agreement.

As his treasures exchanged good morning kisses with one another before both kissing Jon as well, Rias noticed something stiff poking out of the covers. She giggled before running her hand down to his boxers.

"Looks like our friend is awake too." She commented with a lustful look in her eyes.

"Goodness, Jon." Asia blushed as Rias pulled down his boxers. "Where do you get that stamina from?"

"If you'd like, I'll take care of it for you." Rias offered while stroking his shaft. "I could always use more practice."

"Ooooh, but I need practice too." Asia huffed indignantly.

He chuckled before sitting up completely and leaving the bed. "Sorry Loves, but you both had a turn already."

They peered at him curiously as he proceeded to walk over to where Akeno had her head bowed. He ran a single finger under her cheek delicately and she smiled at his touch.

"Good morning, Master." She quietly greeted.

Jon proceeded to remove her headphones and blindfold for her. Akeno allowed her eyes to adjust for a second before staring and smiling amorously at the erection in front of her.

"My, what a healthy way to greet a lady first thing in the morning, Sir." She giggled sweetly at him. Without so much as another word she placed her hand at the base of his shaft before taking the entirety of his manhood into her mouth.

Asia and Rias both watched with bewildered expressions on their faces as Akeno proceeded to completely drain him in fourteen seconds flat. The Dragon reared his head back and growled in pleasure as she swallowed without a fuss.

"Wonderful as always, Ju'kara." He stroked her cheek adoringly as she sighed into his touch.

Now Rias and Asia were both pouting enviously.

"How does she do it?" Rias wondered aloud.

"I don't know." Asia puffed out her cheeks and cast her gaze away in embarrassment. "If I tried doing it like that I'd probably choke to death." A thought suddenly occurred to her. "Oh my, I almost forgot. We should go get breakfast started, it's already late."

"Oh right." Rias wrapped herself in Jon's comforter before standing up and making her way to the door. "Thanks again, Jon. I'll talk to you later." She kissed him on the cheek before leaving.

Asia quickly threw her nighty over her head and kissed his other cheek before following Rias out. Once both girls were out of the room, Akeno began to giggle in amusement.

"What's so funny?" Jon asked with a confused smile.

She shook her head. "Oh it's nothing. I was just thinking how, despite everything that's been going on, everyone is still so happy."

He nodded in agreement. "That's all that matters in the end."

"Now if it's all the same to you, Master. I'd like to go assist the others with breakfast." She silently waited for permission before getting up.

"Go ahead, Ju'kara." He smiled at her. "I'll finish getting cleaned up in the meantime."

She smiled at him before standing and kissing his lips. Akeno then proceeded to walk out of his room completely in the buff. Once all the girls were out Jon breathed through pursed lips before collapsing back into the bed.

"I guess there's no denying it any longer." He chuckled at himself. "Matusda and Motohama were right. Jonathan Hyodo, you are officially the luckiest sonofabitch on planet Earth."

"Just now figuring that out, are you?"

Jon lurched up from his bed as a voice he hadn't heard in awhile spoke in his mind. "Ddraig?"

"Yo." The powerful voice spoke up. "Don't act like you've forgotten my voice, Dude. We're literally two halves of one mind."

He sighed wearily. "Annnd I see you're still talking like my two pervy friends. Just wonderful."

"No need to hate, Playa. I'm not here to cause beef. I'm just here to deliver a warning."

"About what?"

"I've been detecting multiple incredibly strong spiritual presences within the city as of late. They're making me nervous."

"Yeah, I've been feeling them too." Jon admitted. "But are you sure that's not just Irina and Xenovia?"

"Assuming you're talking about the Holy Sword Users, I barely notice them anymore." He admitted. "This is something else. Something that has gone to great lengths to keep its presence hidden from you specifically."

"Are you saying there's an enemy present in the city?" He asked in a serious tone.

"I'm saying you need to be careful. You never know when the White One will decide to make an appearance."

"You really think the White One is here?"

"I don't know. But we cannot dismiss the possibility."

Jon remained silent for a moment as he quietly considered this new information.

"What's the matter? You seem nervous."

"I just wasn't expecting an appearance from our rival so soon." He admitted. "I thought I'd have more time to prepare."

"As I said, I cannot confirm if it is him." Ddraig admitted. "All I know for certain is that an extremely powerful individual has taken residence in your city. And they have gone out of their way to hide their presence from you."

"Even if it's not him…" Jon bit his thumb thoughtfully. "...that's still not a good sign."

"Perhaps. Just remember, you are the Red Dragon Emperor. We do not involve ourselves needlessly in the affairs of lesser beings. You have only one objective."

He nodded in understanding. "To protect my Treasure Horde."

"Yes." Ddraig spoke approvingly. "I foresee a glorious future where one day you rank so high you become the Harem King!"

"The what now?!" Jon asked in bewilderment.

"You shall have one group of hotties with huge jugs as your servants and another shall serve in your babe army!"

"Oh not this shit again…" He groaned.

"And from this union our species shall rise from the ashes!" Ddraig continued completely undeterred. "In the meantime, continue to surround yourself with lustful women. And don't forget to suck on dem phat titties."

"Okay, we're done here." Jon gave up entirely and left the room, heading for the showers.

"Why you gotta be like that, Dawg? I'm just trying to hook a brother up."

"Where the fuck is the off button on this thing?" He muttered to himself.

* * *

Jon found himself paying less and less attention to his classes as of late. His mind a constant stir over the events of the past few days. Kiba was still MIA though he had apparently texted Rias and let them know he was on campus. Which was fine as far as Jon was concerned. He was still a little salty, so the less of Pretty Boy he saw right now, the better.

Fortunately, Asia proved to be studious enough for the both of them. She genuinely seemed to enjoy her classes and would often take extra notes for Jon as well. Yet one more thing he loved about his Treasure. It wasn't just Kiba that he was thinking about. Ddraig's warning had been bothering him all day, and while he didn't want to worry Rias needlessly. He felt it best to bring it up to her after the ORC Headquarters was open again.

Irina was weighing heavily on his mind too. He couldn't help but be worried for her, knowing Freed was still out there hunting the Holy Swords. And though they had reconciled to a degree, he wasn't sure how long that would stick, considering Xenovia and the Church were in her ear again.

Finally, there was the latest issue. Aika Kiryuu would not stop glaring at him from across the room of their class. She'd been talking Asia's ear off all morning. Asking her a whole bunch of personal questions about the club again, far more insistently than she had been in the past.

Great. What the hell did I do this time? He wondered.

Strange as it was, Jon decided not to pay it much heed. Knowing Aika, it was likely she was just getting protective of her 'bestie' again. Either way, he was truly intent on not giving in to her curiosity. Given everything that had been going on recently.

After class, Matsuda and Motohama approached him in the hallway of the art building with an invitation to hang out.

"A Karaoke Bar?" Jon asked again.

"Yeah man! I wanna get my sing on!" Matsuda responded enthusiastically.

"There's a new one that just opened outside of campus."

Jon peered at both of them suspiciously. "How long have we been hanging out together? And never once have you ever wanted to do something as tame as going to a Karaoke bar. What's your angle?"

"It was my idea."

He turned around to see Aika grinning at him, an intense glare in her eyes. "I was just telling Asia here about the new one that's opened on campus. We should go after classes."

"I'd love too! It sounds like a lot of fun." Asia beamed excitedly.

"Since when are you into Karaoke?" Jon asked Aika somewhat warily.

She shrugged. "Truth be told, I'm not. But a little birdy told me you're a pretty good singer."

He chuckled at her. "Should have known you'd have an angle. But all joking aside it actually sounds fun. Alright, I'm in."

"Awesome! Alone with Asia in a small room." Matsuda snickered creepily.

Jon sighed, he should have known that's what those two were really interested in. "Asia and I will meet you three there after class. We're gonna go check out the renovations to the ORC Building."

Aika nodded in understanding. "Sounds good."

"I'll see you later!" Asia hugged her friend eagerly before taking Jon's arm and heading for the door.

"Awww man." Matsuda whined. "I wanted a hug too."

"Must be nice getting to feel that eighty four bust size press up against you every day." Motohama added.

"Eighty four?" Aika looked at him curiously. "I thought Asia was an eighty three."

He shook his head. "Nope. Asia's gone up a size."

She gave him a questioning look. "And you're sure about that?"

"My man Motohama is never wrong when it comes to measurements, yo!" Matsuda boasted.

She glared back at Jon as he left with Asia, adjusting her spectacles as she did so.

"All the more reason to get to the bottom of this then." She mumbled quietly.

Matsuda and Motohama stared at her in confusion. "Get to the bottom of what?"

She grinned at them, a determined gleam in her eye. "Today...we are going to uncover Jonathan Hyodo's secret."

* * *

Matsuda and Motohama followed Aika back to the girl's public dorms on campus. The perverted duo were both having to physically contain their excitement over simply being allowed into the building.

"Oh man, we're right in the middle of babe central!" Matsuda murmured to his buddy excitedly.

"I feel like we've just died and gone to heaven." Motohama retorted.

Aika rolled her eyes at them. "Listen up, you two. We need to focus. This is a very important mission we're on."

"But you haven't even told us what we're doing yet." Motohama retorted.

"Yeah, when you gonna fill us in on the deets, Bra?"

She snickered at them devilishly, an evil gleam in her eye. "All in good time my friends. All in good time."

They made their way to Aika's room. Inside, multiple polaroids hung on the wall, as well as a camera laying on her desk. Once the door was shut and locked Matsuda and Motohama waited patiently for her to explain.

"I have a secret I need to tell you two." She spoke in a serious tone. "But you have to agree that everything that's said stays in this room. Okay? See…I'm not just a photography major."

They both nodded in understanding, genuinely curious as to what she was about to tell them.

"The truth is I'm also…" She spun around and pointed to herself in dramatic fashion. "...a paranormal investigator!"

Quiet enveloped the room as they stared at her blankly.

"So like...ghosts and shit?" Matsuda asked in confusion.

"We do more than just ghosts!" She huffed indignantly. "Paranormal Investigation is a very serious avenue of study." Aika pointed to herself proudly. "I graduated top of my class from Barnes Academy of Paranormal Investigation."

"I thought Barnes was a pizza place." Motohama observed.

"They do multiple things!" She responded in irritation before clearing her throat and straightening her posture again. "Now enough chit chat. We've got a case to study."

"What case?" Matsuda asked, still having no earthly idea what was going on.

"The Occult Research Club Case." She declared boisterously. "I'm officially opening a file on the ORC."

Motohama slumped over disappointedly. "So that's what you meant when you said you were going to learn Jon's secret."

"What the F Aika?" Matsuda whined. "We thought you were gonna spill the truth on Jon's mad player skills."

She groaned at them in frustration. "Don't you two get it? This is so much bigger than that. The ORC has remained one of the biggest enigmas on campus since its founding. In all the years they've been active there has never been more than about a dozen members in its ranks at any given time and they're always run by a redheaded woman. Doesn't that seem strange to you? It's our job to investigate."

They both continued to cry dramatic crocodile tears. She sighed wearily before shaking her head in disbelief.

"Look, if you help me out, I bet we'll also get some information on why Asia and all these girls are so infatuated with Jon." Aika then took a deep breath and added. "And...we may inadvertently catch Asia while she's changing ...inadvertently."

Their moods did a complete one eighty and they both jumped for joy.

"Alright! Count us in!" They chanted in unison.

She grinned triumphantly. "Now listen up. Here's the game plan."

* * *

Asia and Jon both walked to the ORC Headquarters to check on the renovations. While the pool wasn't ready yet, the floors had been redone and several rooms remodeled. A lot of the clutter and junk in the hallway on the second floor had been cleaned up as well.

"Wow! It's so shiny and new." Asia marveled. "I can practically see myself in the floor."

"Good to see all that crap moved out of the hallway too." It was then he noticed a door at the far end of the hall he hadn't noticed before. "Funny…that doors new to me."

"I don't remember it either. There were a bunch of boxes stacked up back there, it must have been behind it."

The bizarre door at the end of the hall had caution tape over it and was chained up with a padlock. Something about the strange door felt...off.

Jon eventually shrugged. "It may still be under renovation. Who knows." He then walked towards his old room and opened the door. "I'm more curious to see what Rias did with-"

He paused mid sentence and stopped in place.

"What is it?" Asia asked curiously.

He quickly slammed the door shut and pressed his back against it. "Nothing! Just more storage space." He laughed nervously.

She peered at him questioningly for a moment before smiling and nodding. "Okay then. If you say so."

Jon breathed a sigh of relief as Asia began to walk back to the Chapter Room before taking another quick peek back inside.

"Really Akeno?" He mumbled to himself before shutting the door and rejoining Asia.

They both headed for the Chapter Room, where Rias and Koneko were sitting on the sofas enjoying a cup of tea.

"Ah, there you two are. So what do you think?"

"It's all so clean. I love it!" Asia beamed, taking a seat next to Koneko while Jon sat next to Rias.

"I agree. They did a good job cleaning the place up." Rias responded.

Koneko appeared to be lost in thought, a troubled look on her face. "Kiba still hasn't come back yet."

"He's taken the whole day off." The President explained. "Given his behavior recently, I decided to allow it. Some time to clear his head will do him good."

Koneko's frown deepened. Something still seemed to be weighing on her mind and Jon would have been remiss not to notice. Even when things were at their worst the silver haired, yellow eyed Rook always managed to maintain her stoic indifference. This was certainly out of character for her.

Before he could ask, however, the door to the Chapter Room opened.

"Fantastic! Looks like everyone's here." The Vice President of the ORC declared in a chipper voice.

"Akeno. Why are you so late?" Rias asked curiously.

"Well, I brought some friends along and was helping them get here." She explained before motioning towards the door.

Sona Sitri and her Queen Piece Tsubaki walked into the Chapter Room with confident professional strides.

"Ah, Sona. Good to see you again." Rias greeted curtly. "How did things go in the Underworld?"

"Not as well as I had hoped, I'm afraid." She replied with a dour look on her face.

"Lady Sitri explained that she has something she wishes to discuss with you, Ms. President." Akeno spoke up.

She nodded in understanding. "Absolutely."

"If it's all the same to you, Rias." Sona spoke up again. "Could we possibly take this back to the Honor's House? This is something that would be best discussed in private."

"The sauna then?"

She smiled at her knowingly. "If you're up for it."

The President of the ORC frowned before turning and gazing at Jon. Despite the worried look in his eyes he nodded his head in understanding. Silently trusting and supporting his Treasure's decision.

Rias stood up and joined the others. Akeno took a moment to bow to her Master who gave her a slick smile and winked. She giggled at him before turning slightly pink.

"The three of you have the day to yourselves." Rias spoke up. "We will discuss our current standings later. Dismissed."

As the two Kings and their Queens left the room, Asia, Jon, and Koneko were left to themselves.

"So what the hell was that about?" Jon spoke up.

"I don't know. It sounded serious though." Asia replied nervously.

"Was it just me or did Sona look worried too?" He observed.

Asia nodded with a small frown on her face.

"What do you think, Koneko?"

"I don't know." She calmly replied, that same concerned look on her face. "It's not like there's anything inherently wrong with Rias talking to Sona…" Her eyes shut and she sighed nervously. "...but honestly, I'm more worried about Kiba."

Jon frowned at her before leaning back in his seat. "Maybe he'll calm down after some time off. Get his head on straight."

She remained silent, a nervous tension in her whole frame.

"Hey." He suddenly lurched forward. "Is everything alright, Koneko? This really seems to be bothering you."

"I…" She looked as if there was something she wanted to say, but decided against it. "It's nothing. Just anxious is all."

"Well, Jon and I are about to go hang out with some friends if you're interested." Asia offered happily. "I'm sure they'd love for you to come."

Koneko shot daggers at Jon as a familiarly cold aura enveloped her. "It's not those two perverts is it?"

"Errr well." Sweat began to accumulate under his collar. "Technically yes, but there's another girl coming with them so their will be plenty of adult supervision."

After a moment of silent glaring her expression finally softened. She shook her head as a small smile enveloped her features. "No thank you, Asia. I appreciate the offer though."

Jon sighed in relief as Koneko stood up from the couch.

"I need to go. Have fun you two."

As she left, Jon could hear her heart racing in her chest.

"Goodness, when is that girl going to come to terms with her feelings?" Asia shook her head and giggled in spite of herself.

"What do you mean?"

"I could feel her anxiety and self doubt the moment I made the offer." She explained. "I guess Koneko just isn't ready to admit how she really feels about you yet, Jon."

* * *

Jon and Asia drove to the Karaoke bar on his bike, relishing in the freedom of getting to ride the Harley again. There, they met up with Aika, Matsuda, and Motohama before they all filed into the building. Matsuda and Motohama were practically drooling over Asia's choice of outfit. A pair of solid white short shorts and a yellow striped blouse with sandals. Gaining access to Rias's wardrobe had expanded her options for clothes, and her blossoming boldness meant she wasn't afraid to show a little more skin. Something the boys immediately picked up on.

Funny enough, Aika seemed to be having a hard time tearing her eyes away from the blonde beauty also. Something that made Jon groan to himself.

Just great. Another pervert I have to keep an eye on.

The Karaoke bar they had chosen was surprisingly lively for a work day. The bar came well stocked, the food was nothing to sneer at, and the selection of songs was surprisingly large. Something that came as a relief to Jon, as he didn't know any Japanese music.

After Matsuda and Motohama finished singing the theme song to My Hero Academia incredibly off key, Jon and Asia excused themselves to the bar for more drinks. During this moment, the Trio still sitting at the table set their scheme into motion.

"Okay, remember the plan." Aika whispered to Matsuda and Motohama. Step one, we separate Jon from Asia. Step two, we plant this little baby on her purse." She pulled a microphone disguised as lipstick out of her bag. "Step three, we tap into the feed and pick up their conversations."

"Tonight's the night, Jonathan Hyodo." Matsuda declared triumphantly.

"We will finally learn the true secret of the Sex God!" Motohama added just as obtusely.

"We just need to get them in a position where they're not focused on what we're doing." Aika cut back in with a sly smirk. "And I have just the idea for how to do it."

Jon and Asia returned with more drinks for the group shortly after the trio finished scheming.

"Hey Jon." Aika spoke up. "The guys and I were sitting here talking and we just came up with the coolest idea. You and Asia should sing a duet."

"A...a duet?!" Asia turned bright red.

"Yeah!" Motohama agreed. "You should sing a love song with her."

"Get all those feels going and shit." Matsuda added.

He chuckled at them. "Hey I'm up for it. But only if Asia wants to."

"I...I couldn't." She squirmed nervously in her seat, her eyes cast away. "I'm not much of a singer, and besides I'd much rather hear Jon sing by himself. Where I can actually hear him."

Matsuda and Motohama both looked defeated when Aika chimed back in.

"Alright then. It's settled. Jon, why don't you sing to Asia?"

She squeaked indignantly before turning even more red.

Jon shrugged. "Hey if that's what y'all want." He then added with a sly grin. "To be honest, I already had something planned anyway."

"You do?" Asia clutched her hand to her chest and gazed at him with doe eyes.

He nodded. "Yep. Matter of fact, I should be up pretty soon."

"Jon…" She melted at his words.

Aika, Matsuda, and Motohama both stewed at the display.

"Man, it really burns me up when he acts so cool." Motohama grumbled.

"He thinks he's hot stuff alright." Aika admitted.

"Man, whateva." Matsuda blew him off dismissively.

Jon's number appeared on the screen and he stood up to head to the stage. He approached the microphone and smiled at Asia. As the music started up he began to sing.

"Would you go with me, if we rolled down streets of fire."

"Would you hold onto me tighter, as the summer sun got higher."

"If we roll from town to town and never shut it down."

"Would you go with me, if we were lost in fields of clover."

"Would we walk even closer, until the trip was over."

"And would it be okay, if I didn't know the way."

"If I gave you my hand would you take it and make me the happiest man in the world."

"If I told you my heart couldn't beat one more minute without you, girl."

"Would you accompany me to the edge of the sea, let me know if you're really a dream."

"I gotta know, so would you go with me."

Asia's eyes remained permanently glued to him, just as Aika wanted. Motohama took the opportunity to grab Asia's purse. Who was far too busy falling into a trance as her Dragon sang to her to notice. Aika proceeded to swap out Asia's lipstick with the microphone before passing it back to Motohama who placed the purse back where it was.

By the songs conclusion, just about every female in the audience had the same trance-like expressions on their faces, and the same starstruck looks in their eyes. They all clapped excitedly for him, loudest and most excited of all being Asia. Jon chuckled while scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"Thank y'all."

He then retook his seat, upon which Asia happily retook his arm.

"I love you." She whispered into his ear before kissing his cheek.

He winked back at her before relaxing back in his seat. "So who's going next?"

"Actually, it's starting to get late." Aika commented. "This was fun, but I've got a midterm to study for."

"Uhh, yeah! We've, uhh, we've got shit we gotta do to too." Matsuda laughed nervously.

Jon and Asia both shared questioning looks with one another before nodding in confirmation. Asia stood up and grabbed her purse. "Then we better get going."

As the group made their way out of the bar, Aika, Matsuda, and Motohama strayed behind the two lovebirds with suspicious looks in their eyes. The group headed back to the parking lot where Jon and Asia said their goodbyes.

"This was a lot of fun, we should really do it again some time." Aika commented with as straight a face as possible, a small bead of sweat forming on her brow.

"I completely agree." Asia replied in a cheerful tone, with one last hug she said goodbye before turning and heading towards Jon's bike.

"You ready?" He asked while pulling her helmet out of one of the saddlebags.

"Sure am." She began rummaging in her purse. "I just need to-wah!"

Asia tripped on her own two feet and fell splat onto the sidewalk. The contents of her purse then proceeded to spill on the ground.

"Ah hell." Jon rushed over to Asia's side and merrily kicked her lipstick off the sidewalk into a nearby sewer drain much to Aika and the Perverted Duo's utter dismay.

"Oww." Asia whined plaintively while rubbing her sore behind. "Why do I always have to be such a clutz all the time?"

He helped her to her feet and offered the poor girl the helmet. "You're just a little off balance. Alcohol can do that."

Aika, Matsuda, and Motohama were frozen like statues, their mouths ajar as they watched all their hard work literally flush down the drain.

"Alright y'all, Asia and I are gonna head out." Jon waved them off as they both made their way back to the bike. The moment the defeated looking trio were out of sight they both stopped acting.

"That acute hearing of yours is really a blessing. Why do you think they put a microphone in my bag?"

Jon shrugged. "Honestly, with those three, there's really no telling. So long as we play dumb and don't do anything suspicious around them, I doubt we have much to worry about."

It was then his phone went off. Jon took the device out of his pocket, looked at the text message that appeared, and immediately went wide eyed with shock.

"What the…"

Asia frowned at him worriedly. "What? What is it, Jon?" She peered over his shoulder at the message that was on his screen and her mouth dropped open.

_I don't know if this is you. Honestly, it's a shot in the dark to hope I got the correct number here. But if it really is, please come to the old building were we last ran into each other. Bring Asia with you. I'll be waiting…_

_Irina._

* * *

Rias, Asia, Sona, and Tsubaki all walked into the private sauna located beneath the Honor's House. The walk in steam bath and shower was illuminated by large magical crystals set against onyx stone. The center of the bath boasted four showers carved into the shapes of gargoyles, forming a concentric circle around the drain, with the outer ring being the designated seating. It was a luxurious and indulgent accommodation to be sure. And the perfect place to receive bad news.

The four ladies took their spots around the ring before stripping their towels away.

"Haven't done this in awhile." Rias commented, her breasts spilling from the thin piece of cloth as her towel fell to the floor.

"Really." Akeno agreed, her towel falling as well. The only piece of clothing she had on being the collar still locked firmly around her neck. "We used to come here all the time. It's been too long."

"If we're going to talk about such serious issues. Best to do it in relaxation if you ask me." Sona spoke up as she and her Queen took their seats around the showers. Rias and Akeno quickly followed suit.

"As I seem to recall, the last time we were here it was to complain about your Sister." Rias commented teasingly.

Tsubaki couldn't help but giggle, while Sona merely rolled her eyes. "That's all in the past now."

She crossed one leg over the other and leaned back on her hand. "True. So what are we here to discuss this time? I get the feeling this conversation will be a lot less lighthearted."

Sona folded her hands in her lap and sighed glumly. "I'm afraid so."

"Well there's no sense sugar coating it." Rias insisted. "You may as well just come out and say whatever the big secret is."

Sona took a moment to gather her thoughts before straightening her posture and adjusting her glasses. "We have reason to believe that the Angel of Stars has made his way to Kuoh."

It was Akeno who responded first, shooting up out of her seat as if it had just caught fire.

"K...Kokabiel is in the city?!" She asked disbelievingly, a hint of palpable dread in her voice.

Sona nodded grimly. "I'm afraid so. Though we have no way of tracking his movements." Two magical orbs appeared on her thumb and pointer finger as she removed her glasses and began to clean them. "What we do know, is that Kokabiel's legitimate business Biorapture, has set up shop in the old Mansion on the outskirts of town. If our information is to be believed, they're in the process of building an underground research facility."

Rias placed her thumb and forefinger against her chin as she pondered this grave information. "That business of his is just a front for his criminal empire. This is troubling news indeed."

"Troubling?" Akeno sat back down, still shellshocked. "Ms. President, with all due respect, this is beyond just troubling. Kokabiel has been at the very top of every major watchlist among the three factions for centuries."

"It's true." Tsubaki spoke up in a calm, clipped voice. "Ever since the assassination of Semiazaz, Kokabiel has taken over as leader of the Watchers. Alongside his chief Lieutenants, Tamiel and Ramiel." She brushed her hair aside and ran a comb she got from a nearby tray through it, checking for knots. "Though many suspected he was behind the assassination, Azazel was never able to confirm it. However, the Angel of Stars has since caused a lot of trouble for all three factions. As Rias so kindly pointed out, he's built an extensive global criminal enterprise with the Major Pharmaceutical Conglomerate Biorapture acting as it's legal front. In addition, he's also amassed an extensive following of Fallen Angels. He's a powerful leader to be sure."

"Kokabiel isn't a leader. He's a timebomb." Rias insisted gravely. "One who will destroy all in his path if he's not dealt with."

"I agree." Sona chimed in while placing her glasses back on her face. "He's always been an extremist, even by the Fallen Angel's standards. Where Azazel and Shemhazai both agreed that the ceasefire was in everyone's best interest, Kokabiel alone wanted to continue the war."

"But why reveal himself to us now?" Akeno asked nervously. "And what's his motivation?"

"We're not sure." Tsubaki replied. "I don't think his intention is to attack the school...at least not yet."

"Doing so would not only trigger a direct conflict with Lucifer himself, but also open Kokabiel up to attacks from the Fallen Angels loyal to Azazel as well." Sona observed. "Kokabiel may be a power hungry madman but he's smart. He won't rush into anything he's not prepared for."

A horrifying thought occurred to Rias. "If he knows about Jon…"

Akeno's skin turned pale. "We have to warn him!"

Sona shook her head assuredly. "Don't worry. I have my familiar as well as several Demons keeping an eye on him for us. If he's in danger we'll know about it before even he does."

Rias breathed a sigh of relief. "For that you have my thanks, Sona."

"Indeed, thank you Lady Sitri." Akeno added gratefully.

"It's no trouble, though you have every right to be concerned. If Kokabiel were to become aware of the Red Dragon Emperor's presence, he would likely see him as either a resource to be exploited...or more likely...a massive threat to be eliminated at all costs."

Rias and Akeno both exchanged nervous looks with one another. Now they really did have a reason to be concerned for their Dragon's safety.

"So then I suppose the next question is, what do we do about this?" The President of the Orc pondered aloud.

"As much as I hate to admit it, our first course of action needs to be opening communication with the two Holy Sword Users present in the city." Sona insisted.

Rias scowled at the idea. The last thing she wanted to do was consider forming any kind of alliance with that Xenovia woman. But if it meant keeping Jon safe she was willing to consider it.

"There's no guarantee they'll even talk to us, let alone agree to any sort of alliance. No matter how temporary." Akeno pointed out, sounding slightly skeptical of the idea. "The Church doesn't typically make a habit of siding with Devils."

"In this instance, they may not have a choice." Tsubaki spoke up yet again. "The information we've gathered highly suggests that Freed Sellzen is working for Kokabiel. If the Angel of Stars were to get his hands on any more pieces of Excalibur…"

Rias felt her stomach lurch. "The situation seems to just go from bad to worse."

"The Church must listen to us." Sona insisted emphatically. "Unless they wish for one of their most powerful relics to fall into the hands of a dangerous enemy, they have no choice but to cooperate."

The two members of the ORC present took a moment to consider all the information before Rias finally spoke up.

"Is there anything else?"

Sona shook her head assuredly. "No. What you've heard is all the information we currently possess. But I'll keep you up to date should we learn anything else." She then stood up alongside Tsubaki and began making her way out of the sauna. "I'll leave you two to discuss what your Peerage's next step will be. Take as much time as you need."

Akeno and Rias both sat in the sauna quietly, soaking in all the new information before coming to a consensus.

"We're in trouble." Rias spoke aloud.

Akeno nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah. I'm afraid so."

"Kokabiel…" Rias rubbed the bridge of her nose to relieve the tension. "...of all the nightmarish scenarios I had accounted for when I first built the ORC, he was not one of them. A Ten Winged Angel, here in our city."

"Perhaps we've been too liberal with our use of Jon's powers." Akeno worried. "I fear the Occult Research Club has painted a far bigger target on its back then we had anticipated."

"You know Kokabiel better than any of the rest of us." Rias commented to her Queen. "If we were attacked, do you think we could win?"

Akeno bit her thumb thoughtfully. "I may know more about him than most, but that doesn't mean I know a lot." She seemed to think back for a moment. "But if he were to attack us directly...no, I really don't think we would stand a chance on our own. Not with our current strength."

She nodded in understanding. "Thank you for being candid with me."

"But…" Akeno continued, taking a deep breath before plastering on a reassuring smile. "Truthfully, I'm not worried."

Rias gave her an inquisitive glance while Akeno clutched at the collar around her neck.

"If anything, I choose to have faith that we will be alright."

A radiant smile enveloped Rias's features. "Because of Jon?"

Her Queen nodded with her eyes shut. "If there's one thing I know about my Master, it's that he possesses more willpower than any other being alive. This isn't the first time he's had the odds stacked against him."

The memory of being held by Salazar Phenex as a captive flooded into Rias's mind. How hopeless had she felt during that time? How certain was she that her life was over? And yet now, here she was. Back in the ORC, with the man she loved, and the family she adored, safe and sound.

And it was all thanks to him. Her Dragon. Akeno was right. So long as Jonathan Hyodo was still breathing, they always stood a fighting chance.

"Thanks Akeno. I needed that reminder." Rias replied gratefully, her mind a little more at ease.

"It's no trouble at all, Ms. President." She assured, a coy smile on her face. "I love Jon. We all do, but...you're still my best friend. That hasn't changed. I just want you to know that."

Rias smiled back at her. "You'll always be special to me, Akeno. My love for Jon doesn't change that either."

A tense silence filled the room.

"I have a question for you, if you don't mind me asking." Akeno finally spoke up.

"Of course."

"Do you…" Her cheeks broke out into a light blush. "...do you ever get jealous of him?"

"Jealous?" She asked in perplexment. "In what way?"

Akeno twirled a strand of her long raven hair along her finger. "Do you ever get jealous having to share my loyalty with him?"

Rias stared at her incredulously for a moment before cupping her fingers up to her mouth and chuckling. "Not particularly. I'd be a hypocrite if I did."

Akeno laughed in a similar manner. "I hadn't considered that. Okay, fair enough."

"If I'm jealous of anyone, it's you." She admitted.

"M...me?" Akeno's cheeks burned a little brighter. "Why would you be jealous of me, Ms. President?"

"You have such an intimate and personal relationship with Jon." Rias explained, her own cheeks starting to burn as well. "I wish I could be half as open and honest with him about my desires as you are." She sighed in a slightly melancholy tone. "But alas, my station and my mother's blood won't allow it."

She giggled at her. "That reminds me of a joke, actually. What's the difference between a Minotuar, and the President of the ORC?"

Rias sighed. "What?"

A cheeky grin spread over her lips. "One is an unstoppable juggernaut of destruction..."

The President rolled her eyes. "And the other doesn't have a smartass Queen Piece to keep her in line."

"Ooo, that was even better than the number of testicles punchline I was going to use." Akeno retorted without missing a beat."

Both ladies giggled at each other before a tense quiet enveloped the room. They peered into one another's eyes curiously for a moment, the same question in the back of their minds.

"So…" Akeno's eyes filled with...something. "...should we talk strategy now, Rias?"

A wicked grin covered her features as she peered at the four faucets in the center of the room. "I thought we might shower first."

Her Queen quirked an inquisitive brow at her. "I didn't realize that was an option."

"It is." The President insisted.

"Well…" Akeno stood up, her face slightly heated. "...just give me a moment to lather up."

Both ladies approached a faucet on opposite sides of one another and turned on the water. They lathered up with the complimentary soap and body wash provided, spreading the soapy suds all over their naked bodies.

"Ahhh, hot water and room to stretch. I could get lost in here." Asia sighed in decadent relaxation.

"I agree. It's like the stress of the week is just melting away." Rias commented while lathering up her breasts.

"I can see why Sona prefers having meetings here. Really helps with the tension, if you ask me."

"And it couldn't have come at a more perfect time." Rias commented. "There's a certain woman I need to look good for."

"Another hot date lined up with Asia tonight, Ms. President?" Her Queen asked mischievously.

"No…"

Akeno stopped lathering and her smile grew wider. "Someone else?"

Rias's smile grew as well, her cheeks turning red.

"Well don't spare the details, is she hot?" Akeno continued, her heart skipping a beat.

"Very." She responded candidly. "Not only that, we've been friends for as long as I can remember. Honestly, I'm surprised my feelings for her haven't manifested sooner."

"And you think she likes you too?" Her Queen turned the faucet off and slowly made her way around the shower heads.

"I sincerely hope so." Rias admitted. "You know I always play for keeps."

"Sounds serious." Akeno admitted, her hips swaying in rhythm with her silent steps.

"That all depends on whether or not she's interested." The President finished, continuing to rinse off her breasts.

She suddenly felt two slender arms wrap around her waist and pull her in, followed by the feeling of two large, soft mounds pressing into her back. Rias held her breath as her body went stiff.

"Oh yes, she's definitely interested." Akeno whispered sultrily into her ear, her breath heated, the slightest hint of a vocal fry in her voice.

The Crimson Queen of Kuoh felt her breath catch as the Priestess of Thunder brought her hands up to cup both of her President's soft silky breasts in her hands. She caressed them tenderly as Rias stood stiff as a board, her wrists bent at a ninety degree angle and her fingers curled into her palms. A soft moan escaped Rias's lips as Akeno kissed her neck gingerly before nipping at her ear.

"You...have me at a disadvantage, my Queen." Rias admitted through heady, pleasurable breaths. "I still lack your level of experience with women."

Akeno giggled at her in that same bubbly, mischievous voice she always used when she was turned on before sinking her teeth into the Presidents ear hard enough to draw blood. Rias's eyes went wide with shock as the pain mixed with pleasure in a way she never thought possible. Her heat instantly becoming soaked with her own desire.

As her Queen's hand suddenly slid down her belly towards said heat, however, Rias suddenly clasped a hand over her wrist to stop her.

"Wait."

Akeno frowned nervously. "Is something wrong?"

"You realize if we do this…" Rias cast two ocean like eyes back towards Akeno. "...everything will change. We've been best friends since we were both children. Are you okay with that?"

Akeno smiled at her assuringly before nodding her head. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Rias."

She slowly turned her waist around in Akeno's grip before wrapping her arms around her neck. "Good."

Their breasts hugged each other as their lips connected in a passionate kiss. The Lady King of the ORC explored the inside of her Queen's mouth curiously for the first time. Both ladies could feel the heartbeat of the other in their voluptuous chests. They were both nervous, given how personal their relationship already was. And yet neither backed away or showed any reluctance in their intentions.

They both wanted this. As Treasures to the same Dragon, they both wanted to share the love he felt for each of them.

"You've served me faithfully all these years, Akeno." Rias admitted, finally pulling away, her face heated. "Now...I'd like to serve you."

As Akeno peered at her with curious eyes, Rias lowered herself down on her knees and slowly spread her Queen's thighs apart.

"Rias…" Akeno was about to interject when she suddenly felt her Presidents lips directly against her clit. Followed soon after by the flicking sensation of her soft tongue. Whatever she was going to say, it mattered little now.

The Crimson Locked Beauty stared up at Akeno with passionate eyes as she slowly ran circles around her flowering dot with her tongue. She then went a step further by sticking two fingers inside her while she gripped her hair. Akeno's chest heaved with heated passion as her legs began to tremble.

"Rias...oh my…" Her eyes remained locked to her King Piece up until the moment she came, at which point she shut them tight and snapped her neck up towards the sky as a soft pleasured gasp escaped her lips.

Rias sighed, slightly out of breath as she finally broke away from her.

"I'm a little jealous." Akeno teased while taking Rias's chin in her hand. "That Asia kept this all to herself."

"Honestly, I'm nothing compared to her." Rias admitted. "That girl has...quite the talent with this sort of thing."

"You're not half bad yourself." Akeno slowly knelt down and laid Rias on her back, who pressed both her hands against the sides of her breasts and bit down on her lower lip as her Queen spread her thighs open.

"You know, I've always wanted to say this." She continued, a mischievous look in her eyes. "You have the prettiest little pussy I've ever seen, Rias."

She turned scarlet and broke her gaze. "Christ, Akeno. I get it already." The President wasn't used to this. Akeno's sex appeal and ability to read her partner was obsecenely intimidating. Though the Priestess of Thunder was still her Queen, when it came to intimacy, it was clear who the one in charge was.

"Now I finally have an excuse to torture you." Akeno placed two fingers over her President's slick folds, rubbing them gingerly as she peered down at her with a sadistic smile on her face. "I want to hear you say how badly you want it, Ms. President. Pretty please?"

"Akeno…" Rias protested quietly even as soft moans escaped her lips.

"Well?" Her queen continued to rub and tease Rias's throbbing heat torturously. "May I please here you beg? Just this once? For me."

Rias so desperately wanted to scold her or come up with some sort of witty retort but...dammit Akeno was simply way to good at this. The sadistic bitch had her number. She'd figured out in mere moments exactly what 'buttons' she needed to push to get her King Piece juuuust close enough to the edge without actually sending her over it.

"I...you…" She groaned in both frustration and arousal. "Fine! Fine, I'm begging you! Please stop teasing me and just-hah!"

Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head as Akeno suddenly started to do...something...down there. She wasn't sure what, all she really knew was that it shut her up mid sentence as a wave of intense pleasure enveloped her entire body.

"Akeno!" Rias gripped the sink as she rode a seemingly endless wave of pleasure. "What the hell are you-"

She screamed. Rias screamed louder than she had ever screamed during sex before. What the fuck was this? She felt fingers hitting different places, but beyond that just...orgasm. One long, seemingly endless orgasm. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she made sounds completely indignant of a lady of her status. Not that she particularly noticed, or cared. The President was far too busy holding on for dear life as Akeno paralyzed her to the spot with nothing but her hand.

Akeno smiled down at her pridefully. Clearly very pleased with herself while her King Piece continued to lose her mind. The pleasure soon turned to pain and Rias desperately tried to tap out.

"Akeno! Akeno wait! It's too much!"

"Manners, Ms. President. Manners." Akeno lectured in a motherly voice. "What do we say when we're asking someone for something?"

She growled in hideous frustration before slamming her palms down on the stone floor. "Please stop! I'm begging you to stop!"

Akeno let loose a stream of sadistic giggling as she finally relented. Rias's entire body went limp as she let out a relieved groan, finally having a moment to catch her breath. Her legs having gone completely numb.

"You were using magic, weren't you?" Rias gasped out in between labored, panting, breaths. "That's completely unfair you...you…"

"Oh dear. What's wrong?" Her Queen placed a hand to her lips to hide the look of sardonic amusement on her face. "I didn't give the Crimson Haired Empress of Ruin more than she could handle now, did I?"

"You realize I'm going to get you back for this...hard." Rias assured, doing her best to grin up at Akeno despite the numbness in her legs. Her belly continued to spasm every so often, keeping her from moving.

"Promises, promises." Akeno turned around and straddled Rias's head. "Let's see you prove it, shall we?" She teased, whilst wiggling her ass in her face, her flower so tantalizingly close. "I'll stop if you can manage to get me off again. Think you're up to the challenge?"

"Now you're just playing dirty." Rias insisted. "You know I can't resist a challenge."

She giggled at her again before silently lowering her head back down towards Rias's heat. As she began slowly lapping at her slick folds with her tongue, the Crimson Haired Beauty instantly responded. Her already hypersensitive sex becoming even more so against Akeno's gentle tongue.

"Well what are you waiting for?" Akeno shot a sly grin back at her, whilst continuing to wiggle her ass in Rias's face. "Show me what you've got, Ms. President."

Rias immediately took her Queen into her mouth and began licking again. Akeno responded by moaning softly against her sex, sending rivets of pleasurable vibrations all along her throbbing pussy. The two eagerly lapped, sucked, and toyed at each other's heat whilst filling the sauna with the echoes of their erotic moaning.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity to Rias, Akeno's head lurched up from between her thighs and her back arched.

"Dammit...I'm too close...I wanted to torture you m-" She bit down on her lip, drawing blood in the process, as her lower half convulsed. She kept her moaning in check, trying to hide what Rias had just successfully done.

"Nice try." Her King Piece insisted. "But I won, fair and square."

Akeno pouted at her teasingly before finally rolling off Rias and turning around. She lowered herself back down on top of her, this time with their busts pressed firmly together.

"We should have done this a lot sooner." Akeno admitted, her cheeks flushing. "I never knew you could be so much fun to play with."

Rias cast her gaze away shyly. "I've...never felt like this. Not even with Jon."

She frowned at her worriedly. "Felt like what?"

"This...vulnerable." She admitted, a look of embarrassment in her eyes and a light blush on her cheeks. "I'm not used to it."

Akeno smiled at her lovingly. "I like that you can be so open with me, Rias. It's not healthy to keep yourself pent up like that all the time."

"Just promise me you'll keep this between us for now." Rias insisted. "Not that we've bonded, just...that you…"

"It's okay." Akeno assured. "You can say it."

"That you dominated me." Her face turned scarlet.

Rias's answer made Akeno giggle in that bubbly voice again. "Of course, Ms. President. You are still technically my boss after all. It'd be remisce of me to discuss your sex life in public."

She chuckled at her before smiling and pulling her Queen down to her lips. The two relished in each other's touch as they passionately made out on the wet stone floor of the Sauna.

Time slipped by them as best friends turned into passionate lovers. The feelings for their Dragon blending together into feelings for one another.


	12. Chapter 12

**::Author's Note::**

**Eleven chapters in and we're still going strong. By the looks of things this Arc is going to turn out to be even longer than Arc Two was. And by a significant degree.**

**The feedback so far has been amazing. And I'm glad you're all enjoying the latest installment. **

**Now then, here we are with Chapter Twelve. With plenty more to come.**

**::End Note::**

Dusk had fallen as the Harley Chopper roared down the streets of Kuoh City. Asia clung tightly to Jon's back while he pulled on the throttle and flew down the road towards his destination. Upon arriving at the old abandoned building where they last fought a Stray Devil, a Stray Hunter, and two Holy Sword users, they both disembarked from the bike while Asia pulled off her helmet and shook out her hair.

"Goodness, it feels like we were just here a few hours ago." She spoke aloud, staring up at the now completely inert building.

"Let's just hope things go a little smoother this time." Jon retorted before adjusting his hat and popping a smoke in his mouth.

As they slowly approached the building, their guards fully up, Asia's skin began to crawl.

"I just got the chills for some reason." She commented nervously.

"Yeah, me too." He began scanning around for any signs of trouble. "It feels like something's watching us." He took a drag from his cigarette whilst still eyeing his surroundings warily. "Stay alert, just in case."

Asia nodded determinedly as the duo made their way inside the building. Waiting for them there was a figure dressed in a white cloak. As they approached, the figure removed its hood to reveal it was none other than Irina. Just as she had promised.

"Good to see a friendly face." Jon commented in a joyful manner.

Irina glared at him cautiously for a moment before holding her hand out in front of her. Jon and Asia immediately came to a halt, with the latter going so far as to hide behind the former.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his optimistic smile dissolving into a worried frown.

Without a word she motioned for him. He understood the signal and nodded.

"Asia, you stay here." He quietly requested.

"Are you sure?" She asked nervously, still clutching to his arm.

"This is just something I have to do." He smiled at her assuringly. "Don't worry. This won't take long."

Jon slowly approached on his own. Despite Irina's calm expression it was clear she was still on guard. Not that he could blame her, after all, he had trained his pupil well.

"You know...we don't have to be enemies." He insisted as he approached. "I mean, this is the first chance we've really gotten to talk in years."

She remained silent whilst peering at him searchingly. As if looking for something in his eyes.

"God…" He chuckled in disbelief whilst shaking his head. "...just look at you. All grown up and a member of the Excalibur Five." Jon sighed before casting an affectionate look her way. "I'm proud of you. For whatever that's still worth."

Finally, her gaze turned away and she frowned, a light blush creeping over her cheeks.

"Well?" Jon asked expectantly. "Ain't ya gonna talk?"

She returned to silently glaring at him whilst folding her arms. "Make your case."

"My what?" He asked in confusion.

"Make your case." Irina insisted, as if what she was asking was perfectly reasonable. "Tell me why it is you left the Order."

"I already did tell you." Jon insisted, a hint of frustration in his voice. "The Order betrayed me, Father Belmont was going to-"

She shook her head emphatically. "I'm not talking about that. What I want to know is why you became a Devil."

He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out.

"I believe what you said about Father Belmont. Or at least...I want to believe you." Her eyes softened for a moment before turning hard again. "But what I still don't understand is why you never came back."

"Irina…"

"You could have gone to the Vatican." She insisted, a hint of anger in her voice. "You could have turned yourself in and plead your case. You could have tried to find me again." By the look in her eyes it was clear the fact that he didn't do that still hurt her. "Instead, you just vanish off the face of the Earth for years, just for me to find out that you've sided with Hell's Forces." Her gaze pierced right through him. "Why? Why did you run away? Why did you forsake us?"

The sound of crickets coming from outside was all that could be heard on the cold night air, as Jon silently gathered the words he'd been meaning to say for so long. With a deep, pained breath, finally, he spoke.

"Truthfully, I did want to come back."

Asia gasped in surprise, as did Irina.

"But…" He shut his eyes and cast his gaze away as guilt seized his heart. "...I was afraid."

"Jon." Asia reached out to him in concern.

"I was afraid of what I was." He continued undeterred, opening his eyes again and gazing at her sincerely. "Or rather...what I was turning into. I tried to find a way to stop the change, to alter my destiny. But…" He sighed. "...well, you can see for yourself how that turned out."

Irina frowned. While she didn't like his answer, she at least understood it. "But why a Devil?"

"That's...a long story. I didn't really have that much of a choice at the time. If you want the honest truth, Irina. I became a Devil for the exact same reason I wasn't about to let Father Belmont kill me. I did it because I didn't want to die a pointless death."

"Everyone has a choice, Jon." She insisted. "Your immortal soul is gone now. Don't you understand? You can never enter the Kingdom of Heaven."

He remained silent.

"Was the sacrifice worth it?" She asked insistently. "Did you...find some meaning behind what you gave up?"

After a moment, he smiled. "Yes, I did."

She stared at him incredulously, Asia meanwhile, smiled at him happily.

"Despite all the hardships I've endured, despite everything life has thrown at me, I survived. I endured. And in the end…"

He peered back at Asia and smiled at her. Her eyes lit up radiantly for him.

"...I finally learned to embrace who I really am."

Irina's expression softened and her guard finally lowered.

"I'm not Human, Irina." He insisted with a shake of his head. "I never was. The man you admired, the one the Church called Heaven's Revolver, that was all just a facade. A persona my subconscious created so that I might survive in a world that is actively hunting me."

"But…" Irina looked as if she wanted to protest.

"...my real name is Ddraig." Jon continued. "Now...I may not necessarily go by that. But, it's the truth. I am the reincarnated form of the Red Dragon Emperor." He raised his hands up and out, presenting himself to her. "This is the real me. I've come to accept it. And if there's ever going to be peace between us. You have to as well."

After a moment of thought, Irina sighed at him, her hands firmly on her hips. "You'll always be Jon to me…" She muttered, her cheeks turning red again. "Alright...fine."

He perked his head up, a faint hope blossoming in his heart.

"Tell me everything." She insisted. "Don't spare any details."

* * *

Rias and Akeno both moaned in ecstasy as they continued to submit themselves to the throes of their own erotic indulgences. Their legs were spread to either side and interlocked with one another as they both furiously ground their swollen clits together furiously.

"Like the jewelry?" Akeno asked whilst panting in lustful headiness. "I've been told it does wonders down there, but I've…" She moaned in pure delight before continuing. "...but I've never gotten a chance to try it myself."

Rias was in no position to talk as she continued to grind her hips against Akeno's pussy greedily. A hair's breadth away from another massive orgasm.

"Oh my." Her Queen smirked pridefully. "Is someone about to cum again?"

The President nodded before throwing her head back and putting her whole body into it.

"Me too if I'm being honest." Akeno turned her head to the side as her cheeks heated up. "I wanted to hold it in until you were closer but I don't think I can…" She raised her hand up and bit down on her knuckle hard. "...I don't think I can-"

Both girls cried out in pure erotic delight as their bellies tightened in the throes of each other's climax. After riding the euphoric wave for a moment they both collapsed back onto the stone floor. Panting for each labored breath as their brains slowly turned back on.

"That...that was-" Rias was trying to find the words. But there were none.

Akeno smiled lovingly at her before doing her best to turn around and slide her numb body over to Rias, taking the President by the waist. "In all fairness, I found you to be just as amazing. But then again, I always knew you would be, Ms. President."

"Akeno, I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told Asia." She responded, finally working up the energy to smile back. "We are way past Honoraries at this point."

Both girls laughed at one another before pressing their bodies close and kissing passionately. The two made out on the stone floor for a while before Rias finally broke away and stretched her back.

She groaned uncomfortably. "We didn't exactly pick the best spot to do this."

"Unfortunately I'll have to agree." Akeno sat up and popped her back as well. "If you'd like, I can always give you a massage later."

"You're a lifesaver." Rias replied gratefully before sitting up as well.

The two lovers stared into each other's eyes for a moment, as if just now truly seeing one another for the first time. This was so...weird. They'd been best friends for as long as they could remember and trusted each other emphatically. Yet never in their wildest dreams would they have considered their feelings manifesting this way.

"It's funny." Rias admitted, a slightly embarrassed look on her face. "I would have never considered doing something like this were it not for Jon."

Akeno's cheeks turned red. "So...confession time."

She peered at her Queen curiously.

"I've always sorta, kinda had feelings for you." Akeno admitted, her face turning scarlet.

Rias simply stared at her, too flustered to come up with a retort.

"Not that I would have ever admitted that." She continued, placing a hand against her cheek to hide her embarrassment. "And I wouldn't go so far as to say it was love but…" She sighed before placing her hand against Rias's face tenderly. "...I guess if things hadn't worked out with Jon, or if you had married Riser..."

"Akeno…" The President placed a hand against her fluttering heart.

"...I would have tried to be there for you." She confessed. "Because the truth is, as proud as I am to be your Queen, the fact that I'm your best friend…" Her eyes began to glass over. "...that just means so much more to me."

Rias's eyes began to glass over as well as she nodded her head in agreement. "So, are you going to say it first, or should I?"

Akeno felt her heart skip a beat as she glanced back at the President in disbelief. "So soon?"

"It's not really that soon if you think about it." Rias offered. "It's like you said, you've been my Best Friend for years. Now it's just...more than that." She cupped Akeno's face in her hands and gazed at her with adoring eyes.

"I love you, my Queen."

Akeno pressed her forehead against Rias's and shut her eyes as a content sigh escaped her lips. "Let's you and me make a promise. No matter what, we protect them. Okay? Not just Jon. But Asia and Koneko too. We protect them all, no matter what."

Rias nodded in wholehearted agreement. "Yes, no matter what we-"

It was then they both realized. Neither one of them mentioned Kiba in that equation. Judging by their expressions, it was clear they both knew the other was thinking about it as well.

"We've really taken our Knight for granted, haven't we?" Akeno spoke, guilt in her voice.

"Yes...I'm afraid so." Rias admitted shamefully. "Though it doesn't excuse his behavior as of late. I fear Koneko was right."

"So what do we do then?"

"We remind Kiba who his family is." She answered truthfully. "It's all we can do."

Akeno nodded in agreement. "I'll follow your lead, Rias."

The two lovers kissed again when they were suddenly interrupted by a female clearing her voice. They both pulled away and flushed before quickly getting back to their feet.

"I apologize for interrupting, Lady Gremory." Tsubaki turned her head away and blushed in embarrassment. "But something's come up that requires your attention."

Rias's expression turned serious. "Does it have to do with Jon?"

"I'm afraid so. The situation just got a bit more complicated."

* * *

Jon spent the next half hour telling Irina everything just as she wanted. From his escape, to his eventual arrival at Kuoh, to being stabbed through the chest and reincarnated as a Devil. While he didn't divulge any confidential information. (Or go too much into detail about the exact nature of the relationship he had with the ladies in his Peerage.) He otherwise spared nothing in recounting the details of his sordid past to her.

Irina took all the information in, seemingly deep in thought throughout his entire explanation. If she had an opinion or judgement to make she kept it to herself until he was done. Finally, at the conclusion of his story, she peered up at him. As if drawing a consensus.

"So that's everything." He wrapped up. "I've been loyal to Rias because she saved my life and helped me come into my own."

She remained silent, considering every word he had just said.

"Well?" Jon asked anxiously.

Finally, she approached him. Asia took a few steps towards them both anxiously. Still not fully trusting the Holy Sword User. Her nerves relaxed however, as Irina suddenly charged into Jon's arms and wrapped him up in a massive hug.

"I missed you." She quietly whispered as joyful tears rolled down her cheeks. "Ever since that night...I thought I would never see you again."

He relaxed his guard and hugged her back. A content smile on his face. "I missed you too. More than words could ever possibly describe."

As they gripped each other tighter Asia sighed in relief. The sound of a weapon's safety clicking off caught Jon's ear as Heaven's Revolver appeared in his left hand.

"Alright, come on out!" Jon barked at the nearby shadows.

Irina and Asia both stared at him in confusion before peering over at the area he was pointing his revolver at. Their eyes both widened in shock and horror as a blue haired woman dressed in the same cloak as Irina came out from the shadows. Her MP7A1 aimed directly at Jonathan.

"Xenovia!" Irina called out in surprise. "Wh...what are you doing here?!"

"Well done, Irina." The blue haired Holy Sword User commented. "You lead me right to them."

"B...but." She quickly turned to Jon. "No! It's not like that! I wasn't-"

He smiled assuredly and nodded his head. "Don't worry. I know you wouldn't purposefully lead us into a trap."

Her mouth hung open and her eyes shined at him. Even after all this time, her mentor still trusted her.

"Don't worry Irina. I'm not angry." Xenovia continued, her weapon trained on the Red Dragon Emperor. "If anything, I owe you an apology. I should have known that he had you under his spell."

"Spell?" She asked in confusion.

"A love spell, to be precise." Xenovia explained. "Dragon's possess the ability to enslave the minds of their victims."

"You have no earthly idea what you're talking about, Human." He growled at her threateningly. His eyes beginning to glow like two reptilian orbs.

"You see?" She pointed to him with her free hand accusingly. "This is what Jon really is, Irina. He's a monster, same as any other Devil."

"He's not a Devil!" Irina insisted. "He's a Dragon!"

Xenovia shook her head dismissively. "It makes no difference. Dragon's are abominations who enslave the minds of men and destroy everything they touch. They're no better than Devils, in fact they're worse."

"You sure do have a skewed view of the world." Jon retorted as the two circled each other warily. "Ignorant of all truths except the ones you make for yourself. The Church has taught you well."

"Do not speak of my faith as if you have any understanding of it, Beast." She retorted callously. "Once you've been destroyed Irina will be free of your magic and we can get on with our mission."

"Jon would never!" Asia insisted, raising a hand up to stop her. "Please, there's no need for violence!"

Xenovia's stoic expression soured as her gaze turned to Asia. "I was hoping that Irina would lead me to you as well. It makes sense that the Red Dragon Emperor would want his personal witch by his side while ensnaring another victim."

Asia's eyes went wide with horror.

"Wait!" Irina snapped out of it and intervened. "Hold on, Xenovia. You don't know the full story."

"No. You don't know the full story." She insisted angrily. "This woman is indirectly responsible for the deaths of over a dozen Hunters."

"Liar!" Jon barked at her, his nostrils flaring black smoke. "Asia would do no such thing."

The Blonde Beauty stared at the ground and gripped the hem of her skirt, her whole body starting to tremble as the color drained from her face.

"The Devil she healed, the one I had personally been tasked with destroying, went on to kill many of our fellow Hunters before disappearing back into the Underworld. Her actions prevented Divine Justice from being served, and lead to the deaths of our comrades."

Asia's legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground, shaking her head repeatedly in denial. "I didn't know. I swear to God I didn't know!" Tears fell from her eyes as she began violently sobbing.

The sound of his Treasure's pained cries sent Jon over the edge. Triggering the Dragon's Rage building up within him.

Xenovia laughed in a condescending tone. "You swear to our Lord? You really think he's still listening to you?"

Her sobbing only got worse.

"You're a former Healer turned Devil. You've fallen as far out of God's favor as one can possibly go."

"Enough." Jon growled in a threatening tone.

"Do you really still believe in our God?" Xenovia asked undeterred. "I've heard rumors of those who remain pious in the midst of their own selfish betrayal." Her tone suddenly became gentler. "Is it true, Asia? Do you still believe?"

"Yes." She pouted miserably, her voice catching as she continued to silently weep. "I've never been able to let go. I still believe."

Xenovia began walking towards her. "Then you should allow me to execute you this instance."

Her eyes widened with terror again as she gasped in fear.

"You've sinned in the worst way possible." The Holy Sword User explained coldly while raising her gun and pointing it down at the terrified girl. "But if you sacrifice yourself to my hand, God may yet forgive you. Let your soul be purged from this world and the Lord shall work through me to deliver you from your own wickedness."

"I've had enough of you!"

The sound of revolver fire echoed through the condemned building. Xenovia, having anticipated this, quickly threw up a Holy Barrier. Blocking all twelve rounds that came her way.

Jon was livid. His eyes wild as he gripped both Heaven's Revolver and Devil's Colt in his hands. He quickly twirled both guns on his fingers and took aim again.

"You have no right to call her that!" He bellowed in fury. "Not in my presence!"

Asia looked up from her tear soaked hands at her Dragon. Slowly her senses returned as she wiped her face clean. "Jon, I'm okay."

Xenovia smirked at him in a snide, derogatory manner. "Believe me, that's one of the nicest descriptions I have for someone who's done what she has."

"I don't want to hear it!" He roared. "You arrogant pricks are the ones who pushed Asia into becoming a Nun in the first place! You never cared about her, you were only after her Twilight Healing! She was better off without you!"

"I'm okay." Asia squeaked timidly, Jon's rage beginning to frighten her.

"A true believer can survive off the love of Christ alone." Xenovia clutched at the silver cross around her neck. "Any Nun who would forsake her vows simply to find peace was never a true Woman of God to begin with."

"Well that's fucking typical." He seethed. "Blaming the victim for their own suffering. She just needed to pray harder right? That would have saved her."

"I wouldn't expect a Dragon to understand." She replied coldly. "There are those of us who need nothing but his grace to overcome any hardship."

A sinister grin formed on Jon's lips. "Is that what you tell yourself?"

Xenovia's expression darkened.

"You know we did some fact checking on you back at Headquarters. Seems kind of funny to me that a girl kidnapped from her own parents could be so loyal."

"Jon, there's no need for that." Irina insisted.

"I mean, what kind of crazy Stockholm Syndrome are we talking about here?" He continued to egg her on, despite Irina's please. Xenovia, meanwhile, continued to glower more and more in anger. "There's blind faith and then there's just blind stupid."

The SMG began to tremble violently in her hand.

"You know what?" Jon's expression softened. "I pity you. You're so brainwashed you can't even tell when you've been duped."

"Jon…" Irina looked as if she wanted to intervene.

"I've got news for you, Little Missy. God has absolutely nothing to do with why you're here."

"Enough!"

Xenovia opened fire on Jon. Spraying Holy Rounds into the dark of night and illuminating her surroundings. The revolvers vanished from his hands as he brought both his arms up in an X formation. Two gauntlets appeared on his arms as a neon green barrier deflected each and every round that came his way.

"Did I hit a nerve?" He mocked before lowering his hands into a combat stance.

An aura of power enveloped her body moments before Xenovia charged him at inhuman speeds, dashing out of her cloak in the process. Jon blocked the hook she delivered whilst retaliating with a straight punch to the gut. As the two began to brawl, Irina tried desperately to intervene, removing her cloak and grabbing Excalibur Mimic.

"Xenovia! Jon! Stop fighting! You'll alert the Fallen Angels!"

Asia, who had since recovered and gotten back up, quickly ran out in front of Irina and put her hands up.

"We can't!" She implored. "It's too dangerous!"

"But…" Irina gazed at the two powerful warriors as they flashed in and out of existence, barely able to keep up with their movements. "Dammit! Why is fate mocking me like this?! The two people I care about more than anything in this whole world are killing each other, and I'm stuck in the middle! Why is this happening?!"

"They won't kill each other." Asia assured, trying to hide the slight tremor of fear in her voice. "Jon won't let it come to that."

Irina clenched her fists and shut her eyes tight in frustration. "I should have never come on this mission. All my life I just wanted to be as strong a Hunter as he was. But all I've done is make things so much worse. Is God testing me right now? Is my inability to face Jon a sign of my weakness?"

"No." Asia insisted before grabbing her by the shoulders. "It just means you care for him. Same as the rest of us."

"But…" She shook her head angrily. ""Gahhh! Why can't I get these conflicted feelings out of my head?! Ever since I saw him holding Heaven's Revolver again I just...I just…"

A sudden realization came over Asia. "Wait...when this happened, were you looking him in the eye?"

Irina peered at her questioningly. "I mean...I guess so. Why?"

She cupped her hands over her mouth in shock. "I knew it...Irina, you've been Imprinted!"

At that moment they were both nearly knocked off their feet by a shockwave created by the two juggernauts going head to head. Jon and Xenovia continued to exchange fists with one another. As Jon's power continued to boost he slowly started to gain the upper hand and push her back. A blue magical circle appeared to her right from which a sword handle was conjured forth. Xenovia gripped the handle and swung with her right hand. Jon barely had enough time to dodge the massive blade that followed.

"Jon, watch out!" Asia cried.

He dodged another huge downswing as Xenovia leapt into the air and attempted to smash the blade down on his head. The sword embedded itself in the ground below, leaving a massive crater behind.

"Between your Boosted Gear and Asia's Twilight Healing you Devils have certainly accrued quite a few of the Pagan's holy relics." She commented before taking another swing at him.

"Hate to break it to ya Darlin, but these gauntlets of mine are a package deal!" Jon boosted his power again and blasted her with hellfire. She quickly threw up a barrier so as not to get scorched. "You can't have one without the other. Not that Father Belmont could have possibly known that before he tried to put a knife in my heart."

"You really expect us to believe your betrayal was an act of self defense?" Xenovia challenged. "Even if what you say is true, you were better off allowing your soul to ascend to the eternal kingdom and seeking God's forgiveness for your past sins against him."

"Ah yes, the whole burning the Angel's Realm thing. Ddraig told me about that one." Jon knocked her back with a wave of green energy. "You know, some of his old memories have been leaking back. And if I'm recalling correctly, Heaven earned that scar after they tried to kill one of our Treasures."

As they continued to battle, a red portal opened up behind Irina and Asia. From which three young ladies came rushing out, worried looks on their faces. Rias, Akeno, and Koneko quickly took stock of the chaos that was ensuing.

"What happened?!" Rias asked frantically.

"It's my fault." Irina admitted shamefully. "I asked Jon to come here so we could talk, but Xenovia followed me."

"Should we intervene, Ms. President?" Akeno asked, her fingertips already dancing with electricity.

"Not yet." She raised a hand to stop her. "Let them wear themselves out first."

Akeno frowned in concern but otherwise cooperated. Placing her trust in Rias and in her Master. There was a sudden pause in the conflict whereupon Xenovia checked her surroundings. She silently cursed upon seeing just how hopelessly outnumbered she was.

"Give it up, Xenovia." Jon insisted. "I'm willing to spare you if you drop the sword." He then added with a slight edge to his voice. "Despite the things you said to Asia."

She smirked at him and raised her blade. "I've been in far tougher spots than this and still pulled through."

"There's no reason to keep fighting." Rias insisted. "Listen, we want to parley."

"We do?" Jon gave Rias a confused look.

"Something's come up." Akeno explained to him. "We'll talk about it. But we need her to stand down for a minute."

"Just how gullible do you think I am?" An aura of power enveloped her body yet again.

"Xenovia, let's at least hear them out." Irina implored. "Maybe we can find a peaceful solution to-"

"Peace?" Xenovia laughed at the thought. "So long as their kind exist on this Earth peace is an impossibility. We are Holy Sword Users, Irina. We do not parley with Devils!'

Jon sighed wearily before raising his gauntlet up into the air. "I really didn't want to have to do this. But if you're not gonna see reason then I have no choice."

"Oh dear…" Rias placed two fingers against her scrunched up nose. "...I thought he had benched that technique."

"What technique?" Irina asked.

"The rapey one." Koneko replied bluntly. "We all agreed he needed to stop using it for the sake of his reputation."

A magic circle appeared on Xenovia's shoulder. The moment Irina saw it she went wide eyed and blanched.

"A magic attack?! Jon, stop!"

Too late. He snapped his fingers and the magic circle detonated. The armor absorbed the blast and expelled it away in a wall of green light. Jon quickly deflected with a barrier spell.

The others were not so lucky.

Asia wailed indignantly as she, along with every other woman present save for Irina, was unceremoniously stripped of all her clothing and underwear. Koneko, taken completely off guard, turned bright red.

"Jon!" Rias chided while quickly covering herself. "What did you do?"

"Wh...I have no idea!" He insisted with a slightly panicked voice. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

"Our armor has a mid layer of alchemical fiber mesh embedded in it that absorbs direct magical attacks like that. Any excess is expelled from the suit in a wave of energy as you've just seen." Irina explained while rubbing her temples vigorously with her thumb and middle finger. "But for it to be used on such a perverse technique. Dear Lord, please forgive this man his lecherous mind."

Jon groaned in embarrassment. "Are you ladies okay?"

"We're fine." Asia was on her knees trying to cover herself and hide her scarlet face.

"The excess energy didn't seem to affect our magic reserves." Akeno observed, being the only one who seemed completely unbothered by her sudden nudity. "Just our modesty."

Xenovia stared for a moment before saying a silent prayer asking forgiveness for internally judging her opponent. "Honestly, I expected more from the Red Dragon Emperor. How typically male of you." She then raised her sword back into the air. "Now then, I think it's time we end this little game of ours."

He smirked at her before resuming a combat stance. "Ain't gotta tell me twice, Sugar. I've still got plenty left in the tank. So you just-"

Out of nowhere, Koneko charged in and delivered a hideous uppercut. Not to Xenovia, but to Jon. Who was so laser focused on his opponent that he completely failed to notice the pissed off four foot Rook come barreling at him. Jon went flying up through the ceiling onto the second floor, completely out of sight.

"Koneko, why?!" Asia asked in disbelief.

"Sicko freak…" She quietly seethed while covering herself with one hand.

"But he didn't do it on purpose." The bemused blonde whined.

She turned her head away, her cheeks crimson again. "So?"

Rias sighed before shaking her head in embarrassment, still covering herself with both hands. "We've been over this, you can't hit him just because you're flustered. It's poor form, Koneko."

"Sure I can." She insisted in her usual monotone, her whole body bristling.

Irina was completely aghast. "Does that happen to him a lot?" She asked worriedly.

"I'm afraid so." Rias retorted glumly. "Asia, be a dear and check to make sure he's okay. I don't want him suffering a concussion...again."

Asia nodded. "Right!" Her Devil wings unfurled and she flew up to the second floor. "Jon! Are you there? Do you need CPR?"

Xenovia stared up at the hole her opponent went through as the Blonde Naked Beauty vanished from sight. "I suppose this means I win."

"We'll call it a draw." Koneko retorted while turning away from the crowd.

* * *

After the battle, Irina worked to quickly defuse her partner while Akeno used her magic to reclothe everyone. Asia eventually returned with Jon, who was a little loopy but otherwise no worse for wear. While Akeno conjured her some new clothes, Asia worked on her Dragon's aching head.

"I think she knocked some teeth loose that time." He groaned while rubbing his sore jaw.

"I'll mend those next." Asia assured. "Just try to hold still."

As Jon received treatment Koneko approached him with her gaze cast to the floor shamefully.

"Come on Koneko, he's had enough." Asia inisted sternly.

She bowed her head low. "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have hit you."

Though shocked initially, Jon eventually smiled up at her before reaching to stroke her hair. She immediately started glaring daggers at him again.

"Aww, come on." He insisted with a teasing chuckle. "Don't you think I've earned it?"

Her hardened expression eventually softened and she sighed reluctantly before lowering her head again in pensive resignation. "Go ahead."

He contained his glee before gently stroking her hair. Jon was never allowed to do this. Koneko's silver hair was ridiculously soft and she made the cutest little 'murr' sound with each pet. It took every ounce of strength he had not to comment on how utterly adorable she was, knowing full well it could lead to her finishing the job she started on his teeth. So rather, he simply chose to enjoy the moment. Koneko's soft hair, her cute little murrs, and her bright red face.

"Are you done yet?" She whined pitifully.

"Alright alright. You're good to go." He finally lowered his hand, unable to contain the pleased grin on his face.

Completely flustered and her heart racing out of her chest, Koneko quickly made herself scarce. Asia couldn't help but giggle at her.

"She's still so shy. It's adorable."

Jon cocked a brow back at her in disbelief. "You've been spending way too much time around Rias. You're even starting to sound like her."

While Asia tended to Jon, Rias and Akeno worked on making tentative peace negotiations with the Holy Sword Women.

"I understand how you feel, Xenovia, believe me I do. But given everything that's happened since we arrived in the city, I don't think we can afford to just ignore the information they have." Irina insisted imploringly to her partner.

"Why should we trust them? They're Devils, Irina. Any deal we make with them is a victory for Lucifer."

"If I might speak." Rias stepped forward. "The Fallen Angel who has come into possession of your Holy Swords is Leader Class. Trying to go after him by yourselves would be suicide." She glared coldly at Xenovia. "I'm willing to forgive your transgressions against my Peerage. You've threatened my Bishop's life twice and attacked my Pawn. But I will let that go if you're willing to parley with me."

"Why in God's holy name would I do that?" She insisted.

A slick grin covered Rias's features. "Because if you don't, I'll ensure that Lucifer knows you're here. This attack on my Peerage is in clear violation of the ceasefire. The one that Archangel Micheal readily agreed to." She turned to Akeno. "Correct me if I'm wrong. But doesn't his authority supercede the Churches?"

Akeno chuckled at her President. "I believe so."

Xenovia growled in frustration while gripping the hilt of her sword tightly. Even Irina seemed a little peeved, if for no other reason than hearing Michael's name be taken in vain.

"Come now, don't you want to hear what we know?" Rias encouraged. "All I'm asking for is a chance to talk."

Both sides continued to silently glare at one another for a moment. Finally, reluctantly, Xenovia took a breath and shut her eyes. She prayed for forgiveness for what she was about to do before casting her gaze back to Rias.

"Very well. We'll listen to what you have to say." She then added with a threatening tone. "But I promise nothing. Are we clear?"

"Crystal." Rias spoke through clenched teeth despite the smile on her face.

With that, Xenovia shouldered her weapon and turned to leave. "Come Irina. We're done here."

Irina frowned worriedly at Jon, who was still being tended to by Asia. With a sigh and a heavy heart she eventually turned around and followed her partner out of the building. The moment they were gone, Rias turned and darted over to Asia and Jon, quickly wrapping her arms around both of them. Finally having a chance to let her guard down.

"I'm so glad you two are safe." She spoke with sincere relief. "I should have been paying more attention but I was...distracted at the time."

Akeno turned her eyes away and blushed as a knowing smile enveloped her features.

"Do you think it was alright to just let them walk away like that?" Jon asked. "What could be so threatening that we need to enlist the aid of the Church?"

Rias frowned as a palpable dread returned to her being. "I'll tell you later. Right now, I think it's best if we all just go home."

Asia smiled and nodded her head in agreement. "That sounds wonderful."

"Yeah, some shut eye will do me some good after that mess." Jon admitted.

"Actually Master…" Akeno smiled at him awkwardly. "...you've still got one more job to do tonight."

* * *

Dusk was long gone and night had come. Jon wasn't sure where the summoning circle had taken him this time but it was quite tranquil. A massive lodge was overlooking a pristine crystal clear lake, with nothing but the sound of crickets and the gentle breeze blowing through the trunks of evergreens making a sound.

Fishing wasn't his favorite activity in the world. But fucked if he was going to complain given the crazy day he'd had. Some time out on the docks among the fireflies and the crisp night air would do him some good.

"I can't believe how much she's grown." Jon spoke quietly to himself as he watched the glow in the dark bobber on his lure sway in the water. "She's...a woman now."

"What's the matter Dragon Boy? You look like you've got something on your mind."

Jon turned to see Aldin Zefford, the client who requested him, glancing over his shoulder with a friendly smile. Fishing pole in hand.

"Sorry, Al." Jon apologized. "I guess I've just got a lot on my plate."

"Bit unusual to see a Dragon worried about something, isn't it?" He observed, a slick grin on his face. "Things usually turn out pretty alright for your species. You've just gotta wait it out a bit."

"I've never been the patient type." Jon admitted.

His Host chuckled in amusement. "So is she cute?"

"Who?"

"That girl you were mumbling about a second ago." Aldin made an adjustment to his line. "I'm assuming you're adding her to your Treasure Horde."

Jon damn near dropped his pole with that comment. "What the hell gives you an idea like that?"

He shrugged. "Why else would you be interested in her?"

"She happens to be a dear friend of mine." He spoke up in irritation. "Practically family."

"You consider your Treasures family too, don't you?" Aldin challenged. "Seems like a natural step up to me."

"This is different." He insisted with a more annoyed tone. "Irina was just a kid when we first met. I watched her grow up."

"And she's a woman now." His host replied with a cheeky grin. "You said so yourself."

Jon remained silent. It's true his feelings on the matter were...conflicted. On the one hand, Irina was one of the closest women he had in his life outside of his Peerage. It would make sense to want to make her a bigger part of his life, assuming that's what she truly wanted. On the other hand, she was a member of the Church. He still felt some deal of guilt for separating Asia from her God, he wasn't sure how he felt about doing that to Irina as well.

Asia made the transition fairly easily, but he somehow doubted she would take to it the same way.

"It's complicated." Jon finally admitted. "Let's just drop it for now."

"Fair enough." Aldin replied indifferently. They continued to sit in silence for a moment before he turned his head and asked a different question. "So which one's your favorite?"

Jon peered at him in confusion. "My favorite...Treasure?"

"No, salad dressing." He replied sarcastically. "Of course Treasure!"

His expression turned sour and he looked away. "No."

"No what?" Aldin asked in amusement.

"We're not doing this." Jon insisted, trying to focus on his fishing.

"Why not?" He laughed. "Is it really that uncomfortable a subject for you?"

He shook his head dismissively. "No. I just don't have a favorite."

"Oh come on." Aldin insisted. "You really mean to tell me that out of three women you don't have one you like even just slightly better than the others?"

"Each one of them is different." He replied without missing a beat. "To compare one of my Treasures to the other would not only be unfair, it would make no sense. I cherish each of their unique traits for completely different reasons."

Aldin burst into laughter. "That's such a fucking cop out answer. But okay, I'll bite. How is it you can appreciate each one like an individual, when they are clearly a group?"

He bit his tongue to remain tactful despite his Host beginning to seriously piss him off. "My senses don't work the same way yours do. Just trust me when I tell you it's different."

"Explain it to me, then." Aldin insisted. "If you want me to take your word for it."

Jon sighed wearily before placing his fishing pole into a crevice in the docks to keep it up right. "Each of my Treasures, while sharing some similarities, are wholly unique. Physically, mentally, and spiritually. Physically, I'm not just talking about the shape of their bodies or the color of their hair. The subtle texture differences of their skin, the soft glow of their eyes, the pitches in their voices. That sort of thing."

He shifted his full attention to Jon, clearly intrigued. "Okay. So what else?"

"Well mentally, each girl's personality is wholly different. But where humans might try to lump each of my Treasures into a certain Archetype, I can appreciate the subtle differences in their moods and how they're affected by the world around them." A small smile formed on his lips. "Seeing them grow and develop is something I also am quite personally fond of. In all honesty, it's the moments where they continue to surprise me that I live for."

"And their spirits?"

Jon thought for a moment on how best to explain this. "That one is tricky. See, a lot of men claim they can feel a woman's spirit. I can actually see it."

Aldin leaned forward and rested his chin on his knuckles. "And what is it you see when you look at their spirits?"

"The true source of their beauty. And the thing that ultimately makes each of my Treasures unique." Jon explained. "Rias, for example, her soul is like that of a Ruby. Passionate, driven, and brimming with authority. The sort of gem that one would find nestled in the crown of a King."

He remained silent and allowed him to continue.

"As for Asia. Hers should be obvious. When I peer into her soul I see nothing but gold. Shining, bright, wealthy. Hers is a soul that bares all traits that man covets more than anything, love, compassion, courage. Which is why I tend to be even more protective of her. The wealth of my Asia's soul attracts the corrupt and the greedy alike." He relaxed back into his folding chair. "And as for Akeno, hers is still a mystery to me. I see so many different patterns and colors. Lapis stones, amethyst as well, yet encased in a ring of pure silver. Such dark shades, set in place by a bright metal. It's the mystery I get to explore that is part of what has me so enraptured with her."

Aldin took all of this in and seemed to consider him in a different light. "Well alright then, you've convinced me. But let me ask this, what does that Irina girl's soul look like to you?"

Jon stared back out over the river, lost in thought.

"I haven't looked yet."

"What? Why not?" He asked, slightly annoyed by the answer.

He shrugged indifferently. "Simple. She's not mine to look at. If she wants to be, Irina will make that choice. But until then, the color of her soul is not something for my eyes to see." Jon's expression took on a sudden sharpness. "I only peer into the souls of my Treasures...and my worst enemies."

His comment brought the conversation to a halt. Suddenly, Jon's line started whirring as a fish tugged on the lure.

"You might wanna get that."

* * *

Koneko's mind was lost in a fog of uncertainty that night as she wandered the grounds of Kuoh Academy. Her thoughts and feelings torn in two completely opposite directions. On the one side was one of her best friends. The Knight who helped her feel welcome in the Peerage when she was at her lowest. Kiba was important to her, in that he was much like her older brother.

But then on the other hand, there was the other guy she couldn't get out of her head.

"Kiba…" She quietly spoke to herself. "...what am I supposed to do?"

Her family was in danger. She couldn't confirm it but somehow she just knew. After all, the Rook had followed that Limo all the way back to Kuoh. While she didn't overhear the conversation, Koneko did see Kiba leaving the Limo with that suspicious looking vial. What it was meant for was something she could only guess at. But no matter the answer, she was certain it wasn't good.

"You wouldn't really, would you?"

"I wouldn't really what?"

She gasped in surprise before turning sharply around. Kiba was there, leaning against a nearby tree, an aura of darkness surrounding him.

"Kiba." Koneko appeared to be genuinely worried. "What's gotten into you lately? This isn't...like you."

His expression only turned darker. "This isn't the real me? What about you? Since when does Koneko Toujou worry about anything?"

She frowned solemnly before casting her gaze away.

"For all your talk of being stronger than the others, in the end, you're giving into your feelings for him too. Aren't you?"

She remained silent, her eyes shut as her cheeks turned the slightest shade of pink.

Kiba sighed before lifting himself off the trunk of the tree. "And now I hear there's talk of peace with the Excalibur Users. Is that true?"

"It's for the good of our Peerage." She replied weakly. "The real enemy is Kokabiel."

"Maybe for you." He glared daggers down at her. "But Kokabiel is the one offering me my vengeance. You're the ones trying to get rid of it." He took a healthy step towards her, to which the Rook took a healthy step back. "Help me out here, Koneko. The lines between friend and foe are starting to blur together incredibly thin."

"But...we're your family." Her eyes began to glass over. "Don't you remember what it was like for me at all when I first came here? I was so lonely Kiba. But you were the one that helped me fit in with everyone. Does that not matter at all?"

His gait remained stiff, his eyes resolute. "Nothing matters now but my vengeance." Kiba turned and walked away. "Either convince Jon to help me destroy those swords...or I'll take matters into my own hands."

As he began to walk away, Koneko shut her eyes and clenched her fists tightly.

"If you try to hurt him I'll stop you."

Kiba stopped dead in his tracks. While he didn't turn around, he did speak to her.

"Just report me then."

She cast her gaze up at him incredulously. "What?"

"Turn me in to Rias, if that's what you really want." Kiba glanced back at her, a cruel grin on his face. "Of course, if you do that, she'll likely just have me executed."

She felt her stomach bottom out. How had he become so needlessly cruel? He knew that wasn't an option.

"Either help me or stay out of my way." He insisted coldly before turning his head and walking in the opposite direction. "Because otherwise, I have no use for any of you."

His words cut her deep. As Kiba walked away, Koneko collapsed to her knees. The hopelessness of her situation sinking down on her like a weight.

"I...I need help."


	13. Chapter 13

They were early that morning. Irina was already an anxious mess what with the prospect of seeing Jon again. Mixed feelings didn't even begin to describe it. Her head and stomach were so twisted in knots she felt like a pretzel.

"Nervous?" Xenovia asked as they calmly approached the Occult Research Club Headquarters.

"You could say that."

"Good. You should be." She adjusted the hood of her cloak. "We're entering a Devil's Haven. The heart of enemy territory."

That thought had crossed Irina's mind, yes. But it was far from the true reason she was so jittery. Now that she and Jon were talking again, all those old feelings were coming back, along with the insecurities. It was nice to know they could potentially be friends again, but what else did that mean? Asia Argento mentioned something about being Imprinted to Jon, and while she had no clue what that meant at first, the information she was able to gleam from Church Archives made her heart flutter. The idea that she was spiritually bonded to her former mentor certainly painted an intimate, and admittedly scandalous, picture. And she'd be lying to herself if she said it didn't excite her greatly.

And yet with this excitement came a healthy dose of shame as well. Irina's loyalty was still to her Lord, and Jon, for all his wonderful qualities and charm, was a creature whose existence directly opposed God's divine mandate. He was a being of arrogance, pride, lust, rage, so many raw emotions made manifest by unbridled power.

The Wild Flame. The Red Dragon Emperor. While certainly an impressive title, and one she could even grow to respect, that didn't change the fact that Jon was flying the wrong team's colors. Be it for himself or for another mandate she couldn't possibly hope to understand.

Was Jon meant to be a generous blessing from her Lord? Or a gruelling test of her faith? She searched her soul countless times yet still she could not find the answer. And that frustrated her to no end.

The silver lining to all of this was that Jon seemed truly happy now. It really felt as if he had found his identity. And the dark cloud that once hung over his head in a perpetual gloom now seemed miles away. Everything about him was so much...brighter. As lonely as she had been without him around, Irina found some solace in the fact that he'd ended up with a group of friends that seemed to genuinely care about him the way she did.

And they were just friends...right?

"Don't let your guard down for even a second." Xenovia warned. "Though God's grace will be with us his eyes will not. We're entering the House of Kane."

"Believe me, I have no intention of dropping my guard." Irina assured. "That being said, I do at least want to try to be civil. It'll be hard to negotiate if our Hosts are expecting a knife in the back."

"You think they'll extend the same courtesy to us?" Xenovia questioned with a skeptical tone. "We're the ones at a disadvantage here. Not them."

"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

"Matthew 5:44." She answered. "I'm not entirely sure this is what Christ had in mind."

Irina pouted at her in frustration. "Then how about this one? The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Xenovia shook her head. "Not a verse. That's an Arabic Proverb wrongfully attributed to a prince who was betrayed and decapitated by his own subjects."

She groaned in exasperation. "Okay, but the sentiment still holds." Irina sighed in a melancholy tone. "The point I'm trying to make is we should see this as an opportunity."

Her partner cocked a brow at her. "An opportunity for who? I wonder."

Ignoring Xenovia's comment for now, Irina continued to make her way towards the ORC building before knocking politely on the front door.

"Remember to smile." She insisted.

"Uggh." Xenovia groaned with a roll of her eyes.

The knob to the front door slowly turned as a beautiful girl of the Orient greeted them with a smile and a polite bow.

"Welcome. So glad you could come."

"It's...Akeno, right? I hope we're not too early." Irina smiled politely before elbowing her partner who plastered on a fake smile as well.

Akeno shook her head assuredly. "It's no trouble at all, please come with me."

As they slowly made their way inside, Xenovia kept one hand on her cross and the other on the SMG strapped to her hip. The two Holy Swordswomen followed Akeno up a flight of stairs, passing by the gothic decor and satanic paintings that made even Irina start to feel a little uncomfortable.

"Blessed Lord but this would make Pope Francis keel over in his chair." Xenovia commented under her breath to which Irina stomped on her foot. If Akeno heard, however, she didn't seem to care.

"We're right in here." She explained while opening the door to the Chapter Room. "I'll let Rias know you've arrived. The others shouldn't be too far behind her."

Akeno left to go inform Rias of their guests arrival while Irina and Xenovia both took a seat on one of the couches. Xenovia was clearly uncomfortable and it showed.

"You should try to relax." Irina whispered insistently. "You look like you're going to pull out your gun and start shooting at any second."

"I can't help it." She whispered back just as insistently. "We are surrounded by sin incarnate."

"Look, I'm not comfortable either. But we need to think about this objectively. Just remember that we're here to-"

"Hey, Rias." A strong male voice spoke up. "Have you seen my belt? I'm pretty sure I left it somewhere in the…"

Irina was truly in no way shape or form prepared for what just walked in. Standing at the other end of the room was a completely naked Jonathan Hyodo with only a towel saving her from a sight that would likely have been permanently etched into her consciousness for the rest of time. Naturally, the indignant scream and sharp head turn that came next completely flipped the tables on her. Now she was the one who would rather be anywhere else at that moment.

"Irina?" Jon calmly gripped the door frame above him with both his tree trunk like arms, his body still glistening with the water of the shower he clearly just got out of. "You ladies sure are early. We weren't expecting you for at least another hour."

"W...we-" Her face burned the brightest scarlet imaginable and her heart was thumping out of her chest at a mile a minute. "We're early…"

Xenovia looked at Irina, and then at Jon, and then at Irina again as she very quickly figured out what was going on. She sighed in exasperation before rubbing her temples vigorously.

"Blessed Lord...and to think you were giving me grief a moment ago."

"Shut up!" She whispered frantically, still covering her sight with the palm of her hand. "Please just make him go get dressed!"

"Why me?" Xenovia whispered back.

"Just do it!" She insisted. "Please! But don't tell him I'm uncomfortable!"

"That's...quite a request. How am I supposed to convey-"

"Just think of something!" She pleaded hysterically. "Quick! Before he starts making conversation!"

"Something wrong, Irina?" He asked, his chiseled body seemingly carved from stone. Each scar on his chest and arms telling a different story.

"She's fine." Xenovia assured with as best a poker face as she could manage. "It's just that-"

"Xenovia isn't comfortable with you being so naked!" Irina blurted out incredibly loudly before her partner had a chance to get a word in edgewise. "You should put clothes on! Like...right now!"

"Huh?" Jon gave her a confused look. "You sure about that? I can hear your heart beating from here, Irina. If anyone is anxious right now it's you."

"Oh! It's just...I'm not used to such, uhh, Gothic Architecture." She laughed nervously. "I'm still trying to get settled in. It's Xenovia who has the problem, not me." Irina began frantically tapping on Xenovia's shoulder. "Tell him! Tell Jon how uncomfortable you are right now."

"But I don't care." Xenovia quietly responded to her. "It's just naked flesh, why should that be a concern to-"

The look Irina was giving her at that moment was a combination of panic, anger, and desperation as sweat began forming on her brow. Finally, with a reluctant sigh, Xenovia spoke up.

"Yes, it's true. I'm not comfortable with such...nudity this early in the morning." She commented, doing her best not to sound completely dull and lifeless. "If it's all the same, could we possibly convince you to get dressed?"

He chuckled in amusement, a shit eating grin plastered on his face. "Yeah, she's always been weird about nudity too. There was this one time we were both stuck in a cave in Northern Arizona…"

As he told his undoubtedly mortifying story Irina pleaded to Xenovia in a panicked voice. "Make him stop! Make him stop! Make him stop! Make him stop! Make him stop!"

She cleared her throat abruptly in the middle of his story. "Yes that's quite fascinating, but if you don't mind, I'd rather you get dressed now. I...feel my womanly urges tearing at me. I might blush if you remain here for much longer." She spoke in a complete monotone.

Jon gave them both the weirdest look imaginable. What an odd pair they truly were out of the context of battle. With a shrug of his shoulders he turned around and left the room. As he did so, Xenovia took a moment to look over his features.

"Well now. I can clearly see where your mind has wandered off to these past few days."

"Oh stop it." Irina swatted her partner on the arm indignantly before fanning her face to reduce the redness. "I don't claim to be a perfect servant anymore than you do."

Xenovia chuckled at her. "Fair enough. Just try not to let such thoughts cloud your judgement. We'll pray for forgiveness later."

She nodded agreeably. "Don't worry. I'm all business now."

"Indeed?" A devious grin enveloped her partners features as she suddenly looked back towards the door Jon came from. "Back already? I thought I told you to get dressed."

Irina squeaked indignantly before covering her eyes again. Xenovia laughed quietly to herself as it slowly dawned on her that she'd been duped. Irina then cast two angry eyes back at her partner.

"Not funny!"

"You're the one making me go through this." Xenovia insisted. "Am I not allowed to try to have a little fun?"

"Not at my expense!" Irina whined. "Thou shalt not humiliate your Partner!"

"I don't recall that being anywhere in the Ten Commandments." She replied without missing a beat.

Before Irina could go off on Xenovia, Rias Gremory entered the room from the door behind them. The moment they sensed her presence both Holy Swordswomen straightened their posture and completely regained their serious dispositions.

"Thank you both for agreeing to speak to us today." Rias commented with prideful professionalism. It was clear by her tone of voice she was all business. "After yesterday's events, I was worried you might have second thoughts." She admitted while taking a seat on the couch opposite of them.

"It's fascinating to me." Xenovia spoke up, jumping right into it. "As to why a Devil would wish to meet with two of God's servants."

"It...does seem random." Irina admitted, slightly off put by her partners sour attitude. "But here's the thing. Those three Holy Swords are absolutely vital to the Church. And for them to fall into the hands of Fallen Angels would be absolutely devastating."

Rias crossed her arms under her chest and rested one leg on top of the other. "On that last part, at least, we are both in agreement."

"So what is it you wish to discuss?" Xenovia asked somewhat impatiently. "No offense, but I don't see how a simple Armistice will bring about any lasting peace between us."

"Oh don't get me wrong. I'm not concerned about that whatsoever." Rias insisted. "But we should wait for the others to show up before we continue."

As if on que, Akeno arrived with Koneko, Asia, and Jonathan in tow. The latter of whom was now, much to Irina's relief, completely clothed. Albeit missing his signature jacket and hat. The sleeves of his black dress shirt had been rolled up past his elbows and the top two buttons were undone. Irina immediately began to clam up again. If she wasn't sure God was testing her before, she was all but certain of it now.

"I can't help but notice your Knight is missing." Xenovia commented somewhat warily.

"Kiba is...going through some personal problems at the moment. I felt it best not to include him in this discussion out of respect for my guests." Rias answered honestly.

Koneko frowned and turned her head back toward the door in deep concern.

"Regardless, now that everyone is present. We can begin negotiations."

"Tell us what it is you're proposing and we will listen." Irina assured.

"Though we promise nothing." Xenovia insisted.

"Fair enough." Rias continued completely unphased. "What I am proposing is this. A temporary truce while we hunt down the lost pieces of your precious Excalibur and deal with the ones responsible appropriately. In exchange for our cooperation, all we ask in return is that you strike my Pawn and Bishop's names from Church records as well as any 'Wanted List' they might be on."

"I have to be honest." The Blue Haired Holy Sword User crossed her arms and strummed her fingers warily. "Your conditions aside, I'm not entirely comfortable involving your kind in this matter. Considering the nature of the objects we're seeking. I'd much rather us agree to a simple temporary ceasefire. We will not pursue you or any members of your Peerage for so long as we are hunting the Holy Swords. Provided you stay out of our way."

Rias's smile belied a sinister malevolence. "As I've already made it clear, this is not an enemy the two of you can deal with on your own. You'll need assistance if you hope to bring down Kokabiel."

"In that case we'll simply ask for assistance from our own Brethren." She retorted confidently. "I'll agree to a ceasefire. But I'm not going to promise your Pawn's removal from our records."

"We're already under a ceasefire, if you'll recall." Akeno spoke up, the slightest hint of an edge to her voice. "By so brazenly attacking one of our own, you're risking open conflict with Hell's forces." She then added with a wicked grin. "Something you can't really afford right now, can you? What with your own forces being spread so terribly thin."

"I'm in agreement with my Queen." Rias added just as wickedly. "If assistance from the Church was really an option for you then they would have sent it already. In fact, I'm willing to bet you already tried that."

Xenovia tsked in annoyance, they had called her bluff.

"Though I'll commend you for trying to bolster your bargaining position, I feel the need to warn you not to overplay your hand. We know how desperate your situation is. Whether you wish to admit it or not." The President warned.

"We're not as feeble as you may think." She responded with an intense glare. "Your Devil Pride cannot change the fact that we possess the stronger arsenal. The Holy Swords Excalibur-"

"Are no longer in your possession." Rias sharply cut in. "How many more Holy Relics can you truly afford to lose? And for that matter, how many more Holy Sword Users can you afford to let die?"

"All the more reason why you shouldn't get involved." Xenovia insisted sternly.

"That sounds like an accusation." She observed with a miffed smile on her face. "Are you afraid we'd compromise our neutrality by keeping the Holy Swords from you?"

"We know you have one in your group who can handle Holy Objects without suffering God's reprisal." The Blue Haired woman was glaring directly at Jon as she spoke. "What's to stop you from using him to get to the swords?"

Rias's eyes began to glow red with unholy power. "Let me share something with you. I would never compromise my family's integrity in that way. Furthermore, I would never risk the ceasefire my Dear Brother Lucifer has spent so long trying to preserve. You are the aggressors here, not us."

"And yet you're harboring an enemy of the Church." Xenovia replied, her own aura of power beginning to envelope her. "One who possesses a weapon capable of destruction on an unprecedented scale. Do you really expect me to turn a blind eye to the threat you pose simply because we have a mutual enemy?"

This was bad, Rias and Xenovia were both starting to get pissed, and communication was breaking down.

"If I can jump in here." Irina spoke up, already sensing the tension forming in the room. "I feel like we're getting off track. Wasn't the whole point of this meeting to discuss an Armistice?"

"I agree." Jon added. "Look, Xenovia I get you don't like us. If it's any consolation, we ain't terribly crazy about you either." He admitted bluntly. "But this goes far beyond our personal grievances. If something's not done about Freed and his Master, we're all going to be in trouble."

Rias and Xenovia both looked at Jon and Irina respectively before reluctantly nodding at one another.

"They make a fair point." Rias admitted.

"That they do." Xenovia added.

Both Jon and Irina sighed in relief before smiling at each other. Glad that they were doing their part to maintain peace between the group.

"We'll need to fully discuss terms if you're serious about this Armistice." Xenovia finally seemed to relax back in her seat. Content that she would be there for awhile.

An idea popped into Rias's head. "I couldn't agree more. But while we work out the details, your partner should take a tour of the campus."

"Oh, I appreciate it." Irina laughed awkwardly. "But I really should stay and hear the negotiations."

"Are you sure? I'm certain Jon would love to show you around." She then turned to her Pawn with a devious smile on her face. "Wouldn't you?"

He smirked at her before casting his gaze over to Irina. "Only if she's up for it."

Irina broke out into an ecstatic smile, sparkles in her eyes, before quickly regaining her composure upon seeing the sour grumpy look Xenovia was giving her. "Well...I mean…" She sighed in disappointment before hanging her head. "...no, I should stay."

Her partner rolled her eyes in disbelief. "Just go. I'll take care of things here."

The brunette was elated. She quickly hopped up and ran over to Jon before taking his arm and squeezing tight. However, upon seeing that the whole room was staring at her, Jon included, she quickly pulled away. Her cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

"So, uhh, we should go, I guess." She chuckled nervously.

Jon then smiled and offered his arm to her again. Irina's breath caught in surprise before she gingerly took the offered arm, her face turning even redder as they made for the door.

"Man…" Koneko pointed out in a flat monotone. "...that chick is thirsty as Hell."

* * *

Jon and Irina exited the ORC Headquarters and began the tour of campus. Irina clutched at his arm gingerly as they walked, an awkward silence hanging in the air.

"Guess we've been exiled." Irina laughed nervously.

He chuckled at her. "I mean hey, works for me. I've never been a big fan of politics anyway."

She smiled at him, relaxing a little more. "Some things never change." As Irina began to get more comfortable, she finally took a moment to look around the campus she was walking on. "This really is a gorgeous school."

"Kuoh Academy is one of the most beautiful and tranquil places I've ever been." Jon admitted. "Even the old Monastery never seemed quite this...serene."

"I'll take your word for it." She ran a hand through one of her twin tails. "So...do you really think we can make this work? The Armistice, I mean."

"If we're lucky. But then again, I have a feeling luck's on our side." He replied optimistically.

She nodded in agreement. "Hell, if we play our cards right we might all get lucky."

Jon cocked a brow at her, an amused grin on his face.

Irina turned scarlet again. "Wow! That uhhh, that did not come out right at all."

He chuckled assuredly. "It's alright. I know what you meant."

She sighed in relief before smiling. "It's just nice to think that we may be able to be friends again."

"I don't see why not." Jon spoke frankly. "Rias can be a little protective but she's hardly overbearing. And your partner seems pretty chill about the whole situation." He scratched the back of his head and chuckled awkwardly. "Now that she's not actively trying to take my head off anyway."

"Believe me, she's not happy about this." Irina admitted glumly. "But I'm hoping if we work together, she'll come to realize you're not an enemy."

"So long as you understand that, that's all I really care about." He replied before suddenly stopping and turning to her. "You do understand that, right?"

She nodded at him, her smile returning again. "I may not trust Devils. But I do trust you."

"That's all I needed to hear."

While the two friends caught up, a group of uninvited spies watched on from the nearby bushes. Binoculars in hand. Matsuda, Motohama, and Aika peered at Jon warily from their hiding spot, looks of jealous envy on both boy's faces.

"Man! Johnny Boy went and bagged himself Babe number four." Matsuda whined through his binoculars. "And she's got the Hot fresh out of Highschool vibe going for her!"

"Can't gather appropriate data." Motohama growled. "Too much clothing."

"She's cute, I'll admit." Aika spoke up. "But how old is she? Eighteen? Nineteen? What's Jon doing messing around with a Freshman?"

"A smoking hot brunette freshman!" Motohama insisted. "Man, what I wouldn't give to see what's under those robes. I bet she's all filled out."

"Has he no shame?" Aika continued undeterred. "That girl looks young enough to pass for his little sister!"

"Now that's some roleplay I could get into." Motohama commented in a rather creepy tone.

"Yeah, I bet he has her dress up as Shiro from No Game no Life and the two of them explore their ultra sweet forbidden passionate love for one another!" Motohama declared boisterously.

They both burst into a fit of crocodile tears of pure envy.

"Jonathan Hyodo! How did you get to be so lucky?!"

Aika stared at them in bewilderment, her left eyebrow starting to twitch. "You two need some serious therapy." She snapped her fingers to call for attention. "Now listen up. Since our last attempt at recon failed spectacularly, it's time to execute our next strategy."

The Perverted Duo gave an obtuse salute.

"Aye aye, Captain! Commencing plan B!"

A wicked gleam appeared in her eyes as she adjusted her spectacles. "Alright, no more messing around with phony lipstick microphones. It's high time we brought out the big guns. Motohama, if you'd be so kind."

Motohama reached into his school bag and pulled out a small metallic spider with a red lens for an eye.

"This little baby is the latest in camera drone technology. The RI-787. Codenamed, the Spyder."

Aika snickered like an evil genius. "Excellent! This will help us infiltrate the ORC for sure." She knocked the flat of her fist against the palm of her hand. "Now then, it's time to give our newest piece of tech a field run." She pointed obtusely at Jon and the young brunette girl with a single finger. "Let's send in the drone and gather data on Jon's latest Arm Candy!"

While the Trio hatched their latest scheme. Irina and Jon stopped walking long enough to take a break on a nearby bench and talk for awhile.

"It's still so hard to believe." Irina sighed contently while looking up towards the sky. "That after all these years we found each other again."

He smiled in agreement. "I know what you mean."

"This truly is a blessing from the Lord." Irina clutched at the silver cross around her neck, a small frown forming on her features. "But I guess you would disagree, wouldn't you?"

Jon sat for a moment in silence while he came up with the right words to say. Finally, after leaning back in the bench with his arms spread out in a relaxed state, he spoke.

"I've had a lot of time to think about it. And I've decided I'm not going to blame him anymore."

Irina gave Jon an almost hopeful look.

He took a breath and sighed in acceptance. "I've been bitter for so long. At God, at the World, at life in general. I wasted years of my life obsessing over everything that was taken away from me." A sad smile formed on his lips. "It was only after I completely shrugged away every last bit of humanity I had left that I was able to see all the things life had given me back in return. Ironic, I know, but there you have it."

She hid it well, but that answer made her unbelievably sad. Why couldn't he have figured it out sooner? Why couldn't she have saved him before it went this far?

"Now I know he's never gonna speak to me again. Not after what I did. I can accept that." He continued. "But I'm not gonna hold that against him. Not anymore. From now on, I'm focusing on what I can control. And that's doing right by my people. I made this choice, and I'm going to commit to it."

Irina placed a hand over his, keeping her gaze turned away. "It's not that he won't speak to you ever again. It's that he can't speak to you ever again."

Jon chuckled humorlessly. "Right. Honestly, I think I prefer the idea that he's pissed off rather than disappointed."

She shook her head, an apologetic look on her face. "Sorry, but that's not how it works. He was never angry with you, Jon. When you left God's sight, you broke his heart." Her expression turned downcast. "Just like you broke mine."

"Irina…"

"One word. That's all I needed." Her voice filled with hurt and frustration. "One word and I would have come to find you. I would have helped if you had let me."

"Irina listen." Jon insisted. "There's something very important you're not hearing."

She gave him a curious look. Jon clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. "I've made my peace with God. But I have not forgiven the Church."

That stung. But she didn't comment. Irina knew Jon had major grievances with the Church and with the Order in general. Not only for what they almost did to him. But to his friend Asia as well.

"I can't blame God, but I sure as Hell can blame them. Now I may regret not coming to find you after I left, but I was never going to come back to the Order, Irina."

After a moment of thought, she silently nodded her head and smiled. "I guess I'll just have to accept that. At least we have our memories."

"Of course we do." He insisted, becoming a little more upbeat again. "I don't regret the time I spent there. And I certainly don't regret the time I spent with you."

She blushed. "We had a pretty wild ride, didn't we?"

He chuckled in agreement. "You can say that again. Damn, you remember that one Hunt we did? The one in Vermont?"

She sat up with rejuvenated vigor. "I remember that Witch casting a spell on me and turning us against each other."

"Yeah...that one wasn't exactly our best moment. I reckon we spent more time fighting each other than we did trying to flush her out of the house."

As Jon and Irina reminisced on the past together, Aika, Matsuda, and Motohama finished setting up their new spy drone.

"Come on. Come on! What's taking so long?" Aika asked impatiently.

"Chill out. The software just finished updating." Motohama insisted with a hint of annoyance while he punched keys into his personal laptop. "Okay, we're good to go."

The tiny drone whirred to life before skittering along the sidewalk towards its two targets. Who by now were openly laughing at whatever funny story they were telling.

"Okay, we're in range." Motohama declared. "Activating internal microphone now."

"I'm still sore just thinking about it." Irina continued as they tuned in to the conversation through the speakers on Motohama's laptop. "You were really laying into me."

"He was laying into who now?!" Aika spoke in abhorrence.

"Shut up! We wanna hear this." Matsuda and Motohama both listened intently.

"I had no idea you could move like that. Of course back then I guess you had way more experience than I did." Irina continued.

"Hey you weren't half bad yourself." Jon spoke up. "I may have had reach on my side but you definitely had me beat when it came to flexibility."

The Perverted Duo's jaws hit the floor. Aika turned pale as a ghost, completely aghast by what she was hearing.

"You knocked me senseless." Irina replied rather enthusiastically. "Of course, the moment I had my head on straight that was when the Witch joined the party."

"Party? What party?" Aika stammered.

"Sounds like a Halloween Party. Lucky bastard was knocking her and a hot witch at the same time. I just know it!" Motohama seethed.

"It was probably Asia." Matsuda surmised. "She'd make a totally sexy witch."

"A...Asia?" Aika blanched as her body started to tremble.

"Of course, things really took off when we started double teaming her. I still remember how surprised she was when you smashed in the back door." Irina continued.

Matsuda and Motohama had hearts in their eyes. Meanwhile, Aika was a ghost.

"Gyaaaah I can't take this anymore! We're done!" She quickly snatched the laptop away from Motohama. "Get the drone out of there before they talk more!"

"Hey wait! We wanna hear the rest!" Motohama protested. As the two wrestled for control of the drone, the small camera on legs went haywire and slowly began climbing up the bench, and then up Irina's robe.

Jon and Irina continued to laugh at their story before settling back in to the bench.

"Hey…" His old pupil spoke quietly. "...I know you and Asia can't talk to God anymore. So from now on, I'm gonna do it for you."

He was speechless.

"I don't want to hear any griping, okay? I'm serious about this." Her face broke out into a light blush as she turned away. "I'll be your mitigator and speak to God on your behalf."

"Irina...thanks."

She smiled at him with eyes full of affection. As the two sat there quietly, Irina and Jon eventually looked down to see that they were still holding each other's hands.

Her heart skipped a beat as time seemed to slow down around them.

"Sooo, you planning on letting go?" Jon asked with a cheeky grin.

She shook her head. "Nope."

Her eyes shut and she leaned forward to kiss him.

"Ummm, Irina?" Jon suddenly spoke, looking at her shoulder. "I don't want to alarm you but…"

She opened her eyes and unpuckered her lips.

"...there's a really big spider on your shoulder."

Her whole body turned white as a ghost and her eyes bulged out of her head. Irina shot up from her seat and let loose a frantic, girlish scream whilst beginning to squirm and gyrate like a wet noodle being zapped by an electric current.

"Getitoff! Getitoff! Getitoff! Getitoff! Getitoff!"

"Hold still!" Jon insisted while breaking down into hysterical laughter. "Irina, I can't get to it if you keep moving!"

Back behind the bush. Aika and Motohama stopped fighting long enough to see they were about to get busted. Immediately freaking out, Aika passed the controls back to Motohama.

"Quick! Do something before he figures out it's not a real spider!"

"On it!" Motohama manned the controls. "Commencing evasive maneuvers."

"Now hold still just a bit longer." Jon insisted. Having finally gotten Irina to stop long enough to zero in on the pesky arachnid.

Right as he was about to swat it, the spider jumped up into the air and dove straight down the front of her robe, landing on her breasts. Her spastic flailing worsened as did her bulging eyes.

"What are you doing?!" Aika asked frantically. "That's not evasive maneuvering it's invasive maneuvering!"

"Finally!" Motohama was practically drooling over the close up shot of Irina's D cup breasts from the camera feed. "Now I can get the measurements!"

"Jon! Jon, help! I can feel it going lower!" Irina wailed.

"I'm trying doggonit! You need to hold still!" He insisted.

"Bust: thirty four. Waist: twenty three. And look at that gorgeous backside! Saving info to visual databank!" Motohama was sweating.

"I got it!"

Irina went from a flailing mess to stiff as a board as Jon slapped her ass hard enough to send vibrations up her spine. The poor girl's ghostlike expression changed as she lit up like a thermometer, her face turning dark red.

"Nooooo! My Spyder!" Motohama wailed at the now blank, feedless, screen.

"Jesus. And here I thought we'd never get that little bastard." Jon commented. "Sorry for the slap there, you alright Irina? Irina?"

She shut her eyes tight as her whole body started to tremble. "You...you…"

Jon took a nervous step backwards. "Errr, everything okay?"

"Hands to yourself you big dummy!"

The next thing he knew Jon was laid out on the ground, the world spinning around him after having been cold cocked by his former Pupil.

Huh...she's really improved her right hook. He thought to himself before proceeding to lose consciousness.

* * *

After the debacle on the park bench, Jon and Irina slowly made their way back to the ORC Headquarters. Despite his aching jaw, Jon was in good spirits. They both were.

"Sorry for the punch." Irina apologized, still slightly embarrassed.

He smiled and shook his head reassuringly. "Ain't a problem. This definitely isn't the first time I've been cold cocked by a beautiful woman."

She giggled, her cheeks flushing yet again. "I've noticed. So who hits harder. Me or that Koneko chick?"

"Oh that's not even a fair comparison." Jon admitted frankly. "At least your punch still feels like an actual punch. When she hits me it feels like I just got slammed into the side of a truck."

Irina grimaced at the description. "Ouch."

"Unfortunately I'm speaking from experience." He continued somewhat glumly. "As it so happens, I've also been slammed into the side of a truck."

She winced apologetically. "Seems like you've taken some nasty hits lately."

He shrugged. "It comes with the territory. I was no stranger to injury even before I joined the Devils."

"Still, I'm concerned about you." Her demeanor suddenly turned melancholy again. "I guess I'd just feel better...if you could come with me after this mission is done."

Jon frowned at her. "I understand how you feel. But you don't need to worry. Everything will work out."

"How can you be sure? We live such completely different lives now, Jon. There's no telling when, if ever, we'll get to see each other again."

"I guess I just have faith." He spoke honestly.

"In God?"

He smiled at her and shook his head. "In you."

They walked on in silence. As the duo approached the ORC Rias and Xenovia were waiting for them outside.

"We've finished with our negotiations and, I believe, have come up with terms that satisfy both parties." Rias declared proudly.

Xenovia nodded. "We'll be exchanging information regarding the primary target with each other. However, we will not be providing any direct support during combat or missions."

Irina frowned but otherwise nodded. "And what about Jon and Asia?"

Xenovia sighed wearily. "I have...agreed to leave the city without pursuing them any further. However, I cannot promise their names will be stricken from our records."

"In other words, there's every possibility that Hunters will continue to come after us." Jon surmised glumly.

"It's the best I can do." She answered bluntly.

"That's an issue we can address once Kokabiel has been dealt with." Rias assured. "What's important is that we've come to an agreement and may focus all of our attention on the real threat."

"I'm relieved to hear it." Irina responded jovially.

"Now if it's all the same to you. I think it's high time my partner and I were off." Xenovia insisted. Clearly ready to get out of there.

"Very well. Just remember, we won't be providing you any support either. Whatever actions you carry out, you'll do so alone." Rias warned.

"We understand the risks, but will do what we must to reclaim the lost swords." She assured before turning towards the exit to campus. "We'll take our leave now. Irina, come along."

Jon and Irina looked at each other for a moment. There was a bright smile on the young girl's face.

"So do we hug it out or…?" He asked while offering his arms.

Without warning she went up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek. Now Jon was the one blushing.

"See you around, Mr. Hyodo." She teased in a slightly flirty manner. Irina then turned and left to rejoin her partner. Waving back at everyone as she did so.

"She seems to be in a much better mood." The President observed, a slick grin on her face.

"So am I." Jon admitted.

"Excellent." She brushed her hair off her shoulder. "Then my little plan seems to be working."

"Little plan?"

Rias smirked at him and cocked her hip to the side. "To convert your former Pupil and get her to join the Peerage."

Jon felt his stomach bottom out. "What did you say?"

"You really think I allowed two members of the Church into my Headquarters just for an Armistice? If we play our cards right we'll have her forming a pact in no time."

"Why the Hell would I want to do that?" Jon asked disbelievingly.

She gave him a confused look. "Because she's your Treasure? I thought you already knew that."

His eyes went wide. Jon had suspected but...hearing it out loud.

"So you're saying…"

Rias nodded in confirmation. "Yes. Irina has accepted the Imprint. Asia told me so herself."

Jon's heart rate began to skyrocket as he tried his best to remain calm. "But...her true loyalty is to God."

"Maybe." She admitted. "But continue doing what you're doing and it won't stay that way for long." Rias sauntered up to him and placed a hand on his cheek before kissing him deeply. "Faith is such a fragile thing, after all. And the hold she's willingly given you over her heart will make the choice almost impossible to resist. Just like with Asia." Rias caressed his cheek as she spoke softly to him. "Speaking of which, she's made dinner for us. I'll meet you inside, okay?"

With that, Rias turned and left. Leaving Jon to contemplate the gravity of what he had just done. Despite his President's words, this situation was nothing like Asia. That was a moment of desperation that ultimately worked out in the end. But Irina...she loved God more than she loved anything. If he went through with this, what was he taking away from her?

What right did he have to meddle with his Pupil's faith?

As the gnawing doubts began to consume him, Jon's attention was brought back to reality. A small hand tugged on the back of his shirt and he turned around to see Koneko staring at the ground. She looked so lost, so hopeless.

"Koneko?" He spoke, the pitiful look on her face immediately sobering him up. "What's wrong?"

"Jon...I need your help." Tears began to well up in her eyes. Yet another thing Koneko simply did not do. "Please, I don't know who else I can trust."

Not knowing what else to do, Jon placed both hands on her shoulders. "Of course. Koneko, you can ask me anything."

She wiped her face and looked up at him with a despairing gaze. "It's Kiba. He's in serious trouble and I don't know what to do."

* * *

Kiba Yuuto understood perfectly well the consequences of the actions he was about to take. After this, there would be no going back. That night, he packed a few essentials and prepared himself for the inevitable. His mind was made up. This was the only way he would have his vengeance.

Jon…I'm sorry.

Once Kiba had packed all his things he put them away in the closet of his room before turning to head downstairs to eat dinner. This would be the last meal he had with his comrades. As he was heading for the door, it occurred to him he had forgotten something. With a heavy heart, Kiba approached his desk and opened the drawer.

Panic immediately seized him as the object he was looking for was nowhere to be found. He began rummaging through the drawer in a desperate bid to find it.

"Dammit, I know I put it here!" He exclaimed.

"Looking for this?"

Kiba clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white upon hearing that familiar Southern Drawl. Of fucking course he would find it. The Knight had been sloppy and let his guard down. Slowly, Kiba turned and glared back at Jon. Who, sure enough, was holding the small vial of white powder he had received from Kokabiel.

"How long have you known?" He asked as calmly as he could given how tense he felt.

"Since Koneko told me about fifteen minutes ago." Jon commented as casually as if he were talking about the weather. "You're lucky she's the one who found out. Anyone else would have gone straight to Rias and there's no telling what she would have done to you."

Kiba quietly stewed. Still reeling from the fact he was caught. Jon's expression turned deathly severe as he approached. He got within a hair's breadth of the Knight's face, fire behind his eyes as he stared him down with a sharp piercing gaze.

"So when were you going to do it? Hmm?" He asked in a low near growl. "Look me in the eye and say when it was you were going to kill me."

Try as he might, Kiba could not maintain eye contact. His hardened face softened into a look of guilt as he turned his head away.

"I wasn't." He answered in a low, penitent voice. "I'll admit I thought about it. But I decided not to."

Jon continued to quietly glare at him. "Is there any reason I should trust you?"

"No." Kiba admitted. "None. All I can give you is my word."

"Your word, huh?" He cocked a brow at him, his eyes narrowing as if peering through Kiba. After a moment, a knowing smirk crossed his lips. "Well alright then."

Much to the Knight's utter shock and confusion, Jon then proceeded to hand the vial back to him. He stared at the glass container, then at Jon, completely floored by what the Pawn just did.

"Since you gave me your word. I'll let you dispose of that stuff. You know more about alchemy than I do anyway."

"But…" Kiba shook his head repeatedly, completely in denial of what Jon had just done. "...you can't be serious."

He shrugged. "Are you saying I should be worried?"

"This is an incredibly dangerous game you're playing here, Jon." Kiba spoke to him through clenched teeth. "You have no way of knowing what I'll do."

"You just said what you're gonna do." He retorted, blowing the whole thing off as if it wasn't a huge deal. "You gave me your word you weren't gonna poison me."

"I could have lied." Kiba insisted, starting to get annoyed by Jon's lackadaisical disposition. "Maybe I just said that so you'd drop your guard."

"If it's that big an issue then just give it back." He chuckled while holding out his hand.

Kiba fiddled with the glass vial before reaching out to give it to Jon. Who quickly pulled his hand away.

"Just know…" His voice turned serious again. "...that if you do give it back. It means I'll never be able to trust you again."

The Knight stopped, he looked back at the vial, his mind whirring into overdrive as he considered what to do. Finally, he slowly retracted his hand and pocketed the poison.

Despite Jon's death looming over him like a shroud, he smiled. "Well alright then. The girls just finished getting dinner ready, you should come join us."

He then turned and made his way out of Kiba's room, but not before stopping in the doorway and turning his head.

"You know...once you do what you've gotta do."

With that, Jon left. Leaving Kiba now more conflicted than ever before.

* * *

Back downstairs in the dining room, Asia and Akeno had just finished setting the table while Rias brought out the well cooked dinner they had prepared. Koneko, meanwhile, fidgeted nervously in place in her seat.

"Everything okay?" Asia asked her with concern.

"Y...yeah." Koneko replied. "Just thinking about things is all."

The Bishop smiled at her, believing it was her feelings for Jon that had Koneko twisted up the way she was. "Well okay then. Just remember, if you ever want to talk about it, my door is always open to you."

"I...appreciate it."

At that moment Jon entered the room and sniffed the air.

"Smells wonderful, ladies."

"Thank you, Master." Akeno bowed her head respectfully. "Though Rias and I mostly just did prep work. You have Asia to thank for this wonderful meal tonight."

"Well I'm sure it'll be delicious." He complimented before pecking Asia on the cheek and taking a seat next to Koneko. Asia giggled in delight before taking the other seat next to him.

Koneko gave him a questioning look, as if silently asking did you take care of it? To which Jon simply nodded in confirmation. She breathed a sigh of relief as a weight lifted off her shoulders.

"Has anyone seen the table salt?" Rias asked whilst taking the seat opposite of Jon's.

"That's funny. I could have sworn I just put it down." Akeno commented curiously.

"No matter, I'll go get some more from the kitchen."

As she stood up to go get the salt, Kiba entered the Dining Room much to everyone's surprise.

"Oh, Kiba!" Asia beamed at him excitedly. "Have you come to join us? I promise dinner tonight will be yummy."

Kiba cast a suspicious gaze at Jon, who glared right back at him, his elbows resting on the table.

"Yes." He spoke in a calm, even tone. "If you will allow it."

"Of course we will." Akeno assured in a motherly voice. "Come sit next to Rias."

As Kiba took his seat, Rias reentered the dining room and replaced the salt before retaking hers as well.

"I'm surprised you're joining us, my Knight." She commented with a polite smile. "Not that I'm unhappy to see you. We've missed your company these past few days."

He didn't smile back. "That's...very kind of you, Ms. President. I apologize if my behavior has been unacceptable."

"It has been." Rias admitted. "But truthfully, we understand how you feel."

"Yes." Akeno nodded in agreement. "We realize we've been somewhat dismissive of that."

"If you'll accept our apology. I think I speak on behalf of all of us when I say that we're ready to put this all behind us." The President offered.

"I agree." Jon spoke up, his gaze still sharp.

Kiba refused to look anyone in the eye. "Apology accepted."

"Wonderful, in that case…" Rias looked around the table as if searching for something. "Well goodness, it seems in my haste to find the salt I forgot the wine." She chuckled in amusement.

"One moment, Ms. President. I'll get it." Akeno stood up to head for the kitchen when Kiba suddenly rose from his seat.

"Actually...I'll get it."

Koneko felt a knot form in her stomach. She cast a quick, frantic look at Jon. Who was still focusing all of his attention on Kiba. He did get rid of the poison...right?

"Are you sure?" Akeno asked curiously.

"I'm sure. You ladies have been working hard, it's the least I can do."

Rias smiled and nodded approvingly. "Good to see you're finally behaving like the Kiba we remember. Go ahead, my Dear Servant."

As Kiba headed for the kitchen to grab the wine Koneko nudged Jon sharply in the ribs.

"What are you doing?" She whispered to him nervously.

"Just trust me. I'll be fine."

She wanted to believe him but this was starting to make her nervous. Jon was putting his life on the line by helping her, and if something happened to him Koneko would never forgive herself.

Kiba returned with a tray containing six glasses. The wine had already been poured, much to Koneko's dismay. Meaning there was no way for her to discern if he had done anything or not. As he passed out glasses, Koneko desperately searched for anything off about the wine that was offered to Jon. Ultimately it was hopeless. His glass looked exactly the same as the other five. Once he was done, Kiba walked back to his seat with his own glass and raised it in the air.

"I'd like to propose a toast." He declared.

"Certainly." Rias raised her glass as well. "What are we toasting tonight?"

"New beginnings."

Koneko felt her heart stop in her chest and her blood run cold. He had actually done it. Kiba was going to poison Jon. As she nudged his foot frantically, trying to give him a signal, Jon simply stared back at her in confusion. She lightly shook her head from side to side, pleading with her eyes for him not to drink it.

Yet he ignored her. What the Hell was Jon doing? She wondered as her heart raced faster and faster.

"I like that." Asia beamed, raising her glass in the air. "To new beginnings then."

"Here here!" Akeno declared cheerfully.

Koneko's glass shook in her hand as she watched Jon bring the wine up to his lips. He sniffed the drink once before smiling confidently. She was horrified. Jon thought it was safe. He thought his senses would pick up the poison. Their enemies were too clever for that! They'd have known about his sense of smell!

As the glass reached his lips panic overrode all reason. Koneko jumped from her seat and knocked the glass out of his hand, sending it clear across the room before spilling onto the carpet.

"Koneko, what the hell?" Jon griped at her angrily.

She was staring at Kiba, who at that moment was looking away. A dark aura hanging over him.

"Sorry...thought I saw a bug." She answered breathlessly.

"Overreact much?" Akeno teased her good spiritedly. "It's no trouble. I'll just clean it up later."

"Jon, can I talk to you for a moment?" Koneko asked through clenched teeth, her eyes shooting daggers at Kiba. "Outside?"

Before he could answer, Koneko grabbed Jon by the hand and practically dragged him out of the room to the front steps outside. Asia quietly giggled at the sight, placing a hand over her lips.

"So she's finally ready." The Bishop commented sweetly.

* * *

Jon was dragged roughly outside to the front steps by Koneko who quickly shut the door behind them before jumping up and swatting him on the head.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Have you completely lost your mind?" She seethed at him. "You could have been killed!"

"What are you talking about? And why did you knock the glass out of my hand?" He asked while rubbing the back of his head.

"It was poisoned!" She insisted. "I asked you to get rid of that stuff, not play chicken with it."

"Koneko listen-"

"I still can't believe it." She collapsed onto the stairs and buried her head in her hands. "He actually did it. He tried to kill you."

"Koneko I'm trying to-"

"He's our family!" Her eyes began to glass over. "He's my family. Why would he do this?"

Jon knelt down and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Koneko he didn't do it."

Her head shot up out of her hands and she stared at him in bewilderment. "What do you mean?"

He smiled at her while shaking his head. "He didn't do it. Kiba didn't poison me."

A faint hope returned to her eyes. "How can you be sure? There was no way to tell, I'm confident it was odorless."

A slick grin spread across Jon's lips. "That poison might be. But salt isn't."

She blinked at him in confusion. "What?"

"It was a bluff. I'd never be stupid enough to give Kiba back the real poison."

"So all that time...it was just-"

"Harmless table salt." He assured. "I dumped out the real poison shortly before he got back to his room. The only thing I was in danger of was a bad taste in my mouth."

Her eyes got bigger as it slowly dawned on her what he was saying. "So when you went to sniff the glass…"

"There wasn't a trace of salt anywhere in that cup, Koneko." Jon explained to her joyfully. "He didn't go through with it."

And then she did something Jon had never seen before. Koneko's face lit up into a bright radiant smile. One that seemed to light up her surroundings. It was absolutely stunning and he only wished that she would do it more.

"But wait…" A thought occurred to her. "...if he didn't poison your wine, then why did Kiba look so guilty?"

Jon opened his mouth to offer an explanation but quickly realized he had none. "Errr, that's actually a damn good question. I have no clue why he looked that way."

At that moment Asia burst through the front door.

"Guys! We need you back in here! Kiba just told Rias he's leaving the ORC!"


	14. Chapter 14

**::Author's Note::**

**So this chapter can best be described as "I got carried away." In all honesty, I never intended to go this overboard with the Lemons. So I apologize if it feels like the plot is not progressing forward fast enough in this chapter. **

**What I'm trying to say is, very Lemon heavy material ahead, with a dash of Lime at the end. This is what happens when you mix alcohol with obsessive writing.**

**::End Note::**

There were a lot of things about Kiba that Jon didn't understand. Most of which he had only recently discovered in the past few weeks. Arrogance, foolishness, but most of all, pure unadulterated stubbornness. It was infuriating. And not simply because of what a massive jerk Kiba's new personality had turned him into.

Truth be told, the reason this bothered Jon so much was that his Peerage Brother was starting to remind him too much of his former self.

Though he didn't sink so low as to try to poison him. The rash decision to straight up leave the ORC wasn't much better. As angry as Jon was, however, it was nothing compared to how furious Rias was at that moment.

"And just where exactly are you planning on going?" Rias seethed, the unbridled fury in her eyes plain as day to everyone around her. "You do realize I would never permit you to leave me. You are a Knight of the House of Gremory. The Devil's Heart that beats in your chest binds you to this Peerage for eternity."

"I know, Ms. President." Kiba spoke in a dull, withdrawn tone. "And I'm sorry. But I can't stay here any longer. Not while this Armistice is in effect."

"Don't be an idiot!" Jon barked at him while blocking his way out of the ORC. "You're letting this obsession with those swords destroy you."

Kiba shoved Jon aside and opened the door that lead out of the Chapter Room. "My mind is made up, there's no sense in trying to stop me. So either destroy me here and now or stay out of my way."

"Don't do this, Brother." He pleaded. "You're heading down a dark path that leads to nothing but a dead end."

The Knight didn't respond. Instead, Kiba simply walked through the door and shut it. Anger flooded Jon's senses as his nostrils flared black smoke. He quickly went over to the nearby couch and sat next to Koneko in order to calm himself down.

"Kiba...what's gotten into you?" Rias wondered aloud, a look of grave concern written on her face.

"Did we do this, Ms. President?" Asia asked guiltily. "Did we push him away?"

"I'm not so sure." Akeno spoke up, placing a finger to her chin contemplatively. "I've been giving this a lot of thought and I fear that we may have underestimated the damage that Holy Sword did to him."

Everyone turned and looked at Akeno, a mixture of surprise and intrigue in their expressions.

"What do you mean?" Jon asked.

"Asia, you remember how grave Kiba's wounds were, don't you?"

She nodded woefully. "They were terrible."

"We focused so much of our attention on mending his broken body I fear we neglected to consider the impact those poisonous Holy Swords had on his mind." Akeno observed. "It's possible that Kiba's psyche has been damaged by his encounter with Irina's blade."

"Are you saying there's a chance that Kiba might not be thinking rationally because he's brain damaged?" Koneko asked worriedly.

"There's no way to know for sure. Not without running tests and consulting with experts, anyway." She frowned at the door that Kiba left out of. "Unfortunately, with the way he is now, I somehow doubt we'd convince him to willingly get treatment on his own."

"If you need me to drag his ass to the Doctor I'll happily do it." Jon spoke up assuredly.

Rias sighed and shook her head. "As much as I admire your enthusiasm Darling, I fear that will likely just cause more trouble."

"So what do we do?" He asked insistently.

"For now, I'm afraid there's nothing we can do." She responded glumly. "We have far more pressing concerns at the moment."

"So we're just going to do nothing?!" Koneko shot up angrily. "Kiba is our family! We can't just abandon him."

"I'm not. But if we try to force the matter there's every possibility that he'll do something rash. In which case I'd be forced to stop his heart for the safety of the Peerage." Rias insisted, remaining calm despite her Rook's outburst. "Kiba isn't going to leave the city so long as Xenovia and Irina are here. We know that much. So we'll continue to keep an eye on him, and in the meantime, warn Irina and Xenovia of our wayward member."

"But if he makes a move on them they'll kill him." Asia observed worriedly.

"Maybe…" She answered honestly. "...but there's really not much else we can do. I won't kill Kiba unless it's absolutely necessary. But if I don't warn the Holy Sword Users it's possible they could see his attack as an attempt by us to stab them in the back."

Jon frowned at Rias in concern. It was clear the perilousness of the situation was weighing on her. Truth be told, it was weighing on him too.

"For now, Jon, I want you to continue to monitor him as best you can." She commanded. "The rest of you, focus on the primary objective. We must begin gathering intel on Kokabiel's presence within our city."

Akeno bowed her head respectfully. "Understood, Ms. President."

"I understand, Rias." Asia replied with a sorrowful voice.

The irate Rook stood up from her seat and stormed out, heading to her room.

"Koneko wait!" Jon sat up to stop her. When she slammed the door the foundations themselves shook. He cursed under his breath. "Well this whole shitshow just gets better and better, doesn't it?"

"I'm truly sorry everyone." Rias spoke up, her voice catching slightly as her emotions bubbled over. "I wish I had a better answer for you all, but this situation is so delicate. I'm at a loss as to what to do."

Asia and Akeno both moved to comfort Rias, while Jon blew an exasperated breath through pursed lips. Between Koneko, Irina, and his wayward Peerage Brother Kiba, his whole life was beginning to feel like a bad soap opera.

* * *

Irina normally loved baths. Yet that night, she just couldn't seem to bathe comfortably. And it wasn't just because the fountain behind the Abandoned Church was freezing. Too many thoughts weighed on her mind.

"Jon…" She spoke aloud while pouring the cooling liquid over her bare breasts. "...I'm constantly thinking about you when I should be focused on the mission. I wonder...are you thinking about me?"

As she sat down in the fountain, Irina let loose a frustrated groan before slamming both her fists down in the pool. "This sucks! Why can't I think about something more important for a change?" The troubled girl tucked her knees up to her chest and sighed. "So many people are counting on us to succeed. Now isn't the time for me to be...thinking about that again."

She pressed her back against the stone wall of the fountain and gazed up at the stars. There had to be some way to get her mind off these feelings. All this tension and pent up frustrations was beginning to severely affect her judgement and reasoning.

"What if I…?"

No no no! She couldn't do that! Irina swore off masturbation when she was fifteen. There was no way she'd break her streak just for some relief. Not with God's eyes watching her every move.

Yet...what else could she do? Irina needed to be as focused as possible in the event that Kokabiel or, God forbid, the Gremory Peerage decided to make a move before they could. These obsessive thoughts were so damn distracting, and all the meditation and prayer in the world wasn't doing her any good. Neither was this cold bath.

Would God forgive her? Just this once? Surely he understood that this mission could not fail, no matter what. For them to have any hope of succeeding, she needed to be on top of her game. But the sin of lust had crept into her mind and taken up permanent residence. And with no confessional booth to be found anywhere in the city, she really was out of options.

Her mind was made up. She'd pray for forgiveness later and give in just this once. But only this once. Just so she could clear her head a little.

Her heart began to pound in her chest as her face heated up. Irina slowly spread open her legs and gingerly slid her fingers down to her forbidden flower. It had been so long since she last did this, yet it didn't take her long to get back into the swing of things.

As she indulged in her sinful desires her mind turned to that image of Jon in nothing but a towel. She pictured his strong arms warming her naked flesh, his firm hands gripping her waist, his lips pressed against hers. The more she pictured, the faster her fingers rubbed. Irina shut her eyes and leaned back, completely giving in to her urges with one hand on her swollen little clit while the other fondled her left breast, flicking her nipple with her thumb.

"J...Jon…" She moaned out. Her breath hitched as she imagined him laying her down and slowly entering her. Though she had never felt a man's sex before, her imagination was vivid enough to nevertheless send her over the edge. It took no time at all before Irina found herself gripping the side of the fountain as she came. The sudden sensation was such a surprise to her that she quickly had to clasp a hand over her mouth to stop herself from getting too loud.

Irina's breathing returned to normal and she relaxed back into the pool. "Much better." She sighed in relief.

"I guess you really have been restless."

Her eyes went wide with terror and she jumped up out of the water, instinctively covering her breasts with both hands. Irina turned to see her partner Xenovia staring at her, stark naked same as her, a brow quirked curiously.

"You have the worst habit of sneaking up on me!" Irina protested. "It's stressful!"

Xenovia said nothing as she slowly entered the pool. Her gorgeous, curvy, figure and large healthy breasts practically glowing in the moonlight. "Do you at least feel better?"

Irina's face turned scarlet as she cast her eyes away shamefully. "Maybe a little…" She sighed in frustration. "...I don't get why I can't even take a bath comfortably. This really must be another trial from God."

"Do you really believe that?" Xenovia asked as she lowered herself into the fountain. "Or is your mind trying to protect you from the truth?"

"You don't understand, I just-"

"What will it take for you to see you've been bewitched?" She asked imploringly. "Dragon's are not Holy Creatures. Whatever this 'Imprint' you keep going on about is, it's sacreligious."

Irina stood up out of the water and glared at her partner defiantly. "What are you trying to say? There's still good in Jon, I know there is!" She clutched at her chest whilst lowering herself back into the water. "I have faith in him. This feeling in my heart...it can't be a bad thing. It just can't be."

Xenovia sighed and shook her head in disappointment. "You're hardly in the right state of mind to be retrieving the Excalibur Swords. I'm beginning to think letting you come on this mission was a mistake."

Fear gripped her. "But…I've gotten so much stronger. I really have."

"Physically yes. But your mind is clouded with doubt." Xenovia insisted. "Just admit that you've done nothing but think about that boy since we got here."

Silence permeated the woods around them as Irina came to grips with her own thoughts. "I can't help it." She quietly mumbled. "I've tried so hard to keep my mind pure but it's like my heart won't let me get his face out of my head."

Her partners expression softened somewhat. "I don't want to see you slip down this road. Your faith in God is so inspiring." Xenovia cast her gaze to the pool around them. "It would break my heart to see you give in like this."

Irina cast two violet orbs at the Blue Haired Swordswoman.

"Since we became partners..." Xenovia continued. "...I've found your faith in the Lord so inspiring. I know I haven't always shown it, but it truly is wonderful to see. Given how weak my own faith has felt these past few years."

"Xenovia…"

"Everything used to be so clear. We fought against evil in all its forms and protected the pure and innocent masses. But the masses these days are less than pure. And most who need our help no longer want it." A familiar gloom enveloped her like a shroud. "Now we consort with Devils so that we might stop a different evil. Have times truly become so desperate?"

Her gaze lifted towards the Heavens above. "Is this...really the path God had envisioned for me?"

They both sat in silence for a moment, soaking in the Holy Bath. Irina hadn't considered how her feelings for Jon might have been affecting Xenovia. As much as she wanted to hope that Jon could be steered back onto a holier path, and that maybe...just maybe they could be together one day...she certainly didn't want to neglect her partner in the process. Xenovia didn't deserve to have to saddle the entirety of this burden by herself.

"Thank you. I needed that reminder of why I'm here, and I swear, I won't let my feelings for Jon get in the way of our mission." Irina assured, a glowing smile on her face. "Though I do hope to save him, I know that won't be possible so long as this great evil looms over us."

Xenovia smiled though inside her stomach was twisted in knots. She just...didn't have the heart to tell her the truth about him. At least not yet.

* * *

Jon couldn't remember the last time he had felt this restless or pent up. The stress of the past few days events was really starting to get to him. First there was Irina, who's heart, whether he liked it or not, he now held in his hands. But now that he had it, he had no idea what to do with it. Then there was the blonde jackass who had stormed out of the ORC a couple hours ago. Despite Rias calling him multiple times, Kiba refused to answer and her decision to continue monitoring Kiba really upset Koneko. The entire situation, combined with the looming threat of Kokabiel was really weighing down on the President's mind. And whatever bothered Rias bothered Asia and Akeno as well.

His Treasures were hurting. All of them. And this sitting around doing nothing about it was driving him mad.

Fortunately, Akeno always seemed to pick up on her Master's mood shifts. So that night, in addition to their normal energy draining session, his Ja'kura had prepared a little treat for him. As they retired for the evening, Akeno sat him down on Rias's bed dressed in nothing but her robe which she dropped with a lustful smile.

Beneath her robes was a lacy black bralette and matching panties. Her belly had been decorated in purple gemstones as had the small of her back. After a few moments of prep while the Oriental beauty searched through music options on Rias's expensive MP3 player, Jon was being treated to a private lap dance to the tune of Glamorous by Fergie. A guilty pleasure of Akeno's. Even if it felt a bit retro.

Not that he cared about that. It could be any song she was gyrating her belly too and it would still have had the same effect. He was completely entranced. And for the few minutes that she danced for him, it was as if all his troubles were a distant memory as his hands explored every delicious inch of her body. From the curve of her ass to the swell of her breasts.

"Has anyone told you lately how sexy these scars are, Master?" Akeno flirted with him in a bubbly voice before sitting on his lap and gyrating her hips in rhythm with the music.

"You better be careful. My heads liable to explode with how big you're getting it." Jon shot back just as flirtatiously.

"Among other things, I've noticed." She purred into his ear. "Don't think I don't feel that bulge you're sporting right now, Sir."

"What can I say, you really know how to get me riled up. But then again, you know that already."

She giggled while grinding against him. "It's my job, after all."

"Just as it's my job to make sure you understand how much I appreciate everything you do for me." He spoke with sincerity. "I swear I haven't forgotten about my part of the Ceremony Akeno. It's just that with everything that's been going on…"

She shook her head at him assuredly. "All in due time, Master. I'm a patient girl, and right now, we have more important things to be worrying about." She turned around and sat on his lap again, offering her backside and voluptuous ass to him before gyrating her hips. "For now, let's just focus on relaxing, okay? Now how can I serve my Master tonight? Whatever you desire from your Ju'kara, it is yours."

He felt his dominant side kick in. Sona had been stressing the importance of giving Akeno plenty of structure and discipline, as it was what she craved most whenever she entered 'submissive space' as the head of the Honor's Committee put it. Since then he'd been training her in various commands, which she took to with utter delight. He really felt like he was getting better at figuring out his Ju'kara's needs and desires based on her behavior. If she wanted to be played with, she'd offer her backside to him more in pose. If she desired affection, she'd get this specific look in her eye. A mixture of longing and adoration.

And if she wanted to be punished...well...that one was easy to figure out. As it was in those moments she went out of her way to drive Jon up a wall.

"Let's see if you remember your poses. On one." He calmly ordered.

Akeno silently obeyed the order, removing herself from his lap before turning around to face him with her legs spread gently apart and her hands clasped over the back of her head.

"On one." She repeated. "In this pose, the Ju'kara is to remain perfectly still while her Master does whatever he desires to her. Speaking is allowed, but the Ja'kura is not to move under any circumstances while her Master blesses her with his touch."

The funny thing was, he hadn't asked her to start speaking in third person or say things like 'bless her with his touch'. Honestly, the thought had never crossed his mind. But whenever Akeno got super deep in that submissive headspace, it was like her entire personality changed. In those moments, all she seemed to notice was him.

And he'd be lying if he said his ego wasn't grateful for her attention to detail.

"On two." He commanded next.

Akeno lowered her hands and closed her legs before bowing her head modestly. "On two. In this position, the Ju'kara is to respect the modesty of the room. Whether clothed or not. When in public, or in the presence of important company. The Ju'kara is to remain in this pose whilst not serving her Master, unless he commands otherwise."

Truthfully, this pose was one of Akeno's ideas. She needed some way to maintain her modesty in the presence of Humans, as well as important figures such as Lord Lucifer and his Queen. Which he wholeheartedly agreed with. There was a time and a place for her kinky fetishes, and discussing global politics with veritable Demi-Gods was not one of them.

"On three." He ordered next.

A devious grin enveloped her features. "Would you like to strip me, Sir? Or shall I do it myself?"

"I'll let you do it this time." He replied. "You're way better at it than I am after all."

"Mmmm, I would have to disagree with you there Master." She immediately stripped off her bra and panties and placed them aside. Revealing her pierced nipples and jeweled clit to him before lowering herself to her knees and sitting back on her haunches with her hands resting on her thighs.

"On three." Akeno recited. "In this position, the Ju'kara is to be stripped of all clothes, by either her Master or herself. This symbolizes her being laid bare before her Master as she awaits his command. Jewelry may remain, as well as piercings. As these are considered decoration, not clothes."

It really was impressive that she remembered all this. Considering they just went over it not even a week ago and hadn't really had time to get back to it since.

"On four."

She placed her arms tightly behind her back and stared straight ahead, not saying a word whilst maintaining perfect posture.

"Remember this one?" He asked curiously.

Again, she remained silent.

He chuckled in amusement. "Dang, I thought I might have had you there. Okay, you may speak."

A proud smile covered her face. "On four. If the Ju'kara is ordered into this position then she is to remain still, without speaking unless spoken directly to. Silently awaiting the physical restraints and leash. The gag and blindfold. Whatever her Master desires."

"Okay then. On five."

She spread her thighs open and placed her hands back on top of them with her head bowed. "On five. In this position, the Ju'kara is opened to her Master. She may speak her mind, tell him of her desires, all is allowed save for modesty and dishonesty. There are no barriers between the Ju'kara and her Master in this pose."

"On six."

Akeno's head sunk to the floor as she placed her hands out in front of her with her wrists crossed. "On six. In this position, the Ju'kara is expected to pour the emotions of her heart out to her Master. For instance, at this moment my heart feels at ease, and my mind is clear, free of the days troubles as I happily pose for you, Master."

He nodded approvingly. "Very good. Alright then, time for my favorite one. On seven."

She couldn't help rolling her eyes. "Of course that would be your favorite, Sir." With an amused giggle she raised herself up onto her hands and knees, keeping her eyes to the floor. "On seven. The pose of sexual service. In this position, the Ju'kara is to be fucked, however her Master desires, for as long as he desires." With a lustful grin she then craned her head up at him. "Should she raise her head up for any reason, it means she desires her Master's hand upon her ass. Which he is free to give at his discretion."

Jon quirked a brow at her, an amused look in his eyes. "I don't recall that being in the rulebook."

Akeno bit down on her lower lip whilst wiggling her ass in the air, the need in her eyes apparent.

"But far be it from me to shoot down a good idea when I hear one."

He then proceeded to walk over to her and kneel down. Using her long ponytail as a leash, Jon struck her gorgeous ass ten times on each side. She obediently counted out each one in between heated breaths and suggestive cries. Her backside now pink from his hand.

While this didn't help the throbbing bulge in his pants, he knew better than to just take her thoughtlessly. As Sona put it, the act of sex, no matter how tender or rough, was far more pleasurable to Akeno if she felt she had earned it first. So he controlled himself and retook his seat at the bed.

"On five." He commanded.

Akeno immediately dropped back onto her knees with her thighs spread open and her head bowed to the floor.

"What does your heart say now, Ju'kara?" Jon asked in a calm, even tone.

"It grows restless to serve you, Master." She responded, her heart beginning to race. "So much has happened these past few days, and focusing on you, Sir, has helped to quell my restless mind." With her head still bowed she then added. "But feeling your firm palm against my ass has made me wet, Sir. With your permission, I'd like to play with myself in front of you. So you may see just how aroused you've made me."

Jon frowned worriedly. Akeno was really in sub-space. Normally that wasn't a bad thing. But the past few days events must have been stressing her out more than she cared to let on. Something that didn't sit well with him at all. Fortunately the solution to helping her was always a fairly simple one. Give her what she wanted, as well as what she needed.

"You may." He responded. "Try to keep your mind clear of any negative thoughts as you do so."

"Of course, Master." She gazed up directly into his eyes as she leaned back and braced herself with her left hand. Her right hand immediately going to her slick folds. "I need only focus on you, and all my negative thoughts will disappear." Her voice began to catch as she rubbed more vigorously. "If I may ask, Sir, please watch me. I love seeing the microexpressions you make whenever I play with myself."

"Of course."

Akeno really savored the moment. Her eyes locked to her Master's attentive gaze as she let herself completely go. This was what she needed right now. After all the chaos with Kiba, and the threat looming over their head, she needed to just let go and give herself to him. Nothing else mattered to her right now but the love and devotion she felt for the man sitting on that bed.

"Talk to me, Ju'kara. What's on your mind?" Jon commanded.

"Only you, Sir." She insisted, her breaths coming in short bursts.

He shook his head. "I don't completely believe you. You need to be honest with me or I'll get the therapy paddle out."

"But...Master…"

"Akeno." Jon insisted, his voice stern yet also compassionate. "I know things have been tense lately. Which is why I need you to be completely honest with me about how you're feeling."

She shut her eyes and turned her head away whilst continuing to play with herself. "I'm afraid...Kokabiel has returned memories to my mind I'm not ready to deal with yet. I just…" Her breath hitched. "...I just want to focus on you right now. I'm not ready...not...ready…"

"It's okay, he assured. Let it go."

Akeno moaned loudly as she came for him, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. She took a moment to catch her breath before collapsing onto her hands in front of him.

"I don't want to be like Kiba." She quietly wept, not wanting to show him her face. "I don't want to let my past change who I really am. Please, Master, I can't talk about this. Not yet."

He nodded in understanding. "What do you need? Tell me and I will give it to you."

"I just need you, Master." She insisted, using her hair to hide her tear stained face from him. "Please...just let me serve you and forget about everything else."

This was what Jon was afraid of. She'd been using her submissive nature as a coping mechanism for her past. Something she still refused to talk about. It made sense, really. Everyone else in the Peerage had some shameful secret regarding their life before Rias that they didn't like talking about. But Akeno had done an especially good job burying hers, even more so than Koneko.

She'd tell him when she was ready. If that day ever came. And if not, he'd simply have to live with the not knowing.

"Very well. Just so long as you remember I'm always here for you, Love. I gave you your nickname for a reason. Just like Rias and Asia, you are precious to me. Never forget that."

"I could never forget, Master." She assured, taking a moment to quietly wipe her face. "You remind me every day with your actions." Finally, she cast her still glassy gaze back up at him. Love now set in her eyes. "One day, I promise you, I'll open up. One day. But please, Master, just please be patient with me. Right now I just want to focus on you." Akeno crawled up to him and sat back on her haunches. She rubbed the stiff bulge in his pants with her hand whilst looking up at him with pleading eyes. "May I ask something of you, Master?"

"Always." He assured.

"I've talked enough for one night, Sir, please use my mouth for something else. It will...help me calm down."

Jon smiled at her and nodded in understanding. "Very well."

She sighed in relief before shutting her eyes and nuzzling her head against his thigh. "Thank you, Master. I know it seems strange, but this sort of thing really does help me." Akeno unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, before moving his underwear aside and allowing his manhood to burst free. "Our lives are so complicated. So uncertain. But when I drop to my knees and show my love for you and your body, life becomes simple." She kissed the head of his erection tenderly before licking up his shaft. "When I'm here, there's no wars to fret over, no Armistice, no bloody battles or bitter rivalries, nothing I have no control over. There is just me on my knees, giving the Master I love most in this world a blowjob." As she stroked up and down his shaft with her hand the lustful gaze returned to her eyes. "Now let's take a break from talking, Master. Relax and let your adoring Ju'kara service you, and please cum in her mouth as much as you want."

There was more he wanted to ask, but no sane man on Earth could say no to an offer like that. So he decided to do as Akeno wanted, put all his troubles aside, and just focus on relaxing for now. Jon laid back onto the bed and folded his arms behind his head while Akeno took him into her mouth.

This time, however, it was different.

She wasn't hoovering him like before. There were no tricks with her tongue or other techniques she commonly used to get him off as quickly as possible. Akeno wasn't stroking her own ego or trying to show off. This time around, she really was focused on letting him enjoy himself. So she took her time, paced herself, all while contently sighing and moaning around his shaft.

As Jon allowed his mind to drift off into blissful relaxation, the door to Rias's room opened and the President herself walked in.

"Goodness what a day." She groaned whilst unbuttoning her shirt and throwing it in the dirty laundry hamper. "Between Kiba's shenanigans and those two Holy Sword Women it's a wonder I've managed to stay sane."

"Where's Asia?" Jon asked, his eyes still closed as his Submissive continued to service him, unphased by his King Piece's presence.

"She went to go talk with Koneko." Rias explained. "I think our Rook is taking Kiba's recent actions harder than I originally thought."

Finally, Akeno released Jon's member and turned towards the Crimson Haired beauty. "Will she be long, Ms. President?"

"She seemed dead set on comforting Koneko, so I'd say at least an hour or so. Why do you ask?"

Her Queen smiled while stroking Jon's shaft. "Then you and Master should have some alone time. You've been so busy lately, I feel the two of you haven't had a moment together in awhile."

Rias frowned at her. "Are you sure, Love? I know that today has been hard on you as well."

Akeno shook her head insistently. "I've had him all to myself much more than you have these past few days. And Asia's been sneaking him off to the park after classes. You two need a minute to decompress the same as the rest of us."

It was true the President was craving some alone time with Jon. "If you're sure. But I certainly don't want to kick you out in the middle of your fun."

A sadistic grin spread on Akeno's features. "Ms. President...remember what we discussed in private? Now are you going to come let your Dragon take care of you or not?"

Rias's eyes went wide and her face flushed. "I thought we agreed we wouldn't tell him yet."

"Tell me what?" Jon asked curiously.

Akeno shook her head and giggled at him. "Nothing, Master. You just worry about taking care of Rias now, okay? I'll resign to my nightly meditations."

He frowned at her worriedly. "After everything we just talked about, I'm not sure I'm comfortable just brushing you aside like that, Akeno. Not without aftercare at least."

"Neither am I." Rias admitted.

She turned her head away and blushed. "Well...if you truly want me to stay close to you, you could always...tie me up, Sir. Let Rias play with you awhile while I relish in the embrace of your chains. The sound of you two expressing your love will only fuel my desire to serve you even more."

Akeno's kinky nature really did make life a lot easier. And admittedly, the idea of making his Ju'kara listen to him and Rias have sex while she was chained up to the floorboard was rather inticing.

"Very well then." He stood up from the bed and took Akeno by her hair like a leash. She obediently stood and turned before lowering herself back onto the floor on her knees.

"Rias, will you get me the-"

"Already on it." She assured before heading over to her closet and pulling out a set of steel chains complete with cuffs. "Just don't ask why I have these in here."

He quirked a brow at her while Akeno quietly giggled to herself. Rias handed Jon the chains who proceed to interlock them with the footboard whilst wrapping them around Akeno. "Are you sure you don't need anything else from me tonight?" He asked, whilst securing her wrists in the cuffs, tying them off behind her back.

"I care deeply for Rias as well, Master. Almost as much as I care for you." She assured whilst her Dragon secured her to the footboard by the chains. The metal links bit around her breasts, pulled at her thighs spreading her legs apart, and secured her hands behind her back tightly. "And besides, she's not exactly in any position to say no. Not ever since we decided to-"

Rias cut Akeno off with an abrupt cough. "You may want to use this as well, Jon." She insisted, brandishing a diamond encrusted ball gag.

Akeno chuckled in amusement. "You can only hide the truth for so long, Rias. He's going to find out eventually."

"Find out what?" He asked again. "What are you two talking about?"

"Oh nothing, Master. We will tell you when the time is right." Akeno adjusted her weight in the chains, which jangled with every move she made. "For now, go ahead and gag me if you so desire."

Jon took the ball gag from Rias before placing it in Akeno's awaiting mouth. She bit down into the gag as he secured it tightly around her head. Seeing her tied down to the bedpost, with Rias waiting patiently to the side made his blood start to pump faster and an insidious little idea suddenly popped into his mind.

"Rias, will you get me the blindfold as well?"

She went to grab the object he requested while Akeno peered at him curiously. He placed the blindfold over her eyes without answering her silent question before whispering "just trust me" into her ear. He then pressed a finger up to his lips to shush Rias who looked just as confused as Akeno was. Jon quietly crept over to the drawer where his belongings were before grabbing three small metal weights and heading back toward the tied up Raven Haired Beauty.

"I'd been saving these for the right occasion." He softly explained to her. "You can thank Sona for them."

Akeno yelped through the gag in surprise before huffing through her nose, moaning against the gag as she fidgeted against her bonds. The small clamp he had just placed on her left nipple bouncing around as the weight on the end of it jangled along with the chains. He then placed a second clamp on her right nipple causing her to moan in protest, her breathing becoming even more ragged.

"Yeah, somehow I figured those would drive you nuts." He grinned at her in amusement. "But we ain't done quite yet."

She then screamed through the gag as she felt yet another clamp bite into her clit. Akeno began to squirm and writhe against her bonds as the weighted clamps began to drive her absolutely nuts. He waited a moment to make sure it wasn't too much for her before finally prying his eyes away and focusing on Rias.

"Guess it's just you and me for awhile."

Akeno moaned in protest through the ballgag, seemingly regretting her decision. But Jon knew better. If she was really in pain, he would have gotten the signal. Akeno wasn't suffering, she was just frustrated.

"Hey, you made your choice." He insisted, his inner sadist starting to come out.

"I'm glad you're happy...you're not the one who's gonna be paying for that later." Rias mumbled quietly to herself.

"Who's gonna be paying for what now?" Jon asked.

"Oh nothing!" Rias assured before chuckling insecurely.

He crossed his arms and cocked a brow at her. "Come on. What are you two plotting?"

"Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head over." She insisted, finding her confident stride again. Rias smiled amorously at him before walking towards the bed, caressing his cheek as she passed. "Now are you going to come cuddle with me or stand there cluelessly all night?"

Jon rolled his eyes and followed her into bed. Akeno's struggling eventually quieted down as Rias removed the rest of her clothes, stripping down to her underwear, before removing that as well and cuddling up next to her Dragon. With a content sigh she leaned up and pressed her lips against his. The two made out on her bed for a few minutes, enjoying the peace and serenity of the moment.

"It's about freaking time." Rias admonished once they finally parted their lips. "I swear these past few weeks have been murder."

"Everyone knows how hard you've been working." Jon assured. "I'm sorry we haven't had more time just the two of us."

She smiled, closed her eyes, and pressed her forehead against his lovingly. "That's no fault of yours, my Love. The burdens of my station have been especially severe as of late." She suddenly frowned, a forlorn expression set into her face. "Do you think I'm doing the right thing? Letting Kiba leave like that?"

"I'm not sure what else you could have done." Jon replied sincerely. "Given everything that's going on."

"Jon, be honest with me. Am I to blame for Kiba's behavior?"

"Of course not."

She broke her gaze, her mind still clearly troubled. "My whole life I've lived so selfishly. Only now that I've fallen for you do I see the harm my callousness has caused to those I love." Her grip on him tightened as she pressed herself into his chest. "I still feel remorse over how I used you."

"Rias, we're past this." Jon insisted, his voice tender and reassuring as he caressed his Treasure's cheek. "You don't have to feel guilty anymore."

"I know." She sighed. "I know. This whole thing with Kiba has just gotten to me more than I care to admit."

"You don't always have to be the strong one. It's okay to feel overwhelmed."

The tension in her body finally seemed to subside as she completely relaxed into him. "Thanks, Jon." Her gaze suddenly shifted towards his still very prominent erection. "I see my little Dragon has been waiting patiently for attention."

He groaned. "Yeah, still not sure how I feel about that nickname for it if I'm being honest."

She laughed quietly in amusement. "Oh don't be so insecure. Of course I mean it in the best way possible." Rias slowly raised herself up and straddled his lap, her face becoming heated. "And besides…" As she positioned him over her she slowly slid down onto his shaft. "We both know there's *hah* nothing remotely little *hah* about any part of you. Mmmm." She reared her head back and moaned while biting down on her lower lip.

Jon brought his hands up to cup her breasts in each palm as Rias slowly started bouncing on him. Using his thighs for stability she gyrated her hips on his member slowly, relishing in the sensation of her Dragon being inside her.

Rias wasn't terribly concerned with form or posterity that particular night. As much as she usually tried to put on a show for him, she was finding herself to be particularly greedy this time. Like Akeno, who would occasionally moan through the gag as the bed occasionally lurched, Rias just needed her Dragon right now. And it showed in the way she suddenly pressed herself up against him and glued her lips to his. As they kissed, her lips parted and her tongue begged for entry into his mouth which he happily allowed. Rias continued to grind her hips greedily, feeling his full length as their tongues swirled together in a conjoined dance.

She suddenly broke away and sat back up, her breathing getting faster and more shallow as she proceeded to give him 'the look'. Jon smirked up at her whilst keeping a firm grip on her hips.

"Already huh?"

Rias nodded her head breathlessly as she started bouncing up and down on his cock, positioning herself in such a way as to insure he hit the right spot every time. The more she bounced the more the bed shook, and the more the bed shook the louder his other Treasure still chained to the floorboard got, the clamps and weights moving in rhythm with the bed.

The Crimson Haired Beauty suddenly arched her back and began bouncing straight up and down, her pleasured moans going up in octave.

"Go ahead, Darlin." He encouraged in a quiet, loving voice. "No need to hold back for my sake."

"Haaah!" Her whole body seized as she came on his manhood, her walls tightening around his cock.

"Atta girl."

Rias collapsed onto him, taking a moment to catch her breath before kissing him lovingly.

"God I needed that. It's been far too long since you've given me a proper orgasm."

"I promise I won't make a habit out of forcing you to wait." He assured with a slick grin.

"Assuming life stops getting in our way I may just hold you to that." A wicked smirk crossed her features as a neat little idea popped into her head. "Speaking of which." She turned her head around and started grinding on his cock again. This time however, she seemed to be purposefully shaking the bed, and it didn't take long for Jon to figure out why.

A voice muffled by a ball gag shrieked in pleasure from below, as Jon and Rias both relished the sound of Akeno squirting all over the rug.

"Looks like I wasn't the only one enjoying myself after all." Rias giggled mischievously before sitting up and turning around, offering her ass to him as she shot two lusty eyes back his way.

"This is fun. Let's see if we can get her to do it again." She teased before beginning to bounce up and down on him once more.

* * *

When Asia left to go check on Koneko, she found the poor girl in her room doing something she had never seen before.

She was crying.

Not the sort of crying Asia would expect from a girl like Koneko either. This was the sort of crying she was used to doing. The kind she did whenever someone she loved was in danger. Though a little nervous, Asia was determined to help. They had all been on edge lately and Jon no doubt had his hands full looking after her darling Rias and dear friend Akeno. The thought of their poor Rook suffering in silence was too much for her to bare. So Asia quietly knocked on the door and let herself in.

"Koneko?" She called gingerly while peeking through the doorway. "It's Asia. May I come in?"

The Rook let out a surprised gasp before quickly wiping her eyes clean. "Oh! Uhhh, Asia. Yeah, sure sure. Come on in." Her voice was still horse as she did her utmost to compose herself.

Asia quietly entered the room before shutting the door behind her. "I know you're worried about Kiba. We all are." She helped herself to a seat on Koneko's bed adjacent to her. "But you know you can always talk to me about it."

"I'm fine." Koneko assured while trying to hide her sniffling and puffy cheeks. "Why should I care what Kiba thinks?"

She frowned at her and shook her head gently but insistently. "I know you care. You seem to forget-"

"That you're an empath." Koneko sighed and lowered her head morosely. "I know. It's just...I'm not used to people seeing my emotions. Especially not the way you do."

"I consider it both a blessing and a curse if I'm honest." Asia replied truthfully.

"I guess I can understand." She shrugged her shoulders while staring at the ground. "Honestly, I sometimes wish my feelings would just...go away."

The Bishop frowned in concern. "Why?"

"Emotions aren't rational." Koneko explained. "Instinct and judgement have meaning, but feelings? Feelings only serve to make otherwise intelligent creatures do stupid things." Her expression darkened. "Just like what they did to Kiba."

"That may be true. But emotions are also what give life its meaning. What's the point of living if you can't feel joy, or laughter, or love?"

"True joy is hard to come by." She retorted coldly. "Laughter serves only to distract you from your problems. And love?" She turned away and stared at the far off wall. "Love is just as likely to kill you as it is to bring you happiness."

Asia was deeply troubled by her words. "Koneko...the way you talk, is it possible you have-"

"Depression?" She finished for her. "I know I do. Doesn't change anything. There's no sense in questioning the meaning of your life when it belongs to someone else. I'm content to serve Rias for so long as she needs me."

"Being content and being happy are not the same thing." Asia insisted. "I know it's none of my business but I only worry about you because you're my friend." She smiled at her. "Don't you remember what I told you when we were training for the Rating Game? You can always talk to me if you need to."

After a moment of thought, Koneko folded her hands in her lap took a breath.

"It used to be a lot worse. My depression, I mean." She calmly explained. "When I first became Rias's Rook I barely spoke a word to anyone. What time I didn't spend on assignments I spent in my room." A small smile enveloped her features. "Kiba was the one who helped me fit in. He's been like a big brother to me ever since."

"I'm sure you're like a little sister to him too."

Her mood instantly soured. "If that were true then he wouldn't be so stubborn. This is why I hate boys. They only hear what they want to hear and do what they want to do, and damned to anyone who gets hurt in the process."

Asia frowned but otherwise nodded in understanding. "You're talking about Jon too, aren't you?"

"Honestly, he's worse." She responded bluntly. "Not only is he stubborn, he's temperamental and reckless." She fidgeted in place uncomfortably. "I don't see how you do it."

"Do what?"

"Love him so unconditionally. I don't think I could put up with all his crap the way you and the other girls seem to do."

Asia blushed at her comment. "I mean...I know Jon isn't perfect. But I don't find it difficult at all to love him." Her smile brightened as did the redness in her face. "He has his faults, but there are also so many wonderful qualities he possesses as well." She nudged Koneko playfully. "Don't tell me you really haven't noticed them."

Now the Rook was the one blushing. "I'll admit he's sweet. And he obviously cares about you three a lot."

"It's not just us. He cares about you too, Koneko."

She didn't reply.

"If you would be a little more honest with your heart, I think you'd realize you care for him too."

"My heart is an idiot." She insisted coldly. "And besides...if Jon knew the real me. He wouldn't feel the way he does. I'm sure of it."

Asia shook her head vehemently. "I don't believe that. Not for one second. I mean...I like you just as you are, so if there's more to you than what we see, I'd consider that to be a blessing."

Koneko quirked her head up at her. "You would?"

"Of course." She beamed happily. "One day, I really do hope I'll get to see all of you Koneko." She smiled and turned her head away, another blush setting into her cheeks. "Because honestly...Jon's not the only one who cares about you."

They both sat in silence for a moment.

"Can I make a selfish request, Asia?" Koneko asked timidly.

"Of course."

"Would you stay with me tonight? I don't feel like being by myself."

Asia's heart fluttered as she placed a hand over Koneko's.

"I'd love to."


	15. Chapter 15

When Jon awoke the next morning he was cuddled up next to Akeno. Rias having scampered off to go find Asia and get breakfast started. His Ju'kara was still owed aftercare for being chained up for so long, and so the Oriental Beauty took full advantage of the time cuddled up in her Master's arms.

"So when are we going to use the new toys, Master?" She whispered sultrily into his ear.

"We'll find some time." Jon assured. "Once all this craziness has subsided." He then added with a slick smirk. "Still can't believe you convinced Rias to turn my old room into-"

At that moment the door to the bedroom opened and Rias stepped in, a bright smile on her face.

"Both of you, come quick!" She insisted excitedly. "You have got to see this."

Jon and Akeno exchanged curious looks with one another before hopping out of bed, throwing on some clothes and following Rias to the dorms on the other side of the Chapter Room.

"Why are we going to Koneko's room?" He asked nervously. "She doesn't really like me coming in here."

Rias pressed a finger up to her lips and shushed him. "Just trust me. This will be worth it." She assured in a hushed tone.

She slowly turned the knob and opened the door as the trio peeked inside. What awaited them made Akeno gasp in astonishment.

"No fucking way." Jon spoke, a massive smile forming on his face.

Asia and Koneko were curled up next to each other, sound asleep. Asia's right hand was holding Koneko's left as they rested their heads together. With the smaller Rook curled up against the Bishop's arm.

"That is the cutest damn thing I have ever seen in my life." He declared, making sure to keep his voice low.

"I agree." Rias responded. "Freaking adorable."

"I guess now we know why Asia never came to bed last night." Akeno commented while placing the tips of her fingers up to her lips to stifle her giggling. "Look at them. They're so precious."

"Come on, you two. Let's let them sleep." Rias slowly shut the door before making her way back to the Chapter Room.

As Jon turned to join her, his head suddenly swiveled back to the door at the end of the hall with the caution tape over it. "So when are y'all gonna fill me in on that locked door over there?"

Rias and Akeno exchanged nervous looks with one another.

"Now really isn't the best time for that." The President explained. "It's a very long, complicated story and we have more important issues to deal with."

He frowned somewhat in frustration but otherwise nodded in understanding. "Fine then, keep your secrets."

"It's not that we don't want to tell you, Master." Akeno assured. "It's just really not important right now. And discussing it while we already have so much on our plate would be fruitless."

"One day that will change." Rias added. "For now, Jon, please try to keep it to the back of your mind."

Easier said than done. There was a freaking chained up door with caution tape over it in the ORC Dorms. It was gonna bug the snot out of him if he didn't find out what was back there. But he knew better than to press the issue. Rias didn't do things without reason, neither did Akeno.

"If it's all the same to you, ladies, I think I'm gonna head to the showers."

As Jon left to go get cleaned up, Rias and Akeno both looked at one another. Amorous smiles spreading over their faces.

"Think it's time?" Akeno asked with a sultry voice.

"Absolutely."

* * *

Jon stripped away his clothes and entered the shower. A relaxed breath escaping his lungs as the warm water hit his face and ran down his body. His thoughts slowly turned to the girls as he soaked himself. A lot had changed since he first joined the Peerage. Asia had grown bolder and more self confident. Rias felt less callous and possessive. And Akeno? Well admittedly there was still much about her that was a mystery. But Jon was confident that, given time, he'd grow to understand her as deeply as he did his other Treasures.

As Jon reached for the soap, the sounds of bubbly giggling emanated from behind him. A knowing smile crept over his face as he slowly turned around to see Rias and Akeno, with nary so much as a towel between them.

"Should have known you two wouldn't just scamper off like that." He spoke in a coy tone.

"So, we've had some time to think about it, and we've decided to go ahead and tell you that we're fooling around." Rias explained while wrapping her arms around Akeno's waist from behind.

"We thought you should be the first to know, Master. What with you being our Dragon and all." Akeno added in a sultry tone, her hip cocked and her hand reaching back to tenderly cup Rias's neck.

"Also to say thank you." Rias continued. "It was you who finally brought the two of us together after all these years."

"So we thought we'd show our gratitude. As only two gorgeous Treasures know how."

He shook his head in disbelief, a rather amused grin still plastered on his face. "Hell, I ain't gonna argue."

Rias and Akeno both exchanged knowing looks with one another before simultaneously nodding. The two slowly sauntered up to him and placed themselves at either side of his body.

"Just relax, Master." Akeno cooed, taking a bar of soap in her hand.

"We'll take care of things from here." Rias added, soap in hand as well.

Jon's gaze shifted from beauty to beauty as the two girls started washing him. Each taking an arm and slowly working their way to the middle. As Rias washed his chest and abdomen, Akeno took his back.

"We know how hard you've been working for us." Rias commented whilst lathering his abdominal muscles.

"It'd be remiss of us not to show you our appreciation." Akeno added.

They then put the soap away and pressed their naked breasts against his chest and back. Using them to scrub his body as they rubbed up and down him. Being the two most well endowed ladies in the ORC (and indeed possibly all of Kuoh) it was like being washed down by four silky smooth pillows.

"I know you love and cherish us all equally, Jon." Rias commented while pressing her twins together with her hands.

"But you've got to admit, when it comes to boobs the two of us have the absolute best." Akeno added with a little vocal fry. Her double Ds running up and down his back.

"Can't argue with you their." He spoke breathlessly. This was starting to drive him nuts.

Rias suddenly felt something slide up her legs. She peered down and blushed slightly as a pleased smile enveloped her features.

"Well well. Looks like he's awake. Good morning little Dragon." She giggled.

"We better give him our attention Rias." Akeno teased just as flirtatiously. "Wouldn't want him to feel left out after everything he's given us."

"I agree." Rias slowly got onto her knees as she talked. "And he has so much to give too."

Akeno quickly joined the President on her knees in front of Jon. They sandwiched their breasts together in between his fully erect cock. Causing Jon to groan in pleasure before they slowly began running their soapy tits up and down the length of his shaft.

"I think he likes it, Rias." Akeno commented.

"We'll see just how much he does in a minute." She replied, increasing the speed of her stroking and looking up at him. "I'm curious how thoroughly our Dragon will coat us."

"Oh, me too." Akeno agreed while looking up at Jon as well. "I love it when Master cums on me."

"Well Jon? You have two gorgeous women waiting for it." Rias teased him, now purposefully trying to drive her Dragon over the edge. "And you know good and well I'm not a patient girl."

"Neither am I." Akeno giggled.

They both pumped him faster and faster whilst licking the head of his cock. Jon suddenly reared back his head and swore loudly as he came. Showering them both just as they wanted. Rias proceeded to suck his tip before offering it to Akeno, who finished cleaning him off. The two ladies then braced themselves on their hands and locked lips as they began to furiously make out with each other. Their breath forming steam in the already steamy shower and their faces heated with arousal.

"You girls are too much." Jon chuckled at them, still catching his breath while he watched the two swirl their tongues together in full view of him.

"What do you say, Rias? I'm suddenly all hot from our little shower." Akeno asked, finally pulling away from her.

"Do you even have to ask?"

The two ladies proceeded to sit down on their curvy asses, spread their legs, and press their heat together. Rias and Akeno began to grind their hips against one another, keeping themselves in full view of Jon and looking him directly in the eye as they moaned and writhed in pleasure. Their breasts and face still coated in him. As Jon watched his Treasures pleasure themselves, he couldn't help but feel that this sort of behavior was only going to make those rumors circulating about him even worse.

But frankly speaking, he no longer gave a damn.

* * *

Asia and Koneko eventually woke up shortly after Jon, Akeno, and Rias got out of the shower. Together the group made breakfast before getting dressed and ready for the day. If Jon hadn't developed a reputation on campus before he sure as hell had one now. The whole campus was abuzz with rumors and gossip of Jonathan Hyodo's love affair with the gorgeous ladies of the ORC. It probably didn't help matters that he spent every morning escorting Rias and Akeno to class with each girl on his arm before taking Asia's arm and heading to class with her.

Honestly, at some point he simply stopped worrying about it. Whether the campus loved him or condemned him it mattered little now. So long as his Treasure's were happy and well taken care of, the rest of the world was free to judge him however they saw fit.

As Jon escorted Asia to their next class she clung to his arm happily, a content sigh escaping her lips.

"You've been doing that all morning." He commented with an amused chuckle. "What's got you so wistful?"

"Oh it's nothing." Asia assured while squeezing him tighter. "I just had a wonderful night with Koneko is all."

He quirked a brow at her. "Feel like sharing?"

She turned her eyes away and blushed. "Well...if you really must know...I think I may be falling-"

"Asia!"

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of Aika's obtuse wailing as she charged at them full speed with her arms flailing in the air. Asia was damn near knocked to the ground by the bespectacled brunettes hug.

"Ooof! Aika, what's wrong? Why did you tackle me?"

"Tell me it's not true! Jon hasn't completely taken away that pure virgin innocence of yours has he?" She whined while shedding crocodile tears.

"You've got some explaining to do Buster!"

Jon turned to see Matsuda and Motohama standing in front of him, both of them with perturbed expressions on their faces as usual.

He groaned in exasperation. "Alright. What did I do now?"

"We know all about the Costume Party, Bro!" Matsuda pointed at him accusingly. "You've got some nerve making Asia dress up as a witch just to get all freaky with her and some hot ass brunette!"

"Okay for one, what costume? And two, what brunette?" He asked in bewilderment.

"That girl in the strange cloak we saw you talking to yesterday." Motohama insisted.

Jon rubbed his face with his palms. "Oh for the love of...that was just a friend of mine coming to visit me you nosey fucks!"

Matsuda and Motohama stared at him in confusion.

"So...there was no costume party?"

"No!" He insisted angrily. "We don't even know what you're talking about!"

Aika blinked at Jon before turning back to Asia. "So...you're saying he hasn't gotten you into..."

"Into what?" Asia asked her curiously.

Aika cupped a hand over her ear and whispered something. Asia's eyes went wide and her pupils instantly dilated as she proceeded to turn dark red.

"Wh...wh...wh...why would you think I was into…" Her body started to quiver from head to toe.

Before Jon could start ranting angrily at the three of them for getting Asia all flustered...again. A gruff male voice cleared his throat and spoke up in a thick Boston accent.

"Try not to let those three wise guys get to ya, Asia. They got waaay too much time on their hands."

Jon took a deep breath and sighed wearily. That was one voice he definitely didn't want to hear first thing in the morning.

Sammy Genshirou stood behind them, Momo and Ruruko firmly locked to both his arms. "Ladies, why don't the two of ya head to our next class. I'll catch up in a minute."

The two bubbly girls giggled before planting a kiss on both his cheeks. As they took their leave, Momo waved two dainty little fingers at Jon causing Asia to puff out her cheeks in protest.

"I hope these three haven't let their antics bother ya too much, Doll." Sammy took Asia by the hand and kissed the top of her palm.

"Oh, good morning Sammy." Asia blushed. "How's your day been?"

"It's better now that I've gotten to lay eyes on your gorgeous face." He admitted without hesitation.

"Hey watch it, Bro!" Matsuda shot at him warily.

"Yeah, Honor's Committee Secretary or not you need to back the F up. That's Jon's girl you're messing with." Motohama insisted just as defensively.

"I see ya still in the habit of attracting stray mutts, Hyodo." Sammy joked in a sarcastic tone. "Come on, Asia. When are ya gonna dump this clown and come over to my side?"

"Oh goodness." Asia quickly looked away and blushed. "That's very sweet of you, but I'm afraid my heart will always belong to Jon."

Sammy shrugged, a smile on his face regardless. "To each their own. Just know my door is always open should ya ever see the light."

"The funny thing is, I know you're just messing around. But I still want to clobber you regardless." Jon joked. His humorous voice belying a slight edge that had proceed with caution written all over it.

"Well that sounds like your insecurity talking, to me." Sammy retorted. "Nothing wrong with a little harmless flirting now, is there?"

Jon smirked at him. "I'll remember that the next time I bump into Momo."

Sammy scowled angrily at him. Just as he was about to say something however, Asia twisted the skin on Jon's arm her face in a full pout.

"Looks like you should worry more about what you've got on hand already before sticking ya nose where it don't belong." Sammy commented with an amused chuckle.

"Same goes for you, Yank." Jon retorted.

At that moment Jon's phone went off. He quickly took it out and checked the message he had received.

_Behind you._

He turned around to see Koneko waving at him several yards away, still dressed in her gym clothes. Needless to say, this was incredibly bizarre. Koneko never had a reason to talk to Jon. At least not until lately.

"Uhhh guys. I'll catch up with y'all later."

Asia gave him a curious look. "What do you mean? We have class in like ten minutes."

"I'll be there. I promise. I just need to talk to Koneko about something." Jon kissed Asia on the cheek and started jogging over there. "Shouldn't be too long! I promise!" He called back.

She smiled at him and giggled to herself, her face beginning to glow. "Koneko...I'm so happy you and Jon are finally connecting."

Aika adjusted her glasses and gave Asia a squirrely look. "So seriously, how many girlfriends do you and Jon have?"

* * *

Koneko and Jon talked at length as they walked along the path near the track field. Just as he suspected, she wanted to discuss Kiba. More than that, however, it appeared Koneko had been working on a plan of sorts.

"And you're certain that he'll be at this club?"

She nodded calmly. "I've been having Shiro tail him. Apparently Kiba set up a meeting with one of Kokabiel's goons. How? I don't know. But it's going down tonight."

He sighed wearily. "And I take it you haven't told Rias about any of this yet?"

Koneko shook her head emphatically. "There's no telling what she'd do if she found out. If we wanna get Kiba back, we have to do this on our own."

"Rias isn't as temperamental as she used to be." Jon assured. "I really think we should-"

"Jon please." The Rook stopped walking and looked up at him with pleading eyes. "I can't take that risk. Not with Kiba being the way he is now, he could force Rias's hand."

"We're playing with fire doing this ourselves. You realize that right?" He warned her sternly. "Rias will be furious if she finds out we hid information from her. If she finds out I hid information from her."

She hung her head dejectedly. "If you...if you really had feelings for me, you'd help me. Please Jon, I don't see any other way to do this without Kiba getting hurt." Tears began to form in her eyes. "He was there for me when I wasn't even there for myself. If I let this happen to him…"

He took a deep breath and smiled at her. Placing a hand on her shoulder and the other on her cheek. Koneko peered up at him with curious, glassed over eyes.

"Ask me again." Jon spoke to her gently.

Her breath caught.

"Just ask me again." He insisted, a gentle smile still on his face. "I may not like going behind Rias's back like this, but I'm willing to risk it if it means we get Kiba back safely."

She beamed up at him. "Because he's your Peerage Brother?"

"There is that." He admitted. "But...this is important to you Koneko. And I hate seeing you this distraught."

The silver haired Rook stared up at him, at a complete loss for words.

"Because you were right." Jon continued. "I do have feelings for you. And whether you intend to return those feelings or not, I will fight for you the same as I would the others."

Again, she had nothing. It was all Koneko could do to stare up at him, her cheeks turning a deep crimson.

"So just ask me again." He said with that same bright smile that was now suddenly impossible for her to ignore. "Ask me Koneko, and I'll bend Hellfire for you."

Her heart was beating madly out of her chest. Every discipline she had instilled in herself over the past years were failing her. Koneko opened her mouth to speak multiple times, her body bristling from head to toe.

"W...will you help me save Kiba?"

He quietly nodded his head before releasing her. "Of course. But I'll be honest, this may not be possible with just the two of us."

"Should we ask Asia to help?" Koneko offered.

Jon shook his head. "No. I don't want to put her in that position. She'd be torn between helping us and remaining loyal to Rias." He thought hard on what could be a good back up option. A grim realization came over him and he suddenly scowled in annoyance.

"What's wrong?"

"So, I may have an idea." He admitted reluctantly. "But...you're not gonna like it. Hell knows I don't."

* * *

Jon and Koneko left Kuoh shortly after class. While he hated disappointing Asia by not getting lunch with her, when he told her he was hanging out with Koneko, she suddenly perked right back up. If anything she sounded excited by the idea of them spending time together. The two met outside a diner on the outskirts of the campus. One of several popular meetup points for students getting lunch.

"Are you sure he'll come?" Koneko asked whilst sipping on her chocolate espresso.

"Just trust me." Jon popped a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. "After the message I left him, he'll show."

"How'd you get his number anyway?"

"Ruruko." He spoke matter of factly.

Koneko sighed and shook her head. "Should have known. That girl doesn't do too well under pressure."

A few minutes of waiting later and the man they were hoping to see made his way towards the cafe before finding their table. Sammy Genshirou glared at Jon angrily while the Gremory Pawn casually pulled from his smoke.

"What?" Jon shot him a cheeky grin.

"Look, I dunno how you got my number but you better have a damn good reason for calling me out here, Hyodo."

"Just shut up and sit down." He insisted, cutting straight to the chase. "Trust me, I wouldn't have called you out here if this wasn't important."

After a moment Sammy finally sat down, albeit reluctantly. "Alright, spill. What's so critical you gotta interrupt me and Ruru's alone time?"

Jon proceeded to tell Sammy everything. From Kiba leaving the ORC to Kokabiel trying to get the Knight to poison him. He finished by telling him about the plan he and Koneko had been working on.

"So let me get this straight." Sammy asked in complete bafflement. "Not only do you want us to go after ya wayward Knight, and possibly the entirety of that freak Kokabiel's forces by ourselves without either Rias or Sona finding out about it. But you also wanna involve those two Holy Sword Users, one of whom tried to kill me."

"Well...when you say it like that-"

He stood up from his seat and slammed his hands down on the table. "Have you two completely lost ya damn minds?! You do realize that both of our President's would fucking murder us if they found out, right?"

"They'd be pissed but they would understand." Jon insisted. "Kiba's not in his right mind. If we pull this off, at least the fallout won't be terrible."

"Speak for yaself, asshole." He shot back at him incredulously. "Rias may be nothing but kittens and cuddles around you but Sona is fucking draconian! She puts every single Drill Sergeant I ever had back in basic to shame."

Well that explains a lot. Jon quietly thought to himself. "Look, I ain't saying it's without risks. But there's no way Koneko and I can pull this off with just the two of us."

"Well count me out." Sammy turned his back to them and prepared to leave. "I've become rather attached to my testicles over the years and I'm planning on keeping em."

As he was about to make his escape, Koneko suddenly grabbed him by the belt and pulled him back down with her monstrous strength.

"You can either lose them to Sona later, or have me crush them now. The choice is yours, Douchebag." She stated calmly in that cold emotionless voice Jon had become far too used to hearing.

"Look Shortcakes." Sammy glared down at her. "You may have your boytoy Jon over there by the balls but ya not gonna intimidate me with your gack!"

Koneko grabbed him by the prized jewels and squeezed, immediately bringing the Black Dragon King to a knee.

"Option A, or option B." She insisted.

"Fine! Fine!" He forced out in pain. "Option A!"

She finally released his junk, causing Sammy to collapse onto his hands, groaning as he recovered.

"Yeah, she doesn't appreciate short jokes." Jon commented while taking a drag of his cigarette. "Learned that one the hard way."

"Listen…" Sammy shakily picked himself up and sat back in his chair. "...I'll hear ya out. But I ain't promising anything. This whole operation still sounds like a deathwish to me."

"I still think it's risky cooperating with the Church." Koneko admitted. "Even if Irina is your friend, Xenovia is very adamant about not working with us."

"They said they needed those swords back no matter the cost. Armistice or not, we need to pool our strength if we hope to pull this off."

"But Kiba's obsession for vengeance is in direct conflict with what the Church wants."

"Yeah, he was adamant about smashing those swords." Sammy added.

"What he wants is to destroy Valper Galilei's legacy." Jon corrected insistently while tapping his smoke on an ashtray. "To him, those swords represent the pain and suffering that he and every other child in that damn experiment had to go through."

"Okay...so what's ya point?" He asked insistently.

Jon took a long drag from his cigarette before speaking again. "So what if we gave him something else?"

Koneko perked her head up with intrigue. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, let's give him Valper Galilei."

Sammy lurched forward in his seat. "Hold the fuck up a minute. Valper Galilei is dead, I saw his file myself."

"I know he's dead, Genius." Jon shot back at him sourly. "But there's gotta be more than one way to destroy his legacy. If we can convince the Church to turn over any and all information on him and give up the location of his body. Maybe that will give Kiba the catharsis he needs to move on."

"That seems like a bit of a longshot." Koneko admitted. "Jon are you sure this will work?"

"It's the best plan I've got. We just have to get Irina and Xenovia on board."

"I'm not sure they'll be as eager to do this as you are." She insisted. "It's a big risk."

He shrugged. "What other options do we have? If it means getting Kiba's head out of his ass, I say it's worth a shot."

She took a deep breath and stood up from her seat. "I guess we'll have to start by finding those girls...somehow. They could be anywhere in the city. This won't be easy, but maybe if we start with-"

As she spoke Jon whipped out his phone, punched in a number from his contact list and put the receiver to his ear.

"How's it going, Irina? You free for lunch today?"

* * *

Jon, Koneko, and Sammy walked to a five star Hotel known for its infamous lunch bar where they were scheduled to meet Irina and Xenovia. If they were going to Schmooze over the Holy Sword Users, Jon decided their best option was to go all out. The buffet sported all kinds of foods from all over the continents, and though the pricetag was nothing to sneer at, all Jon had to do was drop Rias's name and they were in for a fraction of the price.

"Now explain to me again how it is you know the owner of this place?" Sammy asked incredulously.

"He's one of Rias's Demons." Jon explained. "And...I may or may not have history here."

"Yeah? What kind of history are we talking about?"

"This is where he and Asia boinked for the first time." Koneko explained with flat disinterest.

Sammy gave Jon a rather disbelieving look. "You took us to a buffet bar where ya had your first romantic conquest?"

"If you really want to know my first you're gonna have to dial the clock back about a decade. Also, romantic conquest? Really? Sure you didn't forget to tip your fedora after that one?"

"I meant as a Dragon you Dibshit." Sammy retorted back aggravatedly. "You seem to forget we're the same fucking species."

"Don't remind me." Jon insisted. "I'm still denial about that one."

"Would you two please quit jerking each other off and focus?" Koneko cut in, already completely fed up with the two Pawns. "Considering how dangerous this mission is you should at least try to get along."

They continued to glare at each other sourly before their expressions finally softened somewhat.

"So ehh, what was ya first?" Sammy asked curiously.

Jon shrugged. "It was nothing special. I was fifteen, the Monastery thought it would be a good idea to organize a dance with the local Highschool. Naturally things got out of hand."

He chuckled in amusement. "Bunch of pent up, pious, Nuns and Priests in training hanging around hormonal Highschoolers? I can only imagine."

"Her name was Catherine." Jon continued. "She was making kissy faces at me from the moment she entered the courtyard. Of course, I had been spiking my drinks and wasn't exactly in the most competent state of mind possible. Anyway, one thing lead to another and we ended up back in my room. I had to sneak her by three trained Hunters and the Head Mother while half drunk. Rather proud of that part, actually." He smiled at the memory. "She was sweet, bit of an airhead but a kind spirit." His attention then turned back to Sammy. "So what about you?"

"I was sixteen. Just a punk back then." He reminisced. "Dealing weed, avoiding my old man, going to College Block Parties. I somehow wound up in the basement of a Frat House with the little sister of one of my normal customers. A girl named Julie." Sammy chuckled in nostalgic remembrance. "She popped a valium, took a shot of tequila, then unzipped my fly. Good times."

Koneko groaned in annoyance. "Okay, I take it back. You two keep fighting. This is so much worse."

Sammy and Jon continued to speak at length about their past battles, past mistakes, past everything, laughing at each other's stories and generally just cutting up with one another until finally, much to Koneko's relief, Irina and Xenovia showed up as promised.

"Jon!" Irina beamed at him before running into his arms and squeezing him tight. Xenovia crossed her arms and frowned at her disapprovingly, to which Irina immediately drew away and chuckled awkwardly.

"Uhh, it's good to see you again." She proceeded to fan her reddening face upon realizing what she just did.

Sammy cocked a brow at her in disbelief. "And I thought Ruru was a bit clingy."

"You better not be wasting our time on this." Xenovia insisted, her suspicious gaze honed back on Jon. "Irina told me you had vital information you had to give to us in person."

Jon sighed before chuckling and shaking his head at her. "This doesn't have to be unpleasant, you know. Come on, I invited y'all out to a nice lunch. You should try to enjoy yourself."

She turned her nose up defiantly. "I'll not be tempted by your sinful offer of-"

Her stomach grumbled in protest as the smell of the delicious buffet hit her nostrils.

"Then again...the Lord does say to always be thankful for the bounty he gives you."

* * *

As the group took their seats and each took turns getting food, Jon and company proceeded to gawk at Irina and Xenovia as they both took back damn near half the bar to their table and began scarfing it down.

"So delicious." Xenovia commented in between mouthfuls of noodles. "They have everything here."

"I know right?" Irina had barely taken time to breath as she inhaled another bowl of shrimp fried rice. "This is Heaven!"

Sammy had barely touched his sirloin as he was too busy watching dumbstruck as the two Holy Sword Users proceeded to eat their weight in buffet food. "So did they stop feeding you ladies at the Vatican or something?"

"We've been living off of MREs and handouts for the last month." Irina explained while scarfing down another Crab Cake. "I haven't had real food in ages."

"You should have said something yesterday." Jon insisted with a worried frown. "I would have treated you to the cafe on Campus."

"You just want an excuse to chat up Rias's Familiar." Koneko retorted coldly.

After they had eaten, Irina and Xenovia both took a moment to let their bodies digest and stave off the inevitable food coma that was sure to follow.

"What just happened?" Xenovia bemoaned as her expression suddenly turned gloomy. "Even if it was delicious, to engage in such gluttonous behavior...and to accept the offering of a Devil...truly this is the end of times."

"Dear Lord, please forgive our sin of gluttony. We did not mean to stuff our faces like such animalistic pigs." Irina whined mournfully while clutching at her Mother's cross.

"This is the thanks I get for shelling out thirty thousand yen?" Jon asked in annoyance.

Irina sniffled and wiped an overdramatic tear away. "You're right Jon, I apologize. Dear Lord, please bless these kind souls even if they are Devils."

Koneko and Sammy both clasped their heads with their hands and howled in pain.

"For the love of thick thighs woman, we do not need the Lord's blessing!" Sammy railed in both anger and pain.

Irina gasped before clutching her lips with both hands. "Oh right! I'm so sorry! It's kind of a habit."

Xenovia knocked back another glass of water before setting her glass down and glaring at Jon coldly. "So you really are immune to the Devil's Curse...to think that a creature as dangerous as you exists on this mortal realm."

"How is it that you managed to do that, anyway?" Irina asked curiously. "Dragon or not, the Devil's Curse is supposed to be an immutable law."

The world deadened around him. Jon's skin turned deathly pale as a vivid memory he had suppressed to the back of his subconscious reared its ugly head. One of bright blinding light, that horrible ringing in his ears, and the burning...the ceaseless endless burning in his veins.

Koneko immediately picked up on Jon's sudden quietness and placed a concerned hand on his arm. "You okay?"

Even Sammy seemed to pick up on what was going on. "Hey man, talk to us. What's wrong?"

"I uhh, I've got to go use the restroom." Jon immediately got up and headed for the door.

"Jon wait!" Irina reached out for him as he left. "Was it something I said?"

"He won't tell us." Koneko replied solemnly. "Whatever he did to become immune to Holy Light, he refuses to talk about it."

"I've seen that look before." Sammy spoke up nervously. "The thousand yard stare, the color change, the sweat. Jon's got classic signs of a PTSD flashback."

"But…" Irina's heart sunk into her chest. "...Jon doesn't get PTSD. I mean he gets nightmares but not...not that."

"That only begs the question." Xenovia added. "What on Earth did he go through?"

* * *

Jon returned from the restroom seemingly no worse for ware. And though it was killing Irina not to bring it up again, everyone agreed they just shouldn't talk about his little episode.

"Okay, we're here." Xenovia folded her arms and glared at the three Devils suspiciously. "So what's the deal? What is it you wanted to talk to us about?"

"We want to help you find the lost pieces of Excalibur." Jon calmly explained.

She narrowed her eyes at him warily for a moment. "In case you've forgotten, the agreement was that we do not directly involve each other in our assignments."

"Which makes no damn sense." Jon spoke bluntly, a slight edge to his voice. "Why go so far as to agree to an Armistice if you're not going to accept our help?"

"Does your Master know about this?" Xenovia asked curiously.

Their silence spoke volumes. A wicked grin suddenly formed on the blue haired swordswoman's face. "She doesn't, does she?"

"Jon, are you crazy?" Irina asked in disbelief. "We can't go behind her back like this, we could all get in trouble."

"This is about your wayward Knight, isn't it?" Xenovia suddenly cut in.

Koneko frowned at her angrily but otherwise remained silent.

"We heard about his sudden departure from your organization." She continued undeterred. "Or rather...we were warned he might try coming after us."

"We just want to get him back where he belongs without bloodshed." Jon insisted. "We're willing to cooperate with you if you'll help us."

"Awfully noble sentiment for a bunch of Devils." She commented bluntly.

Koneko slammed her fist onto the counter and stood up, cracking the wood in the process. Jon quickly placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"Look, we get you don't like us." Sammy chimed in. "But in this case, I have to agree with them. There's only one way this gets done without Blondie being executed, and that's with your help."

She seemed to consider everything they had said for a moment, finally Xenovia nodded her head in agreement. "Fine, I'm willing to let you assist us in retrieving the swords."

Irina shot Xenovia a disbelieving look, her eyes wide with shock. "You are?!"

"You know who we're up against, Irina." She spoke calmly. "Kokabiel is beyond dangerous. As much as I hate to admit it, it will be almost impossible to retrieve those swords on our own."

"So why agree to the Armistice?" Irina asked, a hint of confusion as well as frustration in her voice. "If you knew we needed help then why not just-"

"Forgive me. I was being stubborn." Her expression turned downcast as she let out a depressed sigh. "I thought if I tried speaking with the higher ups again, they'd understand how dire our situation is and send help. But they refused."

Irina, Jon, and the rest of the table remained silent.

"We were sent here as sacrificial lambs." Xenovia spoke bitterly. "The sentiment that I received from the Arch-Bishop was clear. We either return home with those swords, or we don't return at all."

"I'm not disagreeing that we need help." Irina smiled at her. "But we knew the risks going into this mission."

Xenovia kept her gaze to the table. "Yes but...I would rather avoid needless sacrifice if necessary." She then turned and smiled at Irina. "After all, I'd never forgive myself if I let you die needlessly."

Irina blushed in surprise. "Xenovia…"

Her attention shifted back towards Jon again. "We will accept your help."

Jon nodded approvingly. "There's just one thing we need from you in exchange. Any and all information you might have on Valper Galilei's research. His old lab, documents, where he was buried, anything."

Xenovia gave him a strange look. "Why do you need that?"

"Please." Koneko spoke up imploringly. "This is important to getting Kiba back."

Irina and Xenovia both shared knowing looks with one another before turning their attention back to the Devils.

"We can do you one better."

* * *

"A date with Koneko?" Rias asked again, holding the receiver of her desk phone up to her ear.

"Yeah." Jon's voice came in through the other end. "I was pretty surprised myself when she brought it up. But hey, she seems excited about it."

"Well I think that's wonderful, Jon." Rias replied while giving both Akeno and Asia, who were hovering over her desk on baited breath excitedly, the thumbs up. The two girls broke out into a small happy dance while Rias continued to talk to Jon on the other end. "You two have fun tonight. Buy some new clothes and put it on my card if you need to."

"You sure this isn't putting you girls off? I know it's a bit last minute."

Rias rolled her eyes. "Jon, we've been waiting for Koneko to come to grips with her feelings since before the freaking Rating Game. We're all very excited about this. Some of us a little more so than others." She shot Asia a sly wink who turned her head away and blushed. "You two kids have fun, we'll be fine on our own."

With that, she hung up the phone at which point all three ladies broke out into excited cheering.

"I can't believe they're finally doing it!" Asia clapped excitedly.

"It's about time if you ask me." Akeno spoke frankly. "Those two have been making moony eyes at each other for way too long now."

"A shame it had to come at such an inconvenient time." Rias bit her thumb nervously. "With Kokabiel still on the loose…"

"Come on, Rias." Her Queen insisted. "I know now more than ever you want to turn into Helicopter President but we should really give them their space for this. You know how hard it is for Koneko to open up, let alone confess how she feels about a boy."

"She's right." Asia spoke up in agreement. "We should let them be. I trust Jon to keep them both safe."

"And you seem to forget Koneko's no pushover either." Akeno added with a slick grin. "The two of them will be fine. And since they'll likely be out all night, we have the place to ourselves."

A devious smirk crept over Rias's lips. "You're right. But whatever shall we do with ourselves tonight ladies?"

"We could have a slumber party!" Asia offered excitedly.

Akeno and Rias both gave each other amused looks before breaking out into a fit of giggling. Asia just stared at them both in confusion.

"What? Is it a bad idea?"

Rias shook her head, an amused smile on her face. "Not at all love. I just simply adore that childlike naivete of yours."

"It is rather cute." Akeno admitted with a hand against her cheek.

"Well I still think it's a good idea." Asia crossed her arms, puffed out her cheeks, and pouted.

"Oh no, sweetie. We weren't making fun of you." Akeno assured. "It really does sound like fun."

Rias nodded in agreement. "I haven't had a slumber party since I was a kid."

Asia beamed at them, turning into a bouncing excitable girl again.

"But…" The President's expression suddenly turned mischievous. "We're not kids anymore. So if we're going to do this, we're going to do it properly."

Akeno giggled at her King Piece. "I'll grab the Margarita Mix."

* * *

Kyattsui, or Cat's Eye to those who didn't speak the language, was one of the most popular nightclubs in Kuoh City. The large, multilevel complex boasted a massive dance floor in the center of the room with multilevel stages where dancers dressed in body painted tye dye shorts and shirts moved in perfect rhythm with the techno beat blasting through dozens of hidden speakers. The entire club was engulfed in multicolor lighting and a bubble machine decorated the space above them in round soapy spheres of different colors. The second level balcony held the VIP area and private lounges. Down below, hundreds of young clubgoers mingled, drank brightly colored mixed drinks, and danced suggestively on the main stage.

After making their way through security, Koneko practically had to drag Jon into the building. Dressed in torn black jeans, a black cloth undershirt and neon red raver vest, he hadn't felt this out of his element since Rias dragged him to that Art Gallery Unveiling.

"Come on, man!" Jon protested loudly over the music, going so far as to stomp his foot.

"Would you just get over it?" Koneko insisted. "I told you we needed to blend in."

"But I look ridiculous!" He insisted whilst pointing at his outfit.

She quirked a brow at him and cocked her hip to the side. "Said the man who regularly dresses up as a Cowboy from Hell."

He was about to protest further but stopped. She had a point. A good one.

"Besides, you don't actually look terrible in that getup." Koneko insisted whilst turning back to the stage and beckoning for him to follow. "Now come on, we need to scope out the area and start looking for Kiba."

The Rook, for her part, looked far more comfortable in the outfit she was sporting. Koneko was wearing a black shirt that looked to almost be a size too large for her. The neck appeared to be stretched out to reveal most of her shoulders and chest. Half the neckline rested on her arm, revealing a single purple bra strap. She matched this with a pair of ash booty shorts that perfectly conformed to her ample ass and were utterly impossible to go unnoticed. On the front of the shirt the words Suck It were emblazoned in glittery purple letters, and she was wearing matching purple mascara and body glitter on her cheeks and around her breasts.

"Let's head for the bar." She suggested.

"Right behind you."

They quickly made their way to the bar where Koneko ordered two bright multicolor drinks that Jon had no idea what were made of. All he knew was that his was both blue and purple and tasted like vodka and melted warhead candies.

"These are the kinda drinks that piss me off." He commented after taking another sip. "Nine hundred yen for sugar diabetes and no buzz."

She rolled her eyes at him and sipped on her pink and red cocktail. "Are the others in position yet?"

"I'll check." Jon placed a finger against his ear and activated the communication enchantment they'd all cast. "You guys hear me?"

"Loud and clear." Irina's voice spoke back. "We're still working on disabling the security and gaining access to the power grid, but we'll let you know once we're through."

"Got it. Sammy, what about you? Any sign of Kiba?"

"Not on my end." He replied in annoyance. "This vent ain't exactly the most ideal vantage point ya know? I barely got room to move in here."

"You can gripe later." Koneko insisted, placing a finger up to her ear as well. "Just keep your eyes peeled on the second floor. We'll cover the first."

"Yeah yeah, keep ya panties unbunched Shorty."

"I'm not picking up his scent." Jon added. "Are you sure this is the club they're meeting at?"

"My Shiro is never wrong about what she hears. He may just not be here yet."

He scanned his eyes around the second floor balcony above them as well as off to the sides of the first floor. "Well I'll tell you one thing I do see is way too much fucking security for a simple Nightclub."

Koneko nodded in agreement. "What's up with the shades?"

"We saw security personal exactly like these guys at that other club we went to." Irina spoke up.

"You mean the one where ya nearly blew my freaking head off?" Sammy chimed in.

"Are you ever going to let that go? I said I was sorry, didn't I?"

"Be careful Jon." Xenovia spoke next. "Those men are Husks. Agents of Kokabiel."

"Wonderful." He commented sarcastically. "Well we best not linger. We need to blend in and start scoping out our surroundings before one of Kokabiel's goons makes our identities."

Koneko nodded in agreement. "Take my hand."

Jon grasped the small gloved hand that was offered to him before being pulled to the dance floor. As they made their way towards the middle of the large crowd of dancing clubgoers, a remix of I fink u freeky by Die Antwoord began playing over the speakers.

"So, bad time to bring this up. But I ain't much of a dancer." He admitted somewhat awkwardly.

Koneko scoffed at him before hopping up onto a small circle stage about a foot off the ground. "Just grab my waist and press your hips against mine."

Jon did as instructed and wrapped his right arm around her waist while keeping his left down to his side.

"Now widen your stance a bit." She instructed. "And move your hips in rhythm with mine."

Koneko started grinding on him, showing off just how much more experience she had at this sort of thing than he did. Her hips moving in perfect rhythm with the music while she pumped up her silver hair with her hands.

"This is dancing?" Jon asked in disbelief. "It feels like we're just having sex with our clothes still on."

"What, are you suddenly Catholic again? Should I be leaving room for Jesus?" She asked, seemingly ignoring his comment while she enjoyed the music.

He chuckled at her before slowly starting to get more into it. "Hey don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining." Feeling her gorgeous ass pressed up against him, Jon couldn't help himself. "I was just thinking, it's a shame you have to sit on something so pretty."

She glared back at him angrily, her cheeks turning red. "Keep it in your pants, Cowboy."

"I guess I should just be happy you didn't call me Pervert again." He retorted with a slick grin.

Koneko rolled her eyes and kept dancing. As the beat slowly started to pick up she suddenly started popping her ass on him, getting lower and lower to the ground, one hand behind her head and the other extended out to her side while she twerked on him. Jon was suddenly getting flashbacks to that strip club in Texas. By the songs end, both Jon and Koneko were visibly winded. Their faces were red and their hair slightly disheveled.

"Well what do you know." She turned around and grinned at him. "You actually don't suck at this."

"You should know by now I'm a fast learner."

"Okay then, wiseguy. Lesson two." She placed his right hand around her waist to cup the small of her back while placing his left hand directly on her ass, before wrapping her arms around his neck and starting to gyrate her hips in rhythm with the next song. Her catlike eyes glued to his and her lips pursed in a gorgeous pout. Jon followed her lead and moved with her hips, occasionally following the directions she gave him with his hands, running a palm along her thigh and up her back. Once they had a good rhythm going, she started mixing it up by occasionally turning around and offering her back and butt to him. At one point she dipped on the stage and curved her backside before popping her ass in his face tauntingly, a mischievous look in her yellow eyes as she peered back at him.

"Go ahead, you've done it before." She insisted.

Jon smacked her ass hard with his right hand. Rather than respond the way she did last time, Koneko instead elected to take it before popping up and pressing her back into him again. She wrapped her arms behind her head and around his neck before really starting to grind against his manhood.

"Remember to keep an eye out for Kiba." She said while gyrating her hips on him faster.

"Don't worry, I've been keeping my senses open to the Auras in the room since we got here."

"What do you feel?"

His eyes drifted back down to that gorgeous thing grinding against him. "You mean besides turned on?"

She popped him on the side of the head before turning around and wrapping her arms around him again. "Be serious. Remember it's not just Kiba we're expecting to be here."

He nodded in understanding. "Don't worry. I've been keeping tabs on the energy in the room since we got here."

"Anything stand out?"

"Nothing in particular. However..." He narrowed his eyes at the suits. "Something feels...off. Just a gut feeling I keep getting."

"Well we'll need to keep our guard up either way. But listen, let's try to maintain a low profile until we know more about what we're…"

The music had changed again. Now a slower, more deliberate synthesized sound. The other dancers around them began to slow their movements, creating a more relaxed and...intimate environment.

Koneko suddenly blushed. "Well...okay. So what we want to do here is-"

Jon spun her around and pressed her up against him tight. The silver haired girl let out an indignant gasp as she suddenly felt both his strong arms wrap around her waist and his beard prickle at her neck.

"I think I've got the idea." He insisted with a gentle whisper in her ear.

The two began a much more slow, deliberate pace. Jon would still on occasion run his hand along her leg or up her backside, and she responded positively to each touch. Whether this was deliberate or not was hard to tell. As he learned at that strip club, Koneko could be a very convincing actor when she needed to.

"You think you're so smooth." She chided him playfully.

Jon grinned at her pridefully. "Come on, you've gotta admit you're a little impressed."

Koneko sighed before finally relenting. "Maybe a little." She then nuzzled into his neck and placed a hand on his cheek. "At the very least, I think I'm starting to see why it is the other girls like you so much."

"Careful now. Wouldn't want people to start thinking you were going soft on us." He teased her lightheartedly.

She scoffed at him. "Don't get me wrong, I still think you have some major issues."

"Oh?" He sounded less offended and more intrigued. "And what might those be?"

"You're reckless for one. Especially when you get angry. Which you do constantly." She answered matter of factly. "You're a Dragon, so you have a God complex, even though you don't know it yet. You're cute, but you're also very aware of it." She frowned slightly. "But the thing that scares me the most about you Jon is that, whether you like it or not, you're dangerous. And I don't just mean because of your power. You have an ability to affect people on a spiritual level. That, in of itself, is a frightening amount of control."

He remained silent. Quietly contemplating her words as they danced.

"It's a power that is easily abused." She continued with a melancholy tone. "And if you're not careful, I'm afraid it will change you into something monstrous."

"I would never do anything to-"

"Because let's face it, Jon." She cut him off insistently. "For all your talk of respecting women, you really aren't used to hearing the word no from the opposite sex. Are you?"

Again, he remained silent.

"Well one day you are going to hear that." Koneko continued. "Imprint or no Imprint their will come a woman in your life who has feelings for you but rejects them anyway. Either because she rejects what you are, or what you represent. And when that happens, you'll have to accept it."

He frowned in disappointment. "I'm guessing you're talking about you, right?"

She turned her head away and bit her lower lip thoughtfully. "N...not...necessarily."

Jon immediately perked back up. "So...you're saying you-"

"I'm saying I still don't know yet." Koneko insisted emphatically. "Jon, this isn't easy for me. And not for the reason you think. It's got nothing to do with you. It's…" She sighed and stared at the ground dejectedly. "...it's me."

He had gathered that some time ago. But didn't want to put her on the spot by admitting that fact.

"Whenever, or rather if ever, you're ready to talk about it, you know I'll listen." His breath was warm against her neck as he pulled her in closer. Koneko's hair was like silk against his face. "But...whatever it is you're scared of is probably just another thing I'll grow to love about you."

Her breath caught in her throat. Koneko's small heart was pounding out of her chest at that moment. She wasn't ready to deal with this. Not yet. Dammit! Why couldn't she get this guy out of her head and just focus for once?

"You're so much stronger than me." She admitted with a sad smile, her face glowing red. "You make it seem so easy respecting my space, and yet here I am just...ready to fall backwards."

"You do that and I may do more than just catch you, Darlin." He teased her with one of his trademark grins.

A sly smirk spread over her face. "Oh really? Maybe it's just the booze talking but that doesn't sound absolutely horrible."

Before he could come up with another witty retort, Jon suddenly felt a familiar presence on the second floor. He honed his sense of sight and peered up into the dark rafters. Spotting a familiar blonde Knight among the crowd of VIP guests.

"He's here."

Koneko gasped in surprise while Jon pointed out exactly where he was to her. At that moment, Kiba started making his way to one of the private lounge areas on the opposite side of the room.

"Looks like he's on the move." Jon declared.

"We need to get up there." She insisted. "Come on. Let's head for the second floor."

Jon and Koneko made their way towards the stairwell that lead up to the second floor. While Jon handled the bouncer guarding the entrance to the VIP area, Koneko used her communication enchantment to radio in to the others and confirm the primary targets location.

"Sorry buddy, but you two are not on the list." The bouncer insisted warily.

"Check again. Should be under Henry Kyle, plus one?"

The bouncer grumpily checked the list again. Using an illusion spell, Jon made the appropriate name appear on the board, along with a plus one mark.

"Oh...my mistake." The bouncer rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "Looks like you are on there. I apologize." He removed the velvet rope barrier and ushered them both up the stairs. "Please, enjoy the VIP area."

They quickly made their way up to the second floor balcony before heading towards the private lounge area.

"You still got eyes on us, Sammy?" Jon asked with a finger up to his ear.

"Yeah, I got ya." He responded taciturnly. "Look, just try not to get in front of my shot should the worst happen. Okay?"

"Only if you promise not to miss." He immediately retorted. "How about you, Irina? Where are we with the security?"

"Cameras and alarms have been disabled." She proudly declared. "Still working on the lights, though."

"Somethings not right." Xenovia warned cautiously. "The building's alarm system was wired to dial out a private number. Not the police. What kind of Nightclub does that?"

"One that belongs to criminals." Jon surmised. "I suspected this Nightclub was just a front."

"But a front for what?" Irina asked worriedly.

"Is that really important?" Sammy spoke up. "Come on guys, let's not lose track of why we're here. We need to grab Kiba and then get the hell outta dodge."

"Agreed." Jon took Koneko by the hand and guided her towards the booths. "Keep low and follow me."

Jon bent over to stay out of the security guards line of site as they approached the booths adjacent to where Kiba was going. From the other side of the leather seats the two pressed their ears up to the backboard and honed their sense of hearing.

"That's good enough. Stop frisking him and get over here." They heard a young, impatient voice speak up.

"Who is that talking?" Koneko asked Jon quietly.

"I'm not sure. But the fact that I can't see his aura is making me nervous."

"So did you do it?" The male voice spoke again. "Is the Dragon dead?"

"No." They heard Kiba say in a tense guarded voice. "They found me out before I was able to administer the poison."

"Really?" The male voice that spoke didn't sound angry, yet rather intrigued. "Curious how you're still breathing then."

"I ran shortly after they caught on to what I was doing. I've been in hiding ever since."

The male voice laughed in amusement. "Guess that speed is good for something." Jon could smell the distinct odor of vape juice wafting off the figure talking to Kiba. "Well seeing as how you failed spectacularly, I'm not sure what the fuck it is you want from us. My Father's instructions were clear. If you didn't kill Ddraig then we have no deal."

"He must be talking about Kokabiel." Jon observed.

"Which would make the one talking to Kiba Kokabiel's son, Ramiel." Koneko added. "He has powers on par with Salazar's. We need to be very wary of him." She warned.

"I still have information I can offer." Kiba insisted. "Let me work for you. I'll earn my vengeance somehow."

Ramiel didn't respond at first, Jon could hear him taking another hit off of that vape pen. "We'll see if your information is really worth our time. Let's continue this conversation in the basement."

"Oh crap! They're getting up!"

"Over here!" Koneko whispered sharply before pulling Jon away from the wall and planting him back in the seat.

"Koneko, what are you doing? We need to get out of here before they-"

Before he could utter another word, Koneko straddled his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips furiously to his. Though dazed by the initial shock he eventually realized what she was doing and relaxed. Wrapping his arms around the small of her waist as she made out with him.

Kiba, Ramiel, and two security guards passed right by them. Seemingly less than bothered by the antics of the two unidentified club goers. Once they were certain the four or them were far enough away, Koneko finally detached herself from Jon.

"You call that acting?" He gawked at her the moment she gave him room to breath again.

Koneko immediately turned her head away and blushed. "Look just…just forget about that for now. We've got to follow them."

Jon was still slightly in shock but followed her regardless. "Hey suit yourself, but we both know that was way too much tongue for just playing a role."

The two of them proceeded to shadow the four figures making their way down the stairs towards a set of double doors in the back. Ramiel nodded towards one of the security guards who bowed respectfully before stepping aside to let him pass.

"We'll have to take care of the guards." Koneko observed whilst taking up position behind a large marble column.

Jon placed himself directly behind her and surveyed the scene. They were far enough away from the clubgoers that if they took them both out, they'd be able to stash their bodies away somewhere dark and out of sight.

"Okay, I'll take the guy on the right, you take the guy on the left. We'll use the drunk as a skunk strategy."

Koneko groaned in protest. "Do we have to use that one? I hate that strategy."

"You got a better one? I'm all ears."

She thought for a moment before grinning at him confidently. "Okay, I've got this. Just follow my lead."

From several yards away, the two guards standing at the door watched as a silver haired girl stomped towards them in anger while a male in a red vest chased after her.

"I said get away from me, Creep!" The small girl shot back at the man tailing her.

"Come on baby." The man implored in a slight southern drawl. "It wasn't like that. You've got it all wrong."

She turned around and glared at him hatefully while placing her hands on her hips. "So you mean to tell me I didn't just see you kissing that tatted up tramp on the stairwell? I've had it up to here with you and all your side chicks!"

"I'm telling you, you've got it all wrong." He insisted.

At this point both security guards looked at each other before slowly approaching the bickering couple with their hands on the concealed sidearms in their jackets.

"At least give me a chance to explain."

"I've given you enough chances already." The short firecracker bit into him harshly. "We're through!"

"Ma'am, is this man harassing you?" One of the security guards asked in a clipped, professional voice.

"As a matter of fact, he is."

The security guard nodded and motioned to his buddy who approached the guy in the vest with his hand now visibly on his gun. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Come with me and I'll escort you off the premises."

He raised his hands up defensively. "Hey now, come on, can't a guy just-"

The moment the security guard was within striking range, Jon knocked his boots together and delivered a high kick straight into his shoulder. Sinking the concealed blade in his boot deep into the guard's arm.

Much to his surprise, however, the guard didn't collapse or react in any way. Rather, he just stared at the bleeding wound and then back at Jon, a hideous grin on his features.

"Bad move buddy."

The guard went to draw his firearm but Jon quickly retaliated. Disarming the guard before using his Krav Maga to knock him to the ground. His buddy pulled his firearm and took aim, only for Koneko to leap onto his back and go for a rear naked choke. While he struggled to get her off, Jon grappled with the guard still on the ground, who pulled a combat knife from his pocket before attempting to plunge it into Jon's leg. His opponent was able to grab his wrist, however, before turning the blade back on him.

As Jon tried to force the blade down into the security guards chest, his opponent's strength began to give out as the poison took effect. He finished by slamming his palm down onto the grip of the blade repeatedly, driving the knife into the guards sternum like a nail through a plank of wood. Finally, the guard collapsed in a lifeless heap, just in time for Jon to watch Koneko bring the other one to his knees before snapping his neck with a single swift motion.

"These guys are way too strong to be normal Husks." Jon observed nervously. "Human muscle shouldn't be able to hold up to our strength."

"It's likely they've been genetically modified." She explained. "Anyway, questions for later. Right now let's hide the bodies."

They quickly disposed of the corpses in two dark shadowy corners, away from the prying eyes of mortals, before making their way into the back room.

Much to their surprise, however, it appeared to be nothing but storage space. More confusing, however, was the fact that Kiba and Ramiel were nowhere to be found.

"No no no, this isn't right." Jon insisted confidently. "There's got to be more here."

Koneko nodded in agreement. "Start looking around for a hidden switch or something."

After a few moments of searching Jon located a rather conspicuous looking red button on the side of circuit breaker. The back wall slid away to reveal a hidden elevator.

"It's Jon. Koneko and I just found a secret passage to God only knows where. We're gonna check it out." He reported in through his communicator enchantment.

"Because that's totally not suspicious." Sammy joked in a blithe manner.

"Jon be careful." Irina insisted worriedly. "These guys are obviously well equipped. Don't do anything stupid down there."

"Don't worry. I won't let him." Koneko assured.

"We'll keep you updated on what we find. Maintain radio contact."

"Understood." Xenovia responded.

"Good luck, Jon." Irina offered nervously.

"Watch out for the Boogeyman." Sammy joked in a sarcastic tone.

Jon rolled his eyes before ending his radio traffic. "Dick."

"Ignore him, Dude. We have bigger fish to fry." Koneko insisted while making her way onto the elevator.

Jon quickly joined her before pushing the down arrow and lowering the metal door.

"By the way." She spoke up, a small smile forming on her face. "Thanks for coming with me. I'd never have made it this far without your help."

He smiled back at her before placing his hand in hers. The two steeled themselves as the elevator slowly descended into the bowels of the club.


	16. Chapter 16

**::Author's Note::**

**Well this chapter took longer to get out than I anticipated. I decided to take a small break from writing. (Mostly to catch up on UFC and finally get around the playing Devil May Cry 5.) But I'm back on track. I had some slight writers block as well as I sort of wrote myself into a corner with this Chapter. Hopefully it turned out alright despite my roadblock.**

**So here is Chapter Sixteen at long last.**

**::End Note::**

The Headquarters of the ORC was filled with the sound of three girls laughing, talking, and enjoying themselves. Rias, Asia, and Akeno were all dressed in various forms of sleep attire. A silky blue nightie for Asia. A pink negligee and matching bra for Rias. And finally, a set of red lingerie for Akeno, complete with a lacy bra, panties, and matching stockings. They had just finished painting each others toenails while sipping on strawberry margaritas. Now slightly tipsy, the three of them had moved the furniture out of the way in the Chapter Room and placed their mattress square in the center, where they began playing a game of Truth or Dare.

"Okay Akeno, your turn. Truth or Dare?" Rias asked, her cheeks flushed from the alcohol.

"Hmm." She tapped the side of her glass with her fingernails as if mulling it over in her head. "Dare."

"I dare the two of you to kiss right now." The redhead pointed to Asia who giggled back at her.

Akeno chortled, placing a hand against her mouth so as not to accidentally spit out her drink. "How did I know you were going to say that?"

"Come oooon." Rias begged. "I want to see the two women I'm dating kiss. Let's bring this thing full circle."

Her Queen rolled her eyes before giving Asia an alluring smile. "Are you okay with that, Dear?"

Asia smiled back and nodded. "I don't mind at all. Go right ahead."

Akeno took Asia's hands in hers before turning back to the President. "Are you watching this Rias?"

She nodded excitedly, taking another large sip of her drink as she eagerly awaited the show.

The two girls leaned in close, closed their eyes, and kissed each other, holding it for a few moments. Deciding to take it a step further, Akeno wrapped her arms around Asia who smiled into a second kiss, and then a third as well. Rias meanwhile, was eating it up.

"Alright alright!" She laughed hysterically. "I said kiss, not makeout."

All three girls started giggling again as Akeno refilled their drinks.

"Okay Rias, your turn. Truth or dare?" Asia asked.

"Oh that's easy. Dare."

"I've got one for you." Akeno challenged. "I dare you to go to the window and flash those three perverts who've been spying on us all week." She pointed to the window of the Chapter Room with her glass.

Rias peered at the window and bit her lower lip thoughtfully. "Now when you say flash...?"

"I mean go to the window and flash your boobs." Akeno insisted, causing Asia to start giggling hysterically.

She thought about it for a moment before finally nodding. "Alright, one second."

Rias stood up and sauntered over to the window. She shot both girls an amorous grin before turning back to the window and pulling down her negligee and bra, flashing her breasts to whoever might have been looking before flipping the double bird. All while Asia and Akeno both laughed hysterically. She then covered herself back up and plopped back down on the mattress, nary a care to be given.

"I can't believe you actually did that." Asia exclaimed in between bouts of giggling. "I think I would die if I tried to do something that risque."

"If you keep putting back those margaritas the way you have been I bet you could." Rias responded causing even more bubbly laughter from the three.

"Okay, okay." Akeno raised her hands up to calm the room. "Ms. Asia, it's now your turn. Truth or dare?"

"Umm." She ran her hands through a strand of her golden blonde hair nervously. "I think I'll stick with truth again."

Rias and Akeno both groaned in exasperation.

"That's the third time you've picked truth." Rias protested.

Asia smiled in embarrassment and hid her face in her hands. "I'm too nervous to pick Dare."

"But we're running out of questions." Akeno retorted.

Rias's smile suddenly faltered. "Actually...I've got one. Since it's just the three of us here, I don't mind asking you."

Akeno and Asia both peered at her curiously.

"Asia...do you regret what you've become?" She asked in a slightly pensive tone.

The energy in the room instantly vanished.

"Why would you ask that?" Asia sounded almost hurt by her words. "Rias, we've already been over this."

"I know. I know." She responded apologetically. "I'm sorry. It's just that I can't get what Xenovia said to you out of my head." She huffed in anger. "Even now just thinking about it makes me so...grrrrr!"

The blonde beauty's smile returned. "Rias, I could never regret becoming what I am. Not after everything my new life has given me. I'm happier now than I ever was back at the Church." She closed her eyes and bowed her head. "I thank God every day for you and Jon. Even if it does kill my head to do so."

"I think Rias is just feeling a little protective." Akeno spoke up before taking another sip of her drink. "Given everything that's happened that doesn't surprise me. I feel the same way."

"I know you two are worried about me, but you really shouldn't be." Asia insisted. "I'm not that same wallflower that Jon rescued from the Fallen Angels." She smiled at them both assuredly. "I'm a Devil now. Same as the rest of you. I'm proud of my work, and I'm proud of my new family. Nothing is ever going to change that."

"Now enough about that dreary subject, I've got a real question for the both of you."

Rias and Asia both peered at Akeno questioningly as a deviant smile spread over her lips.

"I've been curious, have you girls lost all your firsts yet?"

* * *

Jon and Koneko descended into the bowels of the club's substructure. They were expecting a basement full of liquor and maybe a couple of goons at a table playing poker. Instead what they got was something far worse. There was an entire underground complex beneath the club, complete with a veritable labyrinth of tunnels, guard houses, and rooms with monitoring equipment.

"I have...several questions." Jon muttered as he gawked at his surroundings from the open elevator.

"Yeah…" Koneko nodded in agreement, appearing to be just as dumbfounded.

"Seriously." He shook off the initial shock and refocused. "Where the hell did this come from?"

"You guys alright down there?" Irina spoke up through her communication enchantment. "What's going on?"

"We uhhh…" Jon pressed a finger up to his ear, still taking it all in. "...we may have found something that's…"

"A big fucking problem." Koneko finished for him. "Irina, they've got an entire compound down here."

"Now hold on. When you say compound…" Sammy spoke up on the other end. "...are we talking like a bunker or…?"

"More like something straight out of Cobra Commander." Jon replied grimly. "It ain't exactly easy to describe just over the radio."

"We'll keep the line open so you can hear what's going on." Koneko replied. "Right now, Jon and I need to get moving."

They left the elevator and headed for the far wall to scout out one of the large corridors. Several guards dressed in suits and shades were patrolling the halls and guarding multiple doors.

"I'll be honest, I was half expecting to see blood red banners on the wall with a picture of a giant fist on the front." He joked in a blithe manner.

"Jon, this serious. If they managed to build all this, there's no telling how long they've been in the city without us knowing about it."

He shrugged. "I'm just saying, couple of banners, maybe a row of cameras that follow your every move for no reason, and this could be the lair of a Bond Villain."

"This is not the time!" Koneko insisted angrily. "Can't you please be serious?"

"Is he making bad jokes again?" Irina groaned through the communications channel.

"Yes!" She spoke bag in an aggravated tone. "At the worst possible time."

"Yeah, he does that whenever things get stressful. It's a coping mechanism."

"I've noticed." Koneko glared at him. "It's annoying as shit."

"It can't be very healthy either." Xenovia spoke up.

"Look, is this a Rescue Op or my fucking intervention?" Jon asked with an annoyed tone.

"Hey, if you've got a brilliant idea for how we're going to find Kiba in this mess, I'm all ears." Koneko replied sarcastically.

He peered around the corner as a guard who looked to be about his size and carrying a large duffle bag came walking their way.

"I'm...working on something." Jon commented with a slick smirk.

Koneko looked at him, then at the guard walking their way, then back at Jon again. "Whatever it is, I can tell already I'm not gonna like it."

* * *

The guard with the duffle bag made his way into a large set of metal doors and quickly scanned the area. Aside from the massive stacks of crates lining the walls there didn't appear to be anyone or anything inside.

"Alright, the coast is clear." Jon spoke to the duffle bag before gently putting it down and removing his shades.

Koneko tore her way out and blew her hair out of her eyes while glaring at him. "That was your big plan? Disguise yourself as a guard and stuff me in a bag?"

"Hey it worked, didn't it?" He helped her back to her feet while she dusted herself off. "There were at least thirty guards that we just snuck by. This place must be even bigger than we thought."

"So where are we now?"

"Looks like some sort of warehouse." He observed while walking over to the stacks of crates.

"Wait a minute, are those guns?" Koneko asked worriedly.

"Well, we don't know that." Jon replied optimistically while opening one of the green boxes. "This is a criminal organization, it could be drugs, contraband, annnnd it's guns." He swore under his breath. "Definitely guns."

"Guns?" Sammy spoke up. "What kind of guns?"

"Looks like an M4 Carbine in this one." He replied while searching through the crate. "Heavily modified. Plus a couple of M9s with what appear to be laser targeting systems."

"That sounds like military grade hardware!"

"Hey Jon, check this one out." Koneko waved him over to another box she had opened. Inside was a Rheinmetall MG3 Machine Gun as well as a belt of custom Nato cartridges. "How much you want to bet those casings are silver?"

"What is it? What'd you guys find?" Sammy asked worriedly.

"Oh nothing, just enough ordinance down here for the start of WWIII."

"But where the hell did it all come from?" Irina asked.

"That's a good question. But I have a better one." Jon opened another case containing a massive GS-777 Rocket Launcher. "What the hell are they planning on doing with it?"

At that moment the door to the warehouse opened, leaving Jon and Koneko with just enough time to duck behind a pile of crates before being seen. A young girl whose eyes were glued to her phone walked through the warehouse with two guards at her back and a woman in a brown secretary outfit at her side.

"So of course he's all Tamil I need you to check on Warehouse Three, the sensor went off, it's not like I have my own Security Guards who can do it for you, noooo I gotta waste your time on non-existent intruders." She scoffed after finishing her impression. "I love my Big Bro, Lana. I really do. But he is just uggh, the worst sometimes."

"At least he's being cautious, Ma'am." The brunette in the skin tight skirt and blouse named Lana spoke up in a clipped, posh, accent. "We wouldn't want another incident like the one we had at the other venue."

"I still can't believe they trashed my Metal Club." She growled in anger whilst typing on her keypad faster. "It took us forever to get all the blood stains out of the walls, not to mention the giant hole in the office. I swear when I get my hands on those two Holy Bitches I'm gonna choke the life out of them myself."

"We should just be thankful they didn't find the entrance to the Nexus while they were there. We've remained under Lucifer's Radar so far, and I'm sure your Father will want it to remain that way until our friends in the Lab have finished working on-"

"Protocol states that talking about Mission Critical projects outside of designated areas is strictly prohibited." One of the Security Guards stated flatly.

Tamil rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You should tell that to my Brother. I mean, why the hell did he bring a freaking Devil into the Nexus? Since when were we cutting Blondie a deal?"

"From what your Brother told me, we're not." Lana calmly explained. "Apparently that boy has a unique Sacred Gear that could expedite our research into the Holy Swords. We're going to dissect him and figure out what makes it tick."

Koneko's eyes went wide with horror and she clasped a hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp.

"Reminder." The Guard spoke up again. "Discussing Mission Critical information is-"

"Does he have to do that every time we break a rule?" Tamil interrupted with an annoyed groan.

"We have orders from your Father, Ma'am." The other Security Guard spoke up.

"What, that you were supposed to follow me around and bug the snot out of my Assistant?" She asked impatiently.

"No Ma'am. I believe his exact words were...babysitting."

Tamil stopped dead in her tracks and looked up from her phone. "Lana, how many Guards do we have in this sector?"

"Over a hundred, why?"

Three invisible slashes cut through the air around Tamil without her moving and the two Guards at her back fell into bloody pieces on the floor as she calmly returned to her phone. "Then no one will care if we're missing two."

"Perhaps not…" She gingerly stepped away from the bloody mess before it got on her shoes. "...though I somehow doubt your Father will approve of you randomly killing his men."

"Oh relax. They're Husks." Tamil insisted assuredly. "It's basically like smashing a robot."

"Tell that to the poor janitors who have to clean up this bloody mess." Lana commented as they made their way out of the warehouse.

Koneko immediately shot up and started making her way for the door. "We've wasted enough time. We need to find Kiba."

"Koneko wait." Jon insisted.

She turned around and glared at him frantically. "Did you not hear what they just said? Jon, they're going to kill him!"

"I know that, but-"

"What, Jon?!" She flared angrily. "What is so damn important that we can't leave right this very second?!"

He frowned at her sourly. "I was gonna say let's use the other door back there." Jon pointed to a set of metal double doors in the back of the warehouse with his thumb. "Might be a little safer."

She blanched before turning red with embarrassment. "Oh...sorry."

He smirked at her. "You know the rules."

Akeno lowered her head shamefully. "Go ahead…"

Jon proceeded to pet her soft hair with his outstretched hand while she fidgeted in place like a bemused kitten.

"Now let's get going." He insisted. "We've got a stubborn jackass to save."

* * *

The underground complex Kiba had been lead to was massive. And if what Tamil had told him was accurate, there were over a dozen more just like it scattered all throughout the underbelly of Kuoh, collectively known as the Nexus. Each hub of the Nexus served a different purpose, and were connected via a series of hidden railway stations attached directly to Kuoh's subway system.

"How the hell did you manage to build all this without us, or hell, even the city from knowing it?"

Ramil took a hit off his vape and chuckled. "Turns out if you have enough cash you can get away with pretty much anything without people knowing about it. Even the 'Almighty Lucifer'."

"But what's it all for?" Kiba asked warily, following his host with a reluctant hesitance. "I imagine you're planning to do more than just keep tabs on us."

"All in due time, Turncoat. All in due time." He replied with that same dry sarcastic wit. "You just have to wait until we get to the lab."

"You still haven't explained to me what we'll be doing there. Or for that matter, what the hell this lab of yours even is."

He shrugged. "Ehh, it's complicated. We bought an old Mansion on the outskirts of town and set up shop in the basement. Well I say basement…"

"But what does it have to do with-"

"It's where we keep the swords." Ramil interrupted.

Kiba stopped dead in his tracks, his whole body going rigid.

"I figured that would get your attention." Ramil shot him a sly grin. "Now, we can't have you going murder crazy over them, but if you at least get to see the swords, I figure you'll understand what it is you're working towards."

He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. "Oh don't worry, I know exactly what I'm working towards."

They both arrived at a private rail depot where a solid black reinforced tram car awaited them, passing by a single armed guard wearing a suit and shades. As the two made their way towards the trams open door, Ramil walked out in front and waved for Kiba to follow.

"Well let's get going." He insisted, a sinister grin spreading over his lips as he took another hit off his vape. "Unless...your friends object."

Kiba stared at him in confusion. "My what?"

The sound of a revolver cocking caused the Knight to immediately lower his head and swear under his breath.

"Jon…" He growled angrily before slowly turning around. The man he had so clumsily mistaken for a random guard removed his shades to reveal none other than the Gremory Pawn himself. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"You mean this isn't the Express to Seventh and Balch?" He joked in a blithe manner, keeping his revolver trained on Ramil.

"You know why we're here, Kiba." A calm voice spoke up next as Koneko left her hiding spot behind a trash can. "We're here to stop you from making one of the biggest mistakes of your life."

"The only mistake I made was not covering my tracks better." He seethed. "I thought I made it clear, I have no intention of coming back to the ORC."

"Yeah, we got that, Buddy. We're not deaf. We just ain't listening to you." Jon retorted while taking a few steps forward. "But we both know you don't really have the heart to go through with this whole Benedict Arnold routine either." He smirked at him. "Otherwise you'd have gone ahead and tried to poison me. Rather than changing your mind and lying to Gen-Z Trustfund boy over here."

Kiba blanched and turned back towards Ramil, who was now glaring at him coldly.

"Oops, was that supposed to be a secret?" Jon apologized insincerely. "My bad."

"Well...you are just a giant barrel of disappointments aren't you?" Ramil shook his head at him. "We gave you one job and you pussed out on us."

The Knight stewed in silence as his body began to tremble with anger. "You idiots...this was my one chance! I was going to destroy those swords and-"

"And what? Die in a suicidal escape attempt?" Jon spoke up before he could finish. "Come one Kiba, even I'm not that impulsive."

"You still don't get it!" He shot back angrily, his face turning red. "This is the only thing I've ever wanted! My one reason for going on living! You already got everything! Why are you trying to ruin this for me?!"

"We're not!" Koneko spoke up, taking a step forward. "We're trying to help you."

"I don't want your help! When will you understand that the only thing I want is-"

"Oh for the love of...would you shut the fuck up and let her finish?!" Jon barked at him with a booming voice that silenced the whole room.

After an awkward silence, Ramil quietly mumbled. "Oh no, by all means, have your family drama on my tramway. This isn't awkward for me at all."

"What I was going to say is we want to help you get your revenge." Koneko insisted.

Kiba's anger dissipated and he stared at her in shock. "You...you do?"

"Rias doesn't even know we're here." Jon added just as assuredly. "We're risking our necks and our hides right now."

"So...you want to help me destroy the Holy Swords?"

He shook his head, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Actually, we've got something even better for you buddy. See...your friends here at Casa Deh Doom Fortress have been lying to you. There's something you need to know about the man behind those swords."

Ramil's expression turned sour as he took a deep breath and groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and pointer finger. "Well shit...you actually weren't supposed to figure that part out yet. Congratulations."

"Figure what out?" Kiba insisted, getting more and more frustrated by their lack of answers.

"Valper Galilei is still alive!" Koneko declared.

Kiba went wide eyed and the world deafened around him. He could hear his heart beating in his chest as well as a high pitched ringing noise invading his ears. At that moment flashbacks to all the horrible experiments he was forced to endure, as well as that hideous smile of the Priest overseeing them all returned to him.

"Valper is...is still alive?" He asked in quiet disbelief, his whole body going limp.

"Irina and Xenovia confirmed it." Jon spoke up. "The man my Father killed was a double. We've got the official autopsy report and everything. Kiba, Valper escaped the raid. In fact, he's probably the one behind all the research the Fallen Angels have been doing into the Holy Swords."

Kiba's stunned silence boiled over into a seething rage as he wheeled around and shot daggers at Ramil. "You lied to me!"

"Noooo, we would never." Ramil insisted completely insincerely, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Jesus Christ, the fact that it took John Hick and Lolita Ann over there saying it to your face for you to figure it out is beyond me. Everything our intelligence told us made you out to be the smart one."

Jon glared at Ramil spitefully. "Watch it, Buddy."

"And yet here we are, moments away from having lead you straight onto a dissection slab like a fish on a hook." He continued undeterred. "I'll admit, I am legitimately curious just what the hell Valper did that would turn you this stupid! Because the only thing I can think of is what most Catholic Priests get accused of when it comes to eight year old boys."

Kiba's eyes began to glow red as his demon blood ignited.

"So tell me…" A sadistic smile covered Ramil's face. "...did the bad man touch you, Devil Boy?"

"That's it!" He roared angrily as his sword appeared in his right hand.

"Kiba don't!" Jon tried to stop him.

Too late. The Knight charged at the still vaping Ramil, who calmly lifted a single finger in the air and blocked the tip of his sword, bringing it to a dead stop midswing.

"Wh...what?!" Kiba reared back in horror.

"Oh buddy…" Ramil took another hit off his vape, murder in his eyes. "...this is just so not your day."

A blue electrical discharge emanated from his hand as he slammed his palm into Kiba's stomach. The hapless Knight was sent flying backwards into Koneko's outstretched arms, who caught his comatose body before gently laying him on the ground.

"Is he alright?" Jon asked, keeping his eyes and his aim trained on Ramil.

"He's out of it, but seems intact this time." Koneko observed with a weary grown.

He sighed morosely. "Well, I guess we should just be thankful he didn't get himself turned into sashimi again."

"Give me five minutes." Ramil calmly replied, putting his vape away in his jacket pocket and pulling out a Sword of Light. A large pure white blade appeared from the metallic sheath.

Jon popped his neck and summoned his Sacred Gear, a red gauntlet appearing on his left hand. "How about we make it two?"

He whistled at Jon in mock impress. "Well, look who's gotten a little big for his cowboy boots. You think because you took down Salazar you're suddenly Hot Shit?"

"How do you know about that?"

"We run in similar circles...or we did." He chuckled in amusement and shrugged. "Guess that whole Immortal Phoenix thing didn't really pan out in the end. At least now Tamil and I won't be subjected to his wife's yawnathon dinner parties anymore."

Jon lowered his gun for a moment and gave Ramil a weird look. "I honestly can't tell if you're being facetious or not and it's really bugging me."

"Oh there's no joke there." Ramil assured. "Imagine three and a half hours of nothing but discussing the global political climate."

"That...does sound miserable." He admitted. "Hold on, why are you even telling me all this? This is an awful lot of secret information you're willingly divulging."

"Well that part's simple." Ramil twirled the Sword of Light in his hand as an aura of ungodly power enveloped him. "It's because I'm gonna kill you both and take him to the lab, where Valper will proceed to kill him." He calmly explained, pointing to Kiba with his sword. "So really, it's all a moot point in the grand scheme of things."

Jon laughed audibly, a slick grin on his face. "Really now? Hooo boy am I about to make you regret that overconfidence of yours. What did you think we were doing that whole time Koneko and I waited for you to get here?"

Before Ramil could ask, Jon raised his gauntlet and snapped his fingers. All around Ramil dozens of red magical circles detonated faster than the Fallen Angel could react. Not even looking back to see if the traps did anything, Jon and Koneko immediately bolted with Kiba in tow.

They didn't even make it a yard, however, before being stopped by Tamil. Backed by dozens of armed security guards and her secretary Lana.

"Yeah, no." She commented dryly, her nose still buried in her phone. "A fair effort though."

Jon sighed before quietly swearing under his breath. He turned around to see Ramil slowly approaching with his Sword of Light. Though his shirt and jacket were shredded, he looked completely untouched otherwise.

"Congratulations." He spoke with a slight edge to his voice. "You just managed to destroy a four hundred and fifty million dollar Tram Car and my favorite jacket. You've officially ruffled my feathers."

"This is bad…" Koneko muttered nervously. "...Jon these guys are no joke. We can't take them alone."

"If you've got a plan B, now is the time." He muttered back.

It was at that exact moment that the lights in the Bunker suddenly flipped off.

"What the...who tripped the breaker?!" Ramil asked angrily.

"Don't look at me." Tamil commented completely dispassionately. "Maybe you forgot to pay the bill."

"Wait…" Jon looked around the tunnel for any sign of the source of the outage. "...did Irina do this?"

"No way. A complex this big would have to run on a separate generator from the one she-"

Koneko was cut off by the sound of a large detonation coming from the ceiling. Two figures clad in skin tight battle armor repelled down from a hole in the ceiling, weapons at the ready.

"So guess what we found!" Irina called down to Jon with a cheeky grin.

"Both of you, shield your eyes!" Xenovia commanded.

Jon and Koneko did as instructed and shut their eyes as Irina and Xenovia tossed two glass vials each onto the floor. The four vials contained a clear liquid that turned radiant as the sun before enveloping their surroundings in blinding white light. Using the momentary distraction to their advantage the two Holy Sword Users grabbed Jon, Koneko, and Kiba and quickly repelled back up to the ceiling. As Tamil and Ramil regained their senses they looked around to see the group had effectively escaped into the ventilation system above.

"Well shit…" Ramil commented taciturnly. "...Fathers not gonna be happy about this one."

"Lady Tamil, please allow me to pursue the intruders." Lana bowed to her superior respectfully. "I promise I'll have them back here before they ever reach the elevator."

Tamil shrugged her shoulders and continued to type on her keyboard without a care in the world. "Knock yourself out. Just try to avoid killing the blonde one."

Two sets of monstrous black wings sprouted from her back as she began hovering in the air. Two magic circles appeared from either side of her from which she produced two Daewoo K11s, one in each hand.

"All security on me." She ordered. "I want a full lock down of this facility. Nothing gets in or out."

* * *

Jon, Irina, Xenovia, and Koneko crawled quickly through the four by three foot ventilation system. Koneko being the one stuck carrying Kiba on her back.

"Do you two even know where you're going?" She asked as they continued to crawl.

"I mean...I think so?" Irina replied in an airhead voice. Koneko was starting to turn green when she spoke up again. "Kidding! Totally kidding! It's just a few more yards in this direction and then a right.

"The ventilation system in the club connects directly to the one here in the Bunker." Xenovia explained. "A rather glaring security flaw if you ask me."

"To be fair, I don't think I would have suspected anyone of crawling through the vents looking for super secret underground lairs either." Irina admitted with a slight chuckle.

"Women's locker rooms on the other hand…" Koneko retorted, sending an icy glare back Jon's way.

"Are you still on about that? I can only apologize so many times before it loses all meaning." He groaned in exasperation.

"It shouldn't be much longer before we reach the central ventilation unit. From there, it should be straight shot back into the club."

"Sammy you there?" Jon spoke up over the communication enchantment. "How do things look topside?"

"Whatever you guys did down there you really rattled the hornet's nest. The whole club's on lockdown and all the guests have been forcefully removed from the premises. They've got at least sixty guys with guns trained on that back door."

"I guess it's a good thing we're not using the elevator then." Jon replied coyly.

"There's the central shaft!" Xenovia pointed towards an opening several yards away from the vent they were crawling through. "We're almost there."

"Thank the Lord." Irina commented wearily. "Can't say a cramped narrow air conditioning vent is necessarily the best view in the world."

Jon quietly admired the three shapely rears bouncing along in front of him as they all crawled towards their destination.

"I can think of worse ones…" He muttered to himself.

Just as they were about to reach the central ventilation system, a large explosion collapsed the shaft in front of them, kicking up a wave of dirt and debris that temporarily choked and blinded them.

"Everyone okay?" Jon asked in between bouts of coughing.

"Yeah." Irina coughed in response. "But those dicks just blew up our only exit strategy."

"We'll have to find another way." Xenovia spoke up. "Let's turn back and-"

From below, the sound of automatic fire preceded the appearance of hundreds of bullet sized holes that slowly made their way towards the group.

"Move!" Jon barked.

They made a mad crawl back the opposite direction. The vents behind them were riddled with holes as the hostile forces below continued to shoot blindly up towards them. As the bullet holes grew closer Jon summoned his Sacred Gear and enveloped them all in a shield of neon green energy. A blast from directly below them collapsed the vent and sent all five of them tumbling back down into the bunker. They each slowly got back to their feet and looked around. To their right was the hallway that lead back towards the elevator. And directly in front of them was the woman named Lana, hovering several inches off the ground, a K11 in each hand and over a dozen security guards at her back.

"You may as well surrender." She calmly insisted. "We have you completely outgunned."

Jon quickly glanced down the hallway and back towards the Four Winged Angel. "Irina, do you think y'all can make it to the elevator just the three of you?"

She shot him a nervous look. "Don't get any funny ideas. What are you planning?"

"That Angel could be a problem." He explained. "It'll be easier for you to get to the exit if I hold her off here."

"Jon no!" She protested vehemently. "We're not leaving you behind!"

"He'll be okay."

Jon and Irina both turned and looked at Koneko. Who was staring up at him with confident, assured eyes.

"Jon has made it through a lot worse than this. We should trust him and get going."

Irina bit her lower lip nervously, her gaze shifting from Jon to the exit, completely torn as to what she should do.

"Let's get going." Xenovia insisted. "If even half of what we know about the Red Dragon Emperor is true, he won't have a problem."

Finally, reluctantly, Irina conceded. "Don't you dare do anything stupid. You hear me?" Her voice caught in her throat. "I already lost you once, I won't lose you again."

He smiled at her and nodded assuredly. "I'll be fine. I promise."

Irina and Xenovia turned and bolted for the exit while Koneko continued to stare at Jon, a curious look in her eyes.

"You better be…" She spoke in a hushed voice before picking Kiba up and running to join the others.

"Such loyalty is admirable." Lana spoke with a respectful tone. "They must be precious to you."

"I wouldn't expect a Fallen Angel to understand the feeling." He replied with a harsh bite to his voice.

She chuckled in amusement and shook her head. "Ah yes. The infamous 'Fallen Angels don't have feelings myth'. Truly you know little about our species if you think it's that simple."

He shrugged indifferently before popping a cigarette in his mouth and lighting it. "So maybe I'm ignorant. Doesn't make me wrong." His eyes became hateful. "It takes a pretty empty creature to pull some of the shit you bastards do."

"We're not empty." Lana assured while aiming her weapons at him. "We're just trying to take back what we lost. A reason to live."

Jon produced two revolvers in his hands. Devil's Colt in the right, and Heavens Revolver in the left before aiming at Lana.

"Sounds to me like y'all need Jesus. Oh wait, that's right…"

They opened fire on each other. Unloading their weapons in a hail of bullets.

* * *

Irina, Koneko, and Xenovia made their way down the hall towards the elevator. Dispatching guards as they crossed their paths. Xenovia opened fire with her MP7A1. Spraying bullets at everything in her path until her weapon was spent. When she needed to reload, Irina would switch out and open fire with her revolver whilst also closing the gap with Excalibur Mimic. Koneko, meanwhile, covered the rear whilst also carrying the still unconscious Kiba.

The trio moved as a unit, slowly working their way methodically down the hall while alarms and sirens blared around them. Finally, they managed to reach the elevator that lead back up into the club.

"We made it." Irina spoke with relief, still slightly out of breath. "Let's get up that elevator shaft."

"I got it."

Koneko set Kiba down and moved to the door. She gripped the metal mesh door with both hands and pulled it completely out of the wall before casually tossing it aside. Irina, meanwhile, took a moment to better appreciate just how powerful the punch Jon took from her truly was. Once the door was out of the way she jumped up and smashed open the escape hatch on the top of the elevator as well before grabbing Kiba and unfurling her wings.

"Let's go. It won't be long before reinforcements arrive."

"But…" Irina turned back towards the sound of revolver fire, clutching at her Mother's silver cross. "...what about Jon?"

"We can't split up." Xenovia insisted. "Irina, I'm going to need your help clearing the upper floor."

With an anxious heart Irina turned back to the door. As she rejoined the others she silently bowed her head and prayed.

* * *

At first it seemed like Jon may have bitten off more than he could chew. Between the dozens of armed security guards and the Four Winged Angel, there was a lot he had to keep up with. Fortunately he wasn't alone. His loyal familiar Hati came to his summons almost immediately after the others left. The Great Warg was able to mop up most of the security. Pouncing from body to body at blindingly fast speeds. Tearing his enemies to shreds whilst avoiding automatic fire.

Jon, meanwhile, was able to focus more of his attention on Lana without having to worry as much about her Squadron of goons. That, however, came with it's own caveat as Lana proved to be far tougher than he had initially anticipated. Not to the point of being completely unmanageable, but she put up a far greater fight than he would have thought possible.

It completely put his battle with Yuma to shame. And only begged the question, if this was what a Four Winged Angel was capable of, then what the hell could a Ten Winged Angel like Kokabiel do?

From above, Lana blasted Jon with another volley of machine gun fire. He quickly summoned his gauntlets and formed an X with his arms. Creating a barrier of neon green energy that repelled the attack with ease. She then switched her mode of fire and began blasting him with custom grenades that detonated with Holy fire on impact. The rounds proved to be more effective against his shields than he had anticipated and wound up singing his clothes.

Lana tsk'd in annoyance upon seeing her opponent still standing. While she herself had taken little to no damage from his attacks, the fact that he hadn't seemed to receive so much as a scratch was beginning to make her worry.

"Perhaps I was wrong to underestimate you." She admitted before dropping her weapons and descending to the ground below. As Hati finished biting through the neck of her last security guard, the white wolf snarled at Lana before charging and pouncing on her. She calmly raised a hand in the air whilst keeping her gaze trained on Jon. A blast of light erupted from her palm that sent the Great Beast flying backwards before landing hard on the stone floor.

"You've done enough, Hati. Withdraw for now." Jon commanded.

Hati snarled at Lana once before nodding and disappearing back to his realm to lick his wounds.

"Very well then. I shall fight you as is befitting a Four Winged Angel." She raised her right hand into the air, from which a golden three pronged spear made of pure light appeared. She brought the weapon in front of her and pointed at him sharply. "Prepare yourself Ddraig."

He flicked his smoke away and stubbed it out. "You know, there's an ironic joke about an Angel wielding a pitchfork, but I can't for the life of me think of it."

She gave him a weird look. "This...isn't a pitchfork."

He rolled his eyes before summoning his gauntlets. "Okay, Trident. Whatever. The sentiment is still the same."

"Perhaps." She replied while gripping the weapon tight. "Call it whatever you wish, it'll still be the last thing you ever see."

The two combatants charged each other. Jon immediately brought his guard up as Lana began attacking from multiple different angles. Despite the weapon being solely a stabbing tool she wielded it with deadly efficiency and was easily able to keep pace with his movements. As it was, Jon was having a hard time finding an opening to counter attack.

"I gotta hand it to ya, you're pretty good with that thing." He deflected another blow with his gauntlet before retaliating with a haymaker that sent her spiraling to the floor. As good as she was, there was no getting around Jon's Boosted Gear. It was bound to catch up sooner or later.

Lana wiped a trickle of blood from her lip with the back of her hand while glaring up at him coldly. "Do not be so quick to dismiss me, Dragon. I am the Four Winged Angel Lanaria. I've tasted centuries of combat and-"

"Sweetheart, do you know how many times I've sat here and listened to my opponent monologue about how powerful they are?" Jon asked in earnest. "I lost count years ago."

She remained silent.

"You ain't the first to threaten me with power, and you sure as hell ain't gonna be the last." The green gems on his gauntlet began to glow brighter with unbridled power. "But I'll tell you right now little Icarus. Four wings, ten wings, or a hundred it doesn't mean jack when compared to the sun. Fly too close, and you will get burned."

She began to charge her power into the point of her Trident. A ball of pure white energy began to form as the ground around her shook.

"No matter your power, the fact is, you are Icarus." Jon began charging energy into his gauntlet.

"And I am the Sun!"

They unleashed their attacks and the underground was engulfed in light.

* * *

Irina, Xenovia, and Koneko ascended the elevator shaft, with Koneko using her wings while Xenovia and Irina made do with the repel gear in their utility belts. Upon reaching the top, Koneko delivered a swift kick that completely demolished the false wall hiding the entrance to the bunker. The Holy Sword Users quickly climbed up onto the ledge as Rias's Rook set Kiba down against a pile of boxes.

"Everyone ready?" Xenovia asked while checking to make sure her weapon was loaded and placing a set of night vision goggles onto her head.

Irina checked her revolver and braced herself against the wall next to the door opposite of Xenovia whilst also taking a pair of goggles from her belt and putting them on. "Ready when you are."

Koneko silently nodded before popping her knuckles and knocking her fists together.

Xenovia placed a finger up to her ear. "Sammy, you good to go?"

"Safety's off and a rounds in the chamber." He assured. "It's a fucking convention down there so brace yaselves. This is not gonna be pretty."

A slick smirk crossed her features. "When is it ever?" She then turned to Irina and nodded. "Do it."

Irina took a detonator from her belt and hit the button. A small blast preceded the total blackout that soon followed as all the lights in the club went off at once. Irina and Xenovia both activated their night vision goggles while Koneko's eyes began to glow red. With another swift kick she blasted the doors away, taking out two Husks standing behind it. Irina and Xenovia both whipped out of cover and began opening fire on anything that moved. Koneko charged in close behind and immediately ripped one of the metal floor panels up to use as mobile cover. Meanwhile, from above and across from them, Sammy provided supporting fire with his Druganov from the safety of the rafters holding the stage lights.

On the right, Xenovia fired three short bursts with her SMG. Downing the three enemies directly within her scope of vision. She then quickly flash stepped from left to right, avoiding the gunfire of a fourth Husk. Moving at mach ten speeds she charged him before slamming her palm against his face and driving his head into the ground, cracking his skull open like an egg. She then dove behind a turned over table and fired on the men shooting at her up on the second floor.

Irina handled the Husks on the left. Popping six rounds into the skulls of six targets before bringing her hand up and using her psionic power to stop the hail of bullets that followed in midair. She hurled the rounds directly back at the ones who fired them before lashing out with Excalibur Mimic. Switching between the whip and Katana as she needed to.

Koneko used the thick metal slab to deflect bullets. Which left sizable dents in the frame but were unable to completely puncture it. As soon as she was close enough she charged a group of Husks and rammed the metal wall into them before smashing the group into paste against the far wall. She then spun around and hurled the metal floor up onto the balcony like a disc, taking out another group by severing their top halves from their bottom ones.

As all this unfolded, Sammy casually picked off goons with his rifle. The chaos of the battle below drowning out the sound of his Druganov cracking off with each round to the head or chest being dead on. The moment he ran out of ammo he'd quickly reload and take aim again.

When the smoke finally cleared, the small group had successfully taken out every single Husk guarding the now silent as the grave club. Nothing but blood, bodies, and devastation had been left in their wake.

"I don't make a habit of saying this to Devils." Xenovia smiled at Koneko. "But we actually make a pretty good team."

Koneko smiled back and nodded in agreement. Unbeknownst to her, a Husk had risen from the floor, having seemingly avoided the worst of the firefight, before aiming his gun directly at the back of Koneko's head. Before Xenovia could warn her, or fire back, or really do anything, a sharp metal blade burst from the Husks chest. Koneko turned around just in time to see it drop the weapon and collapse face first onto the floor as the figure behind it pulled his sword from its chest cavity and wiped the blood off.

"So...what did I miss?" Kiba asked after sheathing his blade.

* * *

Jom calmly approached the wounded body of Lana, his revolver in hand. Their surroundings were still smouldering from the blast of their two massive energy attacks, yet ultimately it was Jon's Dragon Shot that won out.

"You think this changes anything?" She coughed painfully as her wounds began to take their toll. "Even if you kill me here, they'll just find someone else to take my place. They always do."

"Well ain't you cheery." He commented gruffly while popping a fresh smoke in his mouth. "Now since we're basically talking on borrowed time. I'm gonna make this really simple for you." He pulled back the hammer of his gun. "I want to know what it is your Masters are doing down here. Whether you willingly divulge that information or not determines how you die. A quick painless bullet to the head. Or…" He knocked his boots together, producing a hidden blade. "...Hell's deadliest and most painful poison. So what'll it be?"

She wretched up a clot of blood before laughing soundlessly in labored breaths. "You mean you can't figure it out? Why would we go through the trouble of building an underground lair and stockpiling it with guns if we had no intention of using them?"

He stared down at her incredulously. "You're planning to attack the school?"

She shook her head. "No...we're going to attack the city."

"Why?" He asked, reeling from this new information. "What good would that do?"

"This is to be the first strike." She spoke cryptically. "The staging point from which my Lord's grand vision for the future shall be fulfilled." Lana hacked up more blood before continuing to speak. "A future where the Fallen reign supreme."

"The first strike for what?" He insisted.

"Go to the Lab...at the old mansion on the outskirts of town...there...you'll find it."

"Find what? Dammit, stop with the vague answers!"

She took one final breath.

"Our…army."


	17. Chapter 17

Rias and Akeno lead a bemused and befuddled Asia down the hallway towards Jon's old room. They had waited long enough for an opportunity to use the new equipment, and having consumed one too many margaritas, the trio had just finished fooling around with each other in the Chapter Room and were ready to take "playtime" to the next level.

"I'm still not sure if I'm ready for this you guys." Asia insisted nervously as they approached the door.

"You should at least see the equipment." Akeno insisted while gently guiding Asia by her hand down the hall. "Even if you don't want to play."

"Which is fine." Rias assured in a motherly, secure voice. "We would never force you to do anything with us, Asia." She suddenly blushed. "But if it's any consolation, I'm a bit nervous myself."

Akeno giggled at her President. "Now remember, everything that happens here stays between us for now."

They both nodded in agreement as Akeno slowly opened the door to the brand new playroom. Inside, they found toys and equipment lining the walls and taking up the majority of the floor space. Everything from crosses, chains, whips and paddles of different sizes, and one large square structure in the middle with so many different ropes and harnesses that Asia had no earthly idea how one would even get into it. Or for that matter, in what position.

As Asia gingerly stepped inside and peered around, Akeno made sure to leave the door nice and wide open for her in the event she needed to make a speedy getaway. "Well? What do you think? Tell us how you're feeling, Love."

"I don't know…" Asia clutched her hands tightly to her chest as she nervously looked around. "...it's a bit...much."

"If you don't like it that's perfectly understandable." Rias insisted. Again, more concerned with Asia's safety and comfort over anything else. "Just tell us and we'll leave immediately."

She shook her head assuredly. "No no, it's not that. It's just a bit intimidating I suppose. I feel so completely out of my depth." Asia then smiled and took a breath, calming herself back down. "But, it's not like I've never felt that way before. At the very least, I'm curious to watch and see how all this works."

"That's the spirit." Akeno encouraged. "Don't worry, you can play if you want to. Or you can just observe. There's absolutely no pressure to do anything when you're in one of my dungeons."

Asia smiled appreciatively and nodded her head, having finally relaxed. "If it's all the same to you then, I think I'll just watch this time."

"Of course." Akeno then peered at Rias and grinned at her deviously. "I guess that means it's just the two of us this time, Ms. President."

She blew a breath through pursed lips and sighed nervously. "I guess so."

Asia gave her President a curious look before taking a seat on the bench Akeno had placed for her by the door. The Vice President of the ORC then approached Rias and placed both her hands on her cheeks.

"You trust me, right?" She asked in a serious yet gentle tone.

Rias nodded, an uncharacteristically nervous look on her face. "I do…" She then turned her head away and frowned, her cheeks turning rosey again. "It's me who I'm still having a hard time trusting."

Akeno shook her head emphatically and turned the President's gaze back to her gently. "We move at your pace. That's what we decided, remember?"

"I do…" She replied breathlessly.

She bit on Rias's ear, eliciting an erotic moan. "Atta girl. Now try to relax a little and let this evening take its course."

Rias chuckled nervously. "My jitters are that obvious, huh?"

They kissed again. This time to calm the President down. As Asia watched she couldn't help but marvel at Rias for being this brave. She knew how tough it must have been to be that vulnerable with someone and that open, yet one more reason to admire her.

Akeno then grabbed Rias by her nightie and pulled her in close, resting their foreheads together. "Now then, I've been looking at you in that nightie for long enough. What do you say we take it off?"

Rias gulped and her heart began to race. "Yeah, the thing is, I've gotten a little sweaty...maybe I should wash up first?"

She shook her head and bit her lower lip lustfully. "Don't worry. After I'm done with you we'll both need a nice bath." As she began to strip Rias down to her underwear, her attention turned to Asia. "Now here is the base rule for today's game. I will not be pushing her limits, there will be no pain, no discipline...unless she calls me Mistress."

"So...if she calls you Mistress you will...do things to her?" Asia guessed, her heart starting to race as well. How Rias was doing this without having a panic attack was beyond her.

"Yes…" She gripped the President's hair, whose breath was coming in short heated gasps. "...whether she liked it or not."

"So...why would she choose to say it?" Asia asked curiously.

That familiar heated, sadistic look crept into Akeno's eyes. "Well...you'll find I can be very persuasive." She then turned back to Rias. "And now, tell me Rias. What will stop me? What is the one word that guarantees you keep your power over me?"

The powerplay between them, though clearly rehearsed, was having a visible effect on Rias. As nervous as she was, her knees visibly began to buckle. And the insides of her thighs had taken on a curiously glossy new coat.

"I'll ask again." Akeno spoke, her lips inches away from Rias's. "Our safeword is?"

"Lycoris." Rias replied weakly.

With a deviant grin, she caressed the President's cheek. "Then let us begin."

Suddenly, Rias grinned back. "But I thought Lycoris was supposed to end the play?"

Akeno looked incredibly confused for a moment until she saw the cheeky look in Rias's eyes and her tongue sticking out between her teeth in a teasing manner. Realizing what she was doing, her eyes lit up with fire again.

"A smartass, huh? That's okay." She assured in a sadistic, heated tone. "Smart, dumb, all asses get spanked in here."

As Akeno stripped Rias down and got her ready, Asia found it more and more difficult to ignore the emotions wafting off the two players in the room. The nervous knots forming in Rias's stomach, the dull thudding of Akeno's heart bouncing in her chest. Having any dream fulfilled was exciting. But this...this overload of anticipation. This was Rias's deepest, darkest, desire about to be satisfied. It wasn't just about being hit, or being tied up. She understood that now. It was something far more intimate than that. Rias was to fully surrender to her Queen. In a way similar to how they had all willingly surrendered their hearts to Jon, Rias was now surrendering her body to Akeno. To be bound, teased, taken.

The more she watched, the more Asia felt something stirring in her heart...as well as other places.

Akeno removed Rias's bra and let it fall to the floor. The President covered her breasts as she placed her hands on her shoulders and caressed her skin. Losing one's virginity is often a messy, underwhelming experience. And in many ways, that's what this was to Rias. Playing the game for the first time, learning the rules as a newly budding submissive.

Fortunately she was in good hands. For there were none who understood the game quite as well as her Queen.

"Now, I usually don't have patience for ropes." Akeno admitted as she lead Rias to the harness in the center of the room and began using a length of black rope to tie her hands and feet up and out in different directions until she was spread out like an X. Fully on display for them both. Asia could almost feel the sensations Rias was experiencing at that moment. The rope biting into her skin, not too tight, yet unyielding all the same.

And it was clearly turning her on faster than a lightswitch.

Yet more than intimate and arousing, the sensation Rias was feeling more than anything as she stood there was a sense of freedom. The same sensation that, if Asia had to guess, was similar to what Akeno felt when she submitted to Jon. The more she watched, the more she understood. Back at the monastery, sexuality alone was a taboo. And if she had to guess, it was probably similar in Rias's household given what little she understood of her President's upbringing. But now, thanks to Akeno, she realized that they were all taking it far too seriously. Such a small, personal aspect of one's life with such a blinding spotlight on it. And under that spotlight, sexuallity cast an ugly shadow on the church's denizens. And so they frowned upon it.

The forbidden fruit...if one had no choice but to taste it...could they not then let go of the guilt? Could you not simply relax and enjoy it? It's not like Rias could do anything else. With those ropes being enchanted the way they were, she clearly wasn't going anywhere.

"This will do for now." Akeno purred into Rias's ear as she began to explore her body with her hands at her leisure.

As she stood there straining against her bonds, Rias looked more free than she ever did sitting behind that desk in the Chapter Room.

"In case you weren't listening, I'll go over the rules again." Akeno moved to a small table and produced a black leather play collar similar to the one she wore. Though this one was clearly meant to be taken off and on at the wearers discretion. Unlike the one securely locked around Akeno's neck. "I will be tender and loving, that is, until you wish to truly submit." She twirled the collar on her finger as she slowly sauntered back up to Rias. "All it takes is for me to hear you say Mistress. Then I will put this around your neck...and your ass is mine, along with the rest of you."

"You're gonna make me submit by...tenderness?" Rias asked in a heated tone, the ropes clearly driving her crazy.

"Pretty much." Akeno replied confidently.

Rias smirked at her boldly. "Well good luck with that."

Her Queen giggled in amusement. "Aw, how adorable." She got within a hair's breadth of Rias's face. "You think you can resist me."

"I'm pretty sure I can deal with the horrors of tenderness."

"Oh, we'll see about that." She began running a single finely manicured nail down Rias's belly.

Though initially confident, the Red Headed Beauty had underestimated one small detail of her current situation. True, the goal of the game was for her to lose. But there was a difference between losing and throwing the match. Still...she clearly missed one very vital detail. Touch. Persistent, ceaseless, touch. A touch she could not avoid. Instead, she felt its effects being amplified as her mind inevitably began to obsess over it.

"You seem flustered." Akeno teased mercilessly as she went to a knee and ran her hands along Rias's inner thighs, never once daring to touch the blooming flower that lay between.

"P-please, as if." Rias replied as eloquently as could be expected given her current predicament.

She gently caressed Rias's belly with her lips as her hands explored her thighs and backside. Her gaze shifted back towards Asia as Rias squirmed and writhed in her bonds, moaning in heated frustration.

"Bondage heightens our perception of our own bodies." Akeno explained while swirling her finger around Rias's navel. "The feeling of helplessness makes something as simple as a finger lightly grazing your skin almost impossible to ignore." Her eyes then went straight back to Rias. "Now say it, Love."

"Mmm, no. Not yet." She quietly protested.

Akeno wasn't lying about being tender. She was massaging her legs, hitting that strangely arousing nerve cluster on the inside of her thighs. Yet never did she touch the one spot on which all of Rias's thoughts and emotions had become so helplessly focused. It must have been beyond frustrating, Asia surmised.

And from there on, resistance became hopelessly futile for the President. As Akeno began nibbling on her thighs, Rias strained against her bonds. The silence of the room was only broken by more frustrated moans and the creaking of the ropes. Every thought was the same. So close. So close. Finally, all rational went out the window as Rias gave in completely. She had fought the good fight, yet happily lost in the end.

"Arghh, fine! Mistress!" She conceded, her back arching into Akeno's touch pleadingly. "My Mistress!"

With a victorious gleam in her eyes Akeno stood up and placed the collar around Rias's neck. "Now then, was that so hard?" She cooed softly into her ear.

"As if I had a choice?" Rias smiled back at her lovingly.

"As if I had a choice, what?" Akeno asked sternly, pulling on the metal loop of the collar with one finger while she tugged on Rias's right nipple with the other.

"Ow, Mistress!" She cried in pain that was like honey to her Queen's ears.

That was a lesson that went without saying. If your Mistress pinches your nipple hard, it means it's time to pay attention.

"And now, my pet, it's time for you to slip into something more appropriate." Akeno attached a leather leash to Rias's collar and untied her from the harness before tugging her towards a dresser in the corner. "I know you're probably chilly at the moment, but I did prepare a warmer outfit for you."

"You were really certain I would submit...Mistress?" Rias asked, still clearly struggling with the word.

"It is why you gave yourself to me." Akeno retorted without missing a beat. "That day in the sauna."

Hearing Rias call Akeno Mistress was strange. Good strange. It sent shivers down Asia's spine, as it clearly did the President as well. Though that could have been the cold as well. And indeed, there was truth to the Priestess of Thunder's words. Rias really did surrender herself to Akeno to become hers. Because as strong and brave as she needed to be around everyone else, she understood that there was no one she trusted more to handle this vulnerable and horribly insecure part of herself more than her best friend and most loyal Servant, her Queen Piece, Akeno Himejima.

It wasn't that Rias didn't trust Jon. Asia understood that. It was something else entirely. Rias, much like her, knew that their Dragon would never do anything to purposefully hurt them or make them uncomfortable. Rather, what Rias didn't trust was how she would respond if she tried to do this for Jon as openly and honestly as she did for Akeno. But with her Queen, she knew she never had to worry, because Akeno would know exactly how to respond to any given situation. And so she gave her best friend that one last acceptance. That total surrender of control.

And the fact that the President was letting Asia watch meant the world to her. Because deep down she understood that that meant Rias trusted her implicitly as well.

Finally feeling a little more comfortable with the situation, Asia raised her hand. "Umm, question."

Akeno stopped, as did Rias. "Yes?"

"All this equipment." She gazed around at the instruments she was not fully comfortable looking at at first. "Where do you get things like this? I mean, you can't just enter any store and buy this can you?"

"I've been curious about that as well, Mistress." Rias spoke up. "I don't remember you putting anything on the Club Credit Card regarding bondage equipment."

Akeno chuckled at their curiosity. "Since you're both so interested, you should know most of this stuff is Sona's. She always ends up buying new equipment and swapping out her old gear every year or so. It's a bit of an obsession for her."

"Aw, Mistress, I do so hope that I will prove myself worthy for you to use such wonderful hand me downs." Rias teased in a bratty tone.

"I've got some wonderful paddles for you, so behave." Akeno ordered with a stern smile on her face before opening the dresser on the far right wall of the room. "Speaking of which, this will be your outfit for tonight's play session."

"Is that...latex?" Rias asked curiously.

Akeno nodded whilst taking a seat on a nearby stool, leash still firmly in hand. "It sure is. And this piece I did buy. Just for you."

"It's gorgeous, Mistress." Rias complimented, pulling out the red latex corset with matching arm length gloves and stockings.

Asia watched as Akeno helped Rias into her new outfit. Applying lotion to her arms, legs, and abdomen before slipping her into the rubbery outfit. The corset wrapped tightly around her waist whilst leaving her breasts fully exposed and perky. As she helped her into the outfit, Akeno spoke to Asia about the material that her Submissive was wearing.

"Latex really is unlike anything else. It...fights you." She explained. "Leather will hug your skin, but latex will become your skin." Akeno then tugged on one of the straps, making it tighter. "Your slightly too tight skin. As I'm sure my pet is now figuring out."

"Y...yes Mistress." Rias gasped as Akeno moved her over to the large red bed whose frame had been modified with rings and cuffs to accommodate multiple positions and laid her down. "I do actually have some experience with this. You are constantly aware of wearing it. Like it's a rebelling part of you that is fighting for control of your own body." She explained this while Akeno undid her leash and replaced it with a red rope she snaked under Rias's arms and fastened to either side of the bed. Pinning her neck to the mattress.

"I...think I understand." Asia gulped, her face visibly heated.

"Unlike your everyday foreplay, there is an almost ritualistic quality to bondage." Akeno continued while cuffing Rias's wrists tightly to the sides of the bed. "The buildup of excitement you feel with every step as you become clay in your partner's hands." She then raised Rias's legs over her head and cuffed each ankle to the headboard, forcing her ass up into the air, her sex on display for the whole room to see. "A piece of art skillfully molded. And with every new step taken you lose more freedom and every touch is heightened all the more."

Rias's eyes had devolved into too lusty orbs of desperate need. She'd bitten her lower lip to the point she had nearly drawn blood and her very exposed pussy was dripping wet. Akeno leaned down on her submissive and gazed at her with that same sardonic look in her eyes.

"I hope you're comfortable, cause you're gonna be here for awhile." She then reached over into a nearby table on the side of the bed and pulled out a series of toys. A paddle, a flogger, a riding crop, a couple of differently shaped vibrators and inserts…

..and a plug.

Her submissive's breathing became short with panic upon seeing the pink, rubbery, insert laying on the bed. That was one thing that she had never dabbled with before in the centuries she'd been exploring her own body. It just felt too...personal for her to ever be truly comfortable. Vaginal sex was something your body was born to love. But what Akeno was about to do to her was an entirely different matter.

Immediately picking up on Rias's discomfort Akeno laid herself down and caressed her cheek, whispering into her ear assuringly.

"Shh, shh, shh, hey. Hey, are you still with me?"

Rias silently nodded, her eyes shut firm as she tried to fight her slowly building anxiety. The dark thoughts were swirling through her head again, Asia could feel it.

"We're not there yet." Akeno assured in that loving, motherly voice. "Relax, Love. We're going to build to that."

"I'll try, Mistress." Rias spoke horsely. "I don't want to be so stiff about this I'm just-"

"Don't ever apologize for being frightened." Akeno lectured sternly. "That goes for you as well, Asia. This is something incredibly personal. It's more intimate than any other form of sex, as it requires absolute trust from the receiver."

Asia nodded in understanding, her hands balled up into fists on her knees. "Is that because it's taboo?"

"Partly." Akeno admitted. "But moreso, it's because anal stimulation is a pleasure you must learn to enjoy. Our bodies are already hardwired to enjoy conventional sex. Not so much when it comes to this."

"So...it's a gradual process?" Asia guessed.

She nodded in confirmation whilst teasing Rias's pussy with two fingers to get her mind off the plug and back into the proper headspace of total submission. "No one truly enjoys the sensation at first. You must build up to that with someone you trust enough to get you there. But once you have adjusted to the sensation, it can be just as stimulating, or even more so than vaginal sex." Akeno then began lapping at Rias's heat with her tongue, lightly at first, just enough to really get her lost back in the euphoric sensation of being bound and helpless in front of her Mistress.

Whether it was the margaritas, the sexual tension, or just the mood of the room, all three of them had confessed to never having done anal before during their game of Truth or Dare. They were, all three of them, determined to give their Dragon all of their firsts. And indeed, they wanted to surprise him with it.

Which was partly why Akeno took them both to the play room. Not only was she ready for her first real play scene with Rias, tonight she was going to walk both ladies through how to properly take their man in by practicing with plugs and inserts so as to cause pleasure and not pain for themselves. In preparation for the moment they did finally decide to bite that bullet and surrender the last first each of them had to give.

But for now, Akeno was going to play with her pet. And teach Asia a thing or two along the way.

* * *

Irina, Xenovia, Koneko, and Kiba all ran out of the club and down the street towards the back alley where Sammy's getaway vehicle was waiting. Sirens and flashing lights blared behind them yet they didn't slow down for a second.

"Of course someone would call the cops." Irina groaned in exasperation.

"I sincerely hope Sammy has that van of his ready." Xenovia commented nervously as they bolted into the alley.

"The cops showing up is a good thing." Kiba insisted. "It'll keep those pricks down below busy while we make our way to the Mansion."

"Is that really a good idea?" Koneko asked him with concern. "I know we said we'd help but maybe we should warn Rias first before we just rush into something we're not prepared for."

"And risk Valper getting away while Rias punishes us?" Kiba shot back aggravatedly. "I don't think so. We take him out, then worry about the President."

As they approached the black van with red stripes in the parking lot, Sammy poked his head out of the driver's seat and banged on the side of the door insistently.

"Come on! Let's get the lead out! The fuzz will be here any second!"

"Wait!" Irina stopped dead in her tracks. "We can't leave without Jon."

"You're not."

The back doors on the van flew open as Jon, now dressed back in his usual jacket and cowboy hat, jumped out and greeted the completely dumbstruck group.

"Jon!" Irina shook off her initial surprise and ran over to him, hugging him tight as relief washed over her.

"How by the grace of God did you get back here before us?" Xenovia asked in complete shock.

"Hooo boy let me tell you a tale." Jon spoke in a boisterous voice. After a moment of silence he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I errr, don't actually have anything here. I blasted a hole in the ceiling and...flew out. That about sums it up."

Koneko sighed wearily. "Should have known you'd solve your problem by breaking stuff. It's what you're best at."

He frowned at her with his arms crossed. "Hey, I resent that."

"It's kind of true though." Irina admitted. "Even before you became a Devil your methods for taking out Monsters were always on the...destructive side."

His shoulders slumped. "Really?"

"Afraid so." Koneko replied. "You've always been a bull in a China Shop. If you're not punching people through the walls, you yourself are getting thrown through the walls."

"Or blasting them with Hellfire." Xenovia added.

"Or blowing them up with that Dragon Shot of yours." Irina finished. "Honestly, it's a wonder you haven't knocked down a building yet." She then narrowed her eyes at him. "You...haven't knocked down a building yet...have you?"

"Wh-of course I haven't!" He responded indignantly. "Koneko, you wanna back me up here?"

"Welll, there was the Rating Game." She admitted while casting her gaze away.

"That doesn't count and you damn well know it!"

"You blew up the gymnasium." She responded just as insistently.

"That was an alternate plane of existence. I didn't really blow up anything."

"Okay? Then how about that building sized hole you blew into the side of a mountain?"

"I had never used the Dragon Shot before!" He insisted still just as indignantly. "You can't hold that one against me."

"Oh my God, what the hell have you been doing all this time?" Irina asked as Koneko divulged all the insane details of Jon's most recent exploits.

"Long story." He groaned.

"And one we don't have time for!" Sammy insisted as the sound of sirens drew in closer. "Get in the damn van!"

They all scrambled into the back of the Van before shutting the door and taking off. Sammy hit the gas a little too hard and a little too quickly causing Jon to slam his head into the side of a gun rack.

"Ow! For God's sake, can you ease up before you give me another concussion?!"

"Hey you wanna drive, you can drive asshole!" Sammy shot back at him. "I'm trying to get us as far away from the scene as possible so we don't get caught!"

"Because nothing screams subtle like a black van with an illegal tint." Kiba commented taciturnly. "Honestly, this thing is a giant rolling probable cause."

"If you had an entire armory's worth of guns stashed in the back of your vehicle you'd probably want to keep it to yourself, also." Irina spoke up.

"Thank you!" Sammy called back with exasperation. He then swore under his breath upon turning another street. In front of them, two officers standing in the street next to a Japanese Koban were holding their hands out in front of them and blowing whistles. "Guys, we have a problem! A couple of Satsu are flagging us down."

"Drive through them!" Kiba insisted angrily. "They're just a nuisance and we can't afford any distractions."

"Tell me you're joking." Irina glared at him in disbelief. "We can't just run them down, they're innocent police officers."

"Sammy, pull over and let me handle it." Jon called up front.

"What?!" Kiba asked in disbelief.

"You sure that's a good idea, Country Boy?"

"Just trust me." He calmly insisted. "I can handle this."

Sammy rolled his eyes and sighed in reluctant resignation. "Suit yaself, just know if you get my guns confiscated I will take it out of ya ass, Hyodo."

As they pulled to a stop Jon exited the back of the van and approached the two officers. Who both kept their hands firmly on their wooden nightsticks.

"Sir, please return to your vehicle." The police officer spoke in a polite, but authoritative tone. "We will come to the side and speak with the driver."

Jon raised his hands in the air and continued to approach. "There's no need for this, please drop your weapons and stand aside. We just want to pass."

They pulled their nightsticks from their belts. "Sir! Return to the vehicle now!"

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before reopening them and glaring at the officers with two glowing yellow orbs. "I said Drakka Fin Zun!

Jon gave the order in a voice that was not his own, and the police, stunned silent, agreed without hesitation. Placing the sticks as well as their personal firearms on the ground and backing away without so much as a word.

"Qilan Us Zu'u, Bron Zeymah!"

Again, the cops complied without hesitation, bowing to him respectfully. Sammy was stunned silent. As were all those who were watching from the back seat. The voice that came out of Jon was not his own, nor did it seem to only punctuate the air, but send ripples of power along the streams of spiritual energy around them as well.

"Holy shit, that's…" Koneko stared in complete disbelief. "...that's not what I think it is, is it?"

"What...what is that? What is he saying?"

"Daahl Wah Hin! Ark Hi Vahl Ze'hvas!"

The two cops silently walked back to their station, having seemingly forgotten the van was even there. Jon calmly walked back and retook his seat before shutting the door while the rest of the group just silently stared at him.

"Something up?" He finally asked.

"Jon...when did you learn that?" Koneko quietly asked, still processing what he just did.

"Learn what?"

"You were speaking Draconian." Kiba explained in a gruff dispassionate voice. "The language of the Dragons."

"That's really a thing?" Irina asked in bewilderment.

"It is." Sammy spoke up from the driver's seat. "Though that's not the real name for it. And it's more than just a language. The voice of Dragons influences both the physical world, and the spiritual plane. When we speak, the Earth itself listens."

"But where did you learn to do that?"

"I guess it just sort of...came to me." He admitted, resting his elbows on his knees and folding one hand over the other, lost in thought. "It's like I've got two different voices inside my head, mine...and Ddraig's. When I talked to those cops I just...switched to his voice."

"You realize you and him are the same person, right?" Sammy spoke back from the driver's seat.

"It still doesn't feel that way." He replied. "Not completely. But...I'm getting there."

"What did you say to them?" Xenovia asked curiously.

He shrugged. "I just told them to back off."

Sammy laughed rather loudly. "That ain't the half of it. I heard every word you said. Something to the effect of 'Begone Humankind. Impede my stride and you shall burn in my fire."

He frowned worriedly. "That...doesn't sound right at all."

"You should be careful with that." Kiba insisted. "The voice of the Dragon isn't something to play around with. You're not just saying words when you do that, you're influencing the spiritual and physical realm."

"You know about this stuff, Kiba?" Koneko asked.

He shrugged indifferently. "I know a little. Not as much as Rias or Akeno would though. Essentially, when he spoke to those policeman, he wasn't just 'speaking' to them in the sense of what we consider talking. Rather, his words passed straight through them and spoke to their spirits. Those two humans had no choice but to listen, it's likely every warning signal in their brains were firing off at once. Mortals like that can't stand up to that sort of power."

"So it's sort of like a spell?" Irina guessed.

Kiba shook his head vehemently. "No. Spells require you to offer something in return, some sort of tribute such as magical energy or life force. It's a bargain made with the Earth. The words of a Dragon aren't used for spells. They're used for commands."

The group returned to silently staring at Jon in bewilderment. Irina and Koneko especially. Finally, Xenovia scoffed and turned her head away.

"So he speaks to the Earth. The word of God moves Heaven and Earth alike." Though she tried to shrug it off, there was no denying that what he did had a lasting effect on her as it did all of them. "Should I...really be impressed?"

Irina frowned thoughtfully. This new side to Jon, this power, this voice...it made her nervous. She wasn't sure she liked what it was he was becoming. No...that wasn't right. This was who he really was. He wasn't changing, more like rediscovering himself. She thought she knew her mentor better than anyone. Yet the more she saw of him now, the more she realized that wasn't the case.

So...what else did she not know about him? What other secrets was Jon hiding?

* * *

Rias let loose another delicious cry of pain as Akeno swatted her on the ass with her riding crop yet again. Her skin had multiple welts of various shapes and hues of red from all the various toys that Akeno had used on her.

"So you see, the riding crop, though smaller than the paddle, has far more bite to it." Akeno explained to the bewildered Asia. "And the sound it makes often adds to the experience if you strike in just the right spot."

"Umm, are you sure she hasn't had enough?" Asia asked nervously, looking slightly concerned for her President.

"I'm okay, Asia." Rias assured in a hoarse voice. "This is good pain."

Akeno nodded in agreement. "Pain that can be controlled is pleasurable. Conversely pain that is not controlled can be a detriment to play."

"Speaking of which, Mistress, my back is starting to get stiff."

Her Queen quickly adjusted the leg restraints so as to let her submissive's back relax into a more comfortable position. "Better?"

"Better." Rias sighed in relief.

"I think I'm beginning to understand." Asia gently spoke up. "When she cries like that, it's not the same thing as when she gets hurt in battle."

Akeno shook her head. "Not at all. And this is why S&M is such a catch 22 when it comes to intimacy. It takes great trust to even admit to having these urges and desires." She ran her fingers along Rias's slick heat, who immediately responded positively to her touch. "You've earned a little something for being so well behaved, my Pet." She began stimulating her little clit while fingering her, slowly at first, but quickly building in tempo. "For a sexual submissive, the risk can be immense. It means trusting your partner to tie you up with faith in their willingness to honor the sanctity of the safeword and the responsibility that comes with tending to and caring for your Sub."

"Mistress, I need to cum!" Rias begged.

"Go ahead, Pet." Akeno granted whilst still speaking to Asia. "One of the greatest dangers of this particular lifestyle is falling victim to the mask." She explained as Rias began moaning louder and louder, shaking the bed with the force of her swiftly approaching climax. "That persona we all wear around those whom we wish to make a positive impression on. Anyone can be nice when they want something, it's only after they get it that the mask truly slips off. And this is especially true for Devils. We can't afford to-"

"Mistress! AHHHH!"

Rias came hard on Akeno's hand. Before convulsing against the bedframe as her whole body seized up in an intense orgasm. Akeno calmly caressed the inside of her thigh as she rode the euphoric wave.

"Atta girl." She cooed seductively before returning her attention to Asia. "As I was saying, we can't afford to take risks without being one hundred percent positive. A human may end up in an abusive relationship, or worst case scenario in the hands of a psycho, but the odds of that happening are still rather slim so long as they are careful. A Devil, however, can wind up with a literal knife in their back if they don't keep their guard up. Even around their own Peerage."

"Is that why you trust Jon?"

Akeno smiled and clutched at the collar around her throat. "Yes. After seeing him fight for Rias, I just...knew. I knew if there was anyone on Earth I could trust with this side of me, it was him." She giggled and teased at Rias's heat some more. "Just as the President here has entrusted this side of herself with me."

"Because I've known you longer, Mistress." She moaned. "Jon is a the best man I've ever known and I love him more than life itself but...when it comes to this, I trust you over anyone else."

"We each hold a piece of each other in our hearts." Asia clutched at her chest and sighed wistfully. "I think it's what makes the relationships we share together so special."

"I couldn't agree with you more, Asia." Akeno then picked the plug up off the bed and swirled it around Rias's heat. "Okay my pet. It's time."

"Fuck…" Rias turned her head away and bit her lower lip nervously. The euphoria vanished and her insecurities reared their ugly head again.

Akeno frowned at her with concern. "Are you really certain you still want to do this?"

"Yes! I mean...I think...I mean, fuck, I don't know okay? This sort of thing isn't...it isn't really…"

She was losing her. Thinking fast, Akeno waved for Asia to approach. "Asia dear, I know you're just watching but could I get your help with something?"

Immediately understanding what Akeno was asking, Asia jumped out of her seat and nodded determinedly. "Of course!" She then quickly scampered over to Rias's side and laid down next to her, taking the President's hand in hers. "What should I do?"

"Just talk to her." Akeno encouraged. "She'll be more open if you help her through this."

Asia placed her hand against Rias's cheek and looked into her eyes. "It's okay. I'm right here."

"I'm sorry I'm being such a baby." Rias chuckled, clearly embarrassed. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all." Asia assured as she wiped the President's face for her. "I swear I would never judge you for how you're feeling about anything. But I am curious as to why this bothers you so. Are Devils not...more open about this sort of thing?"

Rais chuckled in amusement, slipping back into her old self for a moment, all too distract her from the fact that Akeno was currently lubing up her asshole to stick a plug in it for the first time in her century long life. "You might be shocked to hear this, Asia. But *Hah* when it comes to *Hah* sexuality. Devils can be even bigger prudes than Angels."

"That holds especially true for Purebloods like her." Akeno added, she had finished lubing and was now gently working the plug in and out of Rias's tight little star. Not going very far or deep just yet. Giving her plenty of time to adjust to the sensation. "So much of who they are is wrapped up in their station and their title. Submission is a sign of weakness in their culture." As she worked the plug in and out Rias tightened up instinctually. "Try to relax, Pet, you have to let your body go limp and just accept it into you for this to work properly."

"Easier *Mmph* said than done, Mistress." Rias whined in protest.

Asia rested her forehead against hers. "Don't focus on the pain. Focus on me."

"Okay…" Rias shut her eyes and relaxed into Asia. "Akeno is right. Our station is so-Ow ow ow! Akeno! Too much! Too much!"

Akeno quickly pulled out. "Sorry! Sorry!"

Rias took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, steeling herself again. "Okay...I can keep going, Mistress." She spread her legs and offered her ass again.

Akeno nodded, adding just a bit more lube before proceeding much more cautiously this time. "How is that? Better?"

She still squirmed uncomfortably but seemed to be adjusting. "Yes...much better." Her attention turned back to Asia. "Like I was saying, my station makes doing something like this openly all but impossible. Submitting myself to a Servant in such a manner, let alone this." She referred to the plug that was now halfway up her ass. "I've been so embarrassed about these urges for so long that I've only recently been open to experimenting with them. And now I *Hyah!*"

"Too fast again?" Akeno asked worriedly.

"N...no. I can just tell you're really close to...all the way in."

"I am." She admitted with a hint of excitement.

Rias gripped the covers in her bound hands tightly. "Asia...I have a request."

"Of course. What do you need?"

"I want you to kiss me while she does it. Just put your lips to mine and don't let go. Mistress...while she's kissing me...do what you need to. Just get it in."

Akeno nodded in understanding, decidedly ignoring the conventions and rules of play for now to acquiesce to Rias's request. "It's going to hurt, but you will adjust."

She nodded in understanding. With another deep breath to prepare herself, she nodded to Asia. "Okay...kiss me."

Asia happily did as she requested and pressed their lips tenderly together. Rias let out a muffled cry and closed her eyes as her whole body began to tremble.

Just one little push was all it took before Akeno's palm was flat against Rias's bottom. The President let loose a girlish high pitched scream that was muffled by Asia's tender caring lips. She kept them locked together even as Rias began to cry into her mouth, tears leaking down her face.

"It's okay. Relax. It's in." Akeno assured in a soothing voice.

Asia finally released the kiss, giving Rias a chance to breathe.

"I didn't bite you did I?" She asked, smiling in embarrassment despite the situation.

"Don't worry about it." Her Bishop assured.

"Honestly, that didn't hurt nearly as bad as I expected it to. Sorry if I scared you."

"How does it feel?" Akeno asked curiously.

She wriggled in place a bit, getting a feel for the intrusive insert. "It's...weird. I'm not entirely sure I see the appeal yet."

Her Queen giggled at her. "Again, you just need to adjust is all. But don't worry, it's about to get fun again." She then turned her attention to Asia. "So long as you're here why don't we put her tongue to work?"

Asia blushed but otherwise nodded in agreement. "O...okay." She quickly slipped out of her panties before straddling Rias's face.

"You just get to licking, Pet." Akeno commanded. "And pay no attention to what I might be doing down here."

* * *

With the hectic situation rectified and the initial shock of Jon's new ability subsided the van had descended into a tense silence for awhile. With none of the passengers wishing to address the elephant in the room. Two Holy Sword Users, a Knight who nearly turned traitor, and two Dragons who hated each other's guts.

"Well…" Jon finally spoke up. "...this is nice and awkward."

"Must you turn everything into a joke?" Kiba asked coldly.

"Hey cut him some slack." Koneko insisted, returning Kiba's cold glare with one of her own. "He just busted his ass to save yours."

After a moment, Kiba sighed. "I get why you two wanna help me. But why are they here?"

"We want to see Valper brought to justice as much as you." Xenovia insisted. "The Holy Excalibur Swords do not belong in his hands."

"Funny. I figured the Church would be praising the guy." He responded bitterly. "You were more than happy to reap the benefits of his research."

"What that man did was monstrous." Irina spoke up, trying to be the voice of reason. "But at least with us some good came out of it."

"What good?" Kiba challenged. "Better ways to slaughter Devils? More swordsman for your Holy Army?"

"Would you be upset if I said yes?" Xenovia challenged.

"It wouldn't surprise me." He retorted through clenched teeth. "And frankly, it makes me wonder if we should let you leave with the Holy Swords once Valper is dead."

Xenovia smiled angrily. "You know, you are still technically a stray. If we wanted to, we could execute you right here and now."

His eyes began to glow red. "You're welcome to try."

"Guys! Cool it!" Jon barked at them. "We've got enough to worry about without us starting this crap again."

"We get that you're resentful towards us for the part we played in Valper's atrocities. But it's not like we let them go unpunished." Irina insisted. "We sent some of our best Hunters after him once the war was over."

"Nice work on that, by the way." The Knight replied with a smug grin. "Considering Valper's still very much alive."

"Are you really this determined to keep being an ass?" She asked him with an annoyed edge to her voice.

"You seem to forget I was very nearly killed by a Holy Sword. Your Holy Sword."

"You were the one who started that fight. Not her." Xenovia replied defensively. "The moment you drew your blade and started making threats you forced our hand."

"This fight started long before either of you were born." He growled angrily. "It began with those damn swords and it will end with them as well."

"If you think I'll let you desecrate a Holy Artifact with your filthy Devil hands…"

"Xenovia, stop!" Irina insisted with a frustrated groan. "I can't believe you guys. We're supposed to be a team."

"This isn't a team." She responded in a calm, even tone. "It's a powder keg. We should never have made this deal in the first place. You can't reason with Devils."

"Reason with me then."

They all turned and stared at Sammy, who was still driving towards their destination.

"As far as I'm concerned, you're all a bunch of jerks." He turned the wheel to the right as he spoke. Getting off the highway and onto a dirt road. "But Jon's right, even if it makes me wanna fucking puke saying that. We can't afford to break down now, we're in too deep."

"I didn't ask for any of you to get involved." Kiba insisted. "This was all your idea, not mine."

"Yeah, well no offense, but your idea sucked." Jon spoke to him bluntly. "We're not about to let you go and get yourself killed."

Kiba remained silent, making Jon sigh wearily.

"Look." He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and pointer finger. "I'm trying to meet you halfway here. I really am. But you've got to open up to us if you expect anything to change. Koneko and I are putting our lives on the line for you."

His stubborn scowl faltered as guilt suddenly filled his eyes. "You...wouldn't understand."

"So then make us understand." Koneko pleaded. "Kiba, whatever it is you're going through, just tell us about it. We only want to help."

For the longest time, he remained silent. The van's tires tracking through the dirt and gravel being the only noise around them. He wasn't sure where to begin, or if he even wanted to. But finally, after a deep sigh he relented.

"My father was a musician in Fascist Germany. During the Nazi Party's reign, his music served as an escape for those few who didn't support Hitler's Third Reich." He smiled whilst quietly slipping into a wistful memory. "I was too young to remember most of it. But the streets of my village were always filled with the symphony of his compositions." His smile slowly dissipated. "To the people of our village it was a symbol of hope. But to Hitler, it was a sign of defiance. The Nazis arrested my Father for suspicion of treason, after they learned that much of his music had been written by jewish composers." His expression darkened even further. "It wasn't until I was much older that I learned they had him executed by firing squad the very night they broke into our home and took me away."

"Kiba…" Koneko moved to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder but Jon stopped her.

"Let him talk."

Kiba gazed at Jon silently before continuing. "As I said, I was too young to remember most of it. And what little I could understand was purposefully withheld from me. The men who took my Father away told me he had done something wrong and that I would never see him again. But beyond that, I was clueless."

"And that's when you wound up with the Church?" Irina guessed.

"Yes...and no. It was technically a Catholic Boarding School but…" He spoke the next part with cold resentment. "...they'd been bought out by the Fascist Party. Not that we were ever aware of that. They were very good at brainwashing us into believing we were true children of God. Aside from the indoctrination, life there was relatively peaceful, if a bit lonely."

"So what happened then?"

"Some officials from the SS arrived at our orphanage one day and started vetting the children for Aryan heritage. To what end I have no idea, I just know they took samples of our blood and ran tests on them." He lowered his head glumly. "That's when they discovered my...gift."

Jon and Irina exchanged knowing looks with one another.

"I'll never forget what happened next. The lie they told me. Men in black suits, handing me an official looking letter with very professional typing and neat signatures. Telling me I qualified to join the Hitler Youth program. It's funny...I was actually kind of happy when they told me about my unique bloodline. It made me feel special, like I was...destined for some grand future or something like that. If only I had known." He chuckled humorously. "In any case, I was sent to a Private Academy along with dozens of other children. That was when I met him for the first time." Kiba's body began to quiver in rage. "Valper Galilei."

"What was he like?" Xenovia asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

He calmed down and thought back. "He was...a wizard of lies. As charismatic and deceptive as he was egotistical and power hungry."

"Gee, remind you of anyone?" Irina commented.

"He wore his mask well." Kiba continued. "None of us could see him for the Monster he really was. When we first arrived, he seemed rather kind. For Hell's sake we were just kids. Orphans at that. Any semblance of kindness or compassion was enough to win over our trust and to his credit he played his part extremely well. We never suspected a thing."

"How long did this go on?"

"Longer than you might think. When we first got there, it genuinely did seem like the new beginning we had all been promised. They gave us an education, training, room to play, to grow. But more than that, they gave us purpose. Valper would speak of how his order was looking for brave men and women to become Knights wielding the power of Holy Swords. He told us how we alone were destined to be God's champions. It made us feel...well...special. What kid doesn't dream of becoming a Hero? But this was Valper...he didn't need heroes. He needed Guineapigs."

"Why would they go through all the trouble to educate and train you if they were just going to use you as lab rats, anyway?" Irina pondered.

"Could be they originally planned to train them to become Holy Sword Users." Xenovia offered. "Or it could be they just felt it was easier to control them that way. The easiest prisoners to guard are the ones who don't realize they're prisoners."

"Whatever his reasoning he spent years grooming us. Letting us fall further and further into the illusion of security and peace."

"You make it sound like you were almost happy to be there." Koneko observed.

"I was. We all were." He admitted without reservation. "For the time that it lasted, our lives were comfortable and we…"

Something hit him. Jon could see it. A raw nerve that hadn't been touched in a long time.

"We were family." He spoke quietly. "All of us. We were Orphans of war in one way or another and we bonded from that mutual understanding. Living together, training together, growing up together."

The van went dead quiet.

"But naturally, it didn't last. Like I said, everything we thought we had was just a lie. And as the war began to turn in the Allied Powers favor, so too did our fortune begin to turn." His skin became deathly pale. "It happened so suddenly. One night we were violently woken from our beds by soldiers. They corralled us together and shoved us onto the backs of trucks. We had no idea what was going on, where we were going, or why. But when we arrived at that hellish concentration camp and looked around at the sea of half starved, half dead faces we knew that something wasn't right."

"Dear God." Irina clutched at her silver cross.

"There was no more training after that day. From that moment forward we were experimented on." His skin became clammy. "They pumped drugs into our system, performed hideous electroshock treatments, live vivisections, what time we didn't spend on a slab was spent in cages like animals. Day after day it went on and on. Yet despite everything we endured we still believed we were chosen by God. We held on to the belief that if we just had faith we would be stronger for it."

"You...still believed?" Xenovia asked, a pit forming in her stomach.

He didn't answer. "But nothing came of our faith. The project was eventually declared a failure and by then there were only a few of us left alive."

Jon shut his eyes and shook his head.

"I had to watch." He spoke breathlessly, starting to turn green. "I had to sit by and watch as my family died around me. From the drugs, from starvation, from disease. I stood by helplessly as everyone I ever knew and loved collapsed around me and was hauled off to an incinerator."

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Koneko clasped a hand over her mouth and turned her head away.

"Those of us that survived were quickly disposed of shortly after the project failed. We were dragged kicking and screaming into a gas chamber, only for my friends to attack the guards and yell at me to run. The only reason I made it out was because they were too busy gunning the others down…"

"So...what did you do?" Jon asked while swallowing back bile.

"Somehow, I managed to get out of the camp...albeit extremely weak and with barely any clothes. I couldn't have been more than a couple hundred yards away when I collapsed in the snow. As my vision faded, all I could think at that moment was that I didn't want it to end like this. Not before I could avenge my friends."

"And that's when Rias appeared." Xenovia surmised while shaking her head in disappointment. "You made a deal with a Devil for the sake of petty vengeance."

Kiba scowled at her severely. "I wouldn't expect you to understand. I'll always be grateful to Rias for taking me in."

"You've sure got a funny way of showing it." Jon commented bluntly.

His demeanor turned to that of guilt again. "I thank my President from the bottom of my heart for what she did for me...but the truth is, the only reason I was given that opportunity was because of the sacrifice of my friends." He gripped the hilt of his blade. "My sword contains their pain. As the only survivor, I have to avenge them. It's the only reason I'm still alive."

Again, the van was plunged into silence as they all took in the horrifying story.

"You're wrong." Irina finally spoke up.

"What?"

"You're wrong about that. Your friends didn't sacrifice themselves just so you could avenge their deaths. They did it so you could live."

Kiba stared at her in confusion. "I don't...I don't understand what you-"

"Of course you don't." She groaned in frustration. "You men, I swear. You're all so gungho on destroying yourselves in the pursuit of empty retribution. They didn't care about revenge Kiba. They wanted you to escape and live your life. If you throw that away, you're throwing away their sacrifice as well."

"What meaning does my life have?" He responded painfully, gripping the knees of his pants until his knuckles turned white. "If I can't pay that monster back for what he did? No one would notice if I disappeared. No one."

"Don't be stupid." Koneko spoke up, her catlike eyes glassing over. "I'd be crushed if you weren't with us anymore, Kiba. And even if she doesn't always show it I know Rias would be as well."

He didn't respond.

"You're a stubborn asshole." Jon admitted, a big grin on his face. "But you're our stubborn asshole, Pretty Boy. We ain't gonna let you go that easily."

At that moment, the Van came to a dead stop.

"We're here."


	18. Chapter 18

**::Author's Note::**

**Finally! This one took awhile. I found myself hitting a bit of a writers block with this chapter but I'm rather pleased with how it finally turned out. Given how pivotal this Chapter is, I wanted it to be set up nicely. As I'm introducing a major element to the plot.**

**After much waiting I'm happy to present Chapter Eighteen.**

**::End Note::**

They called it aftercare. At least, that was the word that Akeno and Rias gave Asia for it before stripping down and getting into the shower. To her it just looked like normal cuddling and affection. Something she'd partaken of with Jon and Rias many times over.

"So what makes it different from what we do, Rias?" Asia asked curiously while lathering her chest with a bar of soap.

Rias giggled at her as Akeno wrapped her arms around her from behind, her heavy breasts pressed up against the President, both girls standing under the water.

"It's different because this is the period where compassion is restored."

"Our form of play is so emotionally charged and physically aggressive that it can have lasting effects on the players if one doesn't take the necessary precautions." As she talked she caressed Rias's body tenderly. "This is a vital step in the process. A reminder to your sub that, for all your dark fantasies and sadistic fetishes, you still love them."

Asia smiled happily at that. "You know, I really wasn't sure at first, but now I feel like I understand. At least a little."

Akeno beamed at her. "I'm glad. I know that this sort of thing isn't conventional, but to me it's as romantic and passionate as your first date with Jon."

"Speaking of which, how is Jon as a Dominant?" She asked. "I've never considered him in that light before, and after seeing you two play together, I can't help but be curious."

"I'm curious as well." Rias admitted.

Akeno thought for a moment and clutched at the collar around her neck. "Jon is...different. And I mean that in the absolute best way possible. Normally this sort of thing requires dedication and commitment to become truly competent at, not to say that Jon isn't, it just all comes so...naturally to him." She blushed. "His status as a Dragon places him at the top of the supernatural and predatorial hierarchy. Where we might spend countless centuries honing and refining our craft something like this comes perfectly natural to him. Even if he isn't fully aware he's doing it yet. Haven't you found yourself checking your looks in the mirror more when you're around him? Or paying special attention to the meals you cook for him? Do you ever worry you're not pleasing him enough when you two make love?"

Asia nodded. "Yes, all the time. But I always attributed that to my feelings for him."

"In many ways they are one and the same." Akeno explained. "Ours is a submission of love. We behave like the ideal partners around Jon because, subconsciously, we want to serve him. Some Treasures preserve their stubborn pride, while many like me, willfully dedicate themselves to their Dragon." Her heart began to beat faster in her chest. "For that is what I feel in my heart the most. His collar not only around my neck, but around my heart as well. He owns my very being which I give to him freely and without hesitation."

"It's true for all of us in a way. Even if we are too proud or too insecure to admit that." Rias stated matter of factly. "The old legends of Dragons kidnapping princesses and keeping them hostage in their caves is only partially true. Indeed, the women in those stories were taken from their homes." She smiled wistfully. "But only because they were swept away by the beauty, power, and majesty of the titanic creature who called to them."

"It's not just our minds that bend to him." Akeno added. "Our bodies do so as well. You've seen the results for yourself in how we interact with each other. But more so, physical changes can come about from our desire to serve him."

"What kinds of changes?" Asia asked curiously.

Rias and Akeno both turned and grinned at each other knowingly before looking back at her.

"You mean you really haven't noticed?" Rias asked.

"Noticed what?"

"Your boobs have gotten huge, girl." Akeno stated with an amused chuckle. "You're almost as big as Rias is now."

Asia hefted her two healthy mounds in her hands and looked down at them curiously. "Wait...they have? Is this why I've been having so much trouble getting into a bra lately?"

They both giggled at her.

"Your desire to please your Dragon coalesced with your magical ability. Yet another side effect of the imprint." Akeno explained. "If your insecurities begin to weigh you down they can lead to physical changes like that."

Asia pouted while staring at her chest. "I can't help it. You two are so beautiful and I just worry I won't measure up."

"That's what makes it so funny." Rias admitted. "Because you're easily one of the most beautiful women here."

She blushed deeply. "I am?"

"Absolutely." Akeno agreed wholeheartedly. "That golden hair and those emerald eyes of yours are just stunning."

"In a relationship like this, insecurity and self doubt is always going to be that persistent tick that gnaws at you." The President spoke truthfully. "The Imprint ensures that these feelings will never turn into bitter rivalry, but it's still natural to feel like you're not the best you could be when compared to other Treasures."

"Which is just silly." Akeno insisted. "Considering it is our unique qualities that made him fall in love with us in the first place." Her smile faltered somewhat. "You do need to be careful about obsessing over things like that. Some change can be a good thing. But only if it's a change you truly desire to make. If you obsess over changing yourself purely to please your Dragon you may inadvertently lose the very thing that he loves about you."

Asia frowned and looked at her breasts again. "So...do you think this change will make him happy?"

"The better question is, does the change make you happy?" Rias insisted.

She ran her hands along the swell of her healthy endowments thoughtfully. Finally, a smile found its way back into her features.

"I kind of like it." She admitted with a light blush on her face. "Maybe it's just me but I feel more...sexy with bigger breasts."

Rias smiled at her. "Well...I wasn't going to say anything but they do look great on you."

"Yeah." Akeno added with a heated vocal fry. "You are absolutely rocking those D-cups, Love."

Asia's face turned redder. "Really?"

"Absolutely." Rias slowly approached, a lustful look in her eyes. "That bust really helps to round out your figure. It makes you more...curvy."

"It really does." Akeno agreed. "In fact, it makes me just want to…"

Before Asia could protest Akeno approached from behind and reached around to grab both breasts in her hands. Asia let out an indignant squeal as the Priestess of Thunder fondled her.

"Wh...what are you doing?" She stammered.

"You think Jon is the only person here who can appreciate big breasts?" Rias asked with a mischievous tone. "I always thought yours were lovely but now I don't think I can help myself." She circled a finger around one of Asia's nipples, eliciting surprised but no less erotic moans from the Bishop. "It makes me just want to...Mmmm" The President took one of her breasts into her mouth and sucked, flicking her tongue along Asia's nipple as she did so.

The bemused girl went wide eyed at the sensation. "Rias...that…it feels so...Ooooh." She melted into her touch.

Akeno giggled in sadistic glee. "Did I mention you're also likely to be hypersensitive their now?" She then slid her hand down to Asia's slick heat and whispered sultrily into her ear. "But below these big beautiful breasts is an even more gorgeous pussy."

Asia couldn't have protested or pouted even if she wanted to. As both girls began to work on her she simply closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and gave in to the sensations.

* * *

Jon and company had successfully arrived on the grounds of the old mansion where the lab was located. Before heading onto the grounds they helped themselves to the munitions Sammy had stockpiled in the back of his van. In addition to her revolver, Irina selected a UMP with laser sighting and a belt of grenades. Xenovia picked the AA-12 Sammy had stuffed into the corner rack. In addition to his Desert Eagle, Sammy went with one of his personal favorites, the Beneli M4. Which he immediately began loading with armor piercing shells. Jon, meanwhile, decided to pick up an AR-15 and load up on anti personnel rounds so he could save magical energy and get some rifle practice in. He didn't want to get rusty after all.

The biggest surprise however, was Koneko. While Kiba predictably stuck to his blade, she went ahead and selected a gun as well. An M9 equipped with a flashlight attachment.

"I don't think I've ever seen you use a gun before, Koneko." Kiba observed while sharpening his blade.

"I've been practicing." She replied in an uncharacteristically subdued voice her cheeks flushing slightly as her eyes glanced over at Jon for a brief moment. "And this way I don't have to risk getting in close."

"But do you know how to use it properly?" Sammy asked warily. "This ain't a range, Sweetheart. Your targets ain't gonna be stationary.

In response, the Rook just glared at him coldly. Sammy had seen that look all too many times from Sona. He knew better than to open his mouth further.

"Okay okay, sheesh." He walked over to the van and pulled three clips of ammo with neon blue tipped rounds. The ammo glowed brightly in the casings and looked completely alien."

"These are UV rounds. He explained to Koneko. Since your gun is a smaller caliber this should help compensate for your lack of firepower."

After a moment she smiled at him and loaded the weapon before pocketing the extra clips. "Thanks."

"Just pick ya targets carefully." He implored. "Those things ain't exactly cheap, ya know?"

With everyone now armed to the teeth Jon turned and addressed the group.

"Alright, we all know why we're here. Our primary objectives are the recapture of the Holy Swords and the assassination of Valper Galilei."

They all listened intently, nodding along in agreement.

"We're on our own for this one, and what's worse, the enemy most likely knows we're coming. Stay alert and conserve your magical energy as best you can."

"And in the event we run into Kokabiel?" Irina asked nervously. "What do we do then?"

"We piss our pants, that's what." Sammy joked humorlessly.

Jon's voice took on a nervous tone. "In the event he shows up...run. Don't engage, don't try to fight him. Just run."

With that, they all turned and made their way towards the gate leading to the grounds of the mansion. Jon was nervous. This whole plan was insanely risky, yet if anyone could pull it off he was confident it was the team they had assembled. Two Devils, two Holy Sword Users, and two Dragons against Kokabiel's forces.

As they moved out, Jon suddenly grabbed Sammy's shoulder and stopped him.

"What?"

"Listen." He sighed. "I know we strong armed you into this, and frankly, I feel guilty enough putting my own Peerage in this much danger. So...if you wanna back out-"

Sammy jerked his shoulder away. "What, you kidding me? I ain't about to let you show me up, Hyodo."

Jon scowled at him in aggravation. "This isn't a joke. There could be serious fallout between Sona and Rias if this goes belly up."

"There's gonna be fallout no matter what." He replied just as aggressively. "That ship sailed the moment we trashed that nightclub."

Jon cursed under his breath. He hadn't considered that. How long before Rias and Sona found out?

"Look, we're gonna get our asses handed to us no matter what. But if we pull this off, Sona and Rias can't stay mad forever." He glanced over at Kiba who was busy discussing strategy with Koneko. "And besides...I know how it feels to have the blood of family on ya hands."

With that, he slung his shotgun over his shoulder and made his way towards the grounds. Jon considered his words for a moment before popping a smoke in his mouth, lighting up, and following behind.

* * *

The group made their way through the grounds of the old Mansion. The dark, somber building looming over them in the distance. This was the very same mansion where Jon encountered his first stray Devil. He still remembered that admittedly gorgeous naked woman appearing on those monstrously hideous legs.

"Anyone else here getting Deja Vu?" Jon asked.

"This won't be anything like last time." Kiba warned. "That Stray was a cakewalk compared to what we're about to do."

While they talked, Xenovia and Irina were having a discussion of their own closely in front of them.

"You should tell him." Irina insisted.

"Why me?" Xenovia complained, clearly uncomfortable.

"Because unlike me, you two need to find some steady ground to stand on. Teaming up is going to do us no good if Jon's expecting a knife in his back at any moment."

"I...suppose." Xenovia relented with a reluctant sigh. "Very well."

She eased up her stride until she was side by side with Jon. Who considered her warily as she cleared her throat to speak.

"Listen, I'm not...good at this." She scratched the back of her head awkwardly and turned her gaze away. "But I wanted to apologize for...for how I've been treating you. I'm aware we wouldn't have made it this far without your help, and for that I owe you my gratitude."

He shrugged indifferently. "Don't sweat it. Honestly, I'm mostly here for the sake of my Peerage."

She nodded in understanding. "That is fair. Still, you have our gratitude regardless." Her expression turned serious as she looked back at him. "Listen, Irina and I feel we owe you for supporting us. So in exchange for your help, there's something we wanted to bring to your attention."

He cocked a brow at her. "And that would be?"

After a moment of silence, she took a breath and spoke. "The White Dragon Emperor has awakened."

Jon felt his stomach lurch up into his throat. "H...how do you know?"

"It was one of the last great messages delivered by our final living Prophet, Saint Brennan." Xenovia explained.

"I've never heard of this man." Jon admitted.

"Few have." She brushed her green bangs from her eyes. "His words were considered church secrets of the highest caliber. As they always foretold great acts of doom and destruction."

"I've always been skeptical of prophets." He admitted. "What makes you so sure this guy was legit?"

"Saint Brennan was a Stigmatist who was born shortly before the start of the first world war. At the age of fourteen he suffered an illness that doctors couldn't identify, but it left him blind, deaf, and wheelchair bound. Early symptoms of the disease included a strange circular rash that would form on his palms and on the tops of his feet. Rashes that would occasionally bleed."

"Okay...so you think it was stigmata. I understand that. I'm still not seeing where the whole Prophecy thing comes into play."

"Let me finish." She insisted. "One day, while he was still in recovery, Brennan began scrawling strange symbols using his own blood into his bedside table. The nurses thought he was having a psychotic breakdown and had him restrained...but those symbols...they were Ancient Aramaic."

That made him pause. He remembered the characters in Divinus Canticles were all ancient aramaic as well.

"The symbols, when translated, revealed a poem he had composed. A poem that accurately predicted the beginning and end of the Holocaust."

"You're kidding."

She shook her head vehemently. "I'm not. Saint Brennan's prophecies have always come true."

"And this man told you that Albion was due to appear?" He asked incredulously.

"It was two years ago." Xenovia continued. "Saint Brennan wrote his final prophecy in his own blood on the table of his hospice bed before passing away. The prophecy went something like this." She took a moment to recall the verses.

"From the shores of Kane, the great beast rises. Seeking his brother that he might devour his eternal fire. Woe to thee who doth not seek salvation from his wrath...for the White One approaches."

His eyes went wide and the color drained from his face. "The White One…"

She nodded. "When we first received this prophecy we mistook it for the identity of the Antichrist. We now believe that Saint Brennan was trying to warn us about the White Dragon Emperor."

Jon remained silent for a moment before slowly nodding his head. His expression blank. "Thanks…"

As Xenovia returned to her partner Koneko looked up at Jon and frowned in concern. "Everything okay, Jon?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He assured, his mind elsewhere.

As the mansion grew closer, Jon took a moment to think back to the last time they were here. The Stray Devil Viser was certainly an encounter he wouldn't forget any time soon. Yet somehow he knew that this new mission was going to top that by a mile.

* * *

The group ascended the steps towards the front entrance and slowly opened the door. The inside of the mansion looked relatively the same as it did before. Albeit less decrepit. Someone had gone through the effort to clean up and repair the old foundations. In addition, the lights had been restored. Though the dim glow of the chandeliers was hardly enough to make up for the ominous shroud of darkness that enveloped them.

"This is just all kinds of wrong." Irina commented while clutching her weapon close to her chest. "Anyone else feeling that?"

"It feels...dead in here." Koneko observed, a chill running up her spine. "Like we're walking on a grave."

"I didn't want to say anything but I think you're right. This is nothing like how it felt the last time we were here." Kiba commented.

"Well that's reassuring." Sammy joked blithely while shouldering his shotgun.

Jon gazed around the empty, deathly silent entrance hall, quietly shaking his head. "No no no, this ain't right. Nothing about this adds up."

"What is it?" Xenovia asked nervously.

"It's way too quiet. And I'm not detecting any spiritual presence here besides us."

She gulped instinctively. "So?"

"So then why do I hear movement?" He asked ominously.

A clattering sound to their left jolted everyone into alert mode as they all readied their weapons and aimed at the source of the noise.

"Alright, everyone fan out and scan the room. Something is definitely up about this place." Jon commanded.

They spread out in a semicircle whilst checking around corners and behind pillars. Occasionally, the sound of something being tipped over or the soft patter of footsteps on the creaking wooden floor could be heard. Irina clutched at her SMG tightly, wary of any and all possible surprises.

When the sound of a muffled cough caught her attention. She rounded the corner behind a stairwell to see what appeared to be a woman in dirty ragged clothes hunched over in the corner. Her hair was matted and obscured her face, and her skin was deathly pale.

"Hey guys, there's someone here!" Irina called before quietly approaching the coughing woman, whose matted hair kept Irina from seeing her face. "Excuse me. Are you okay?"

As Irina approached, the figure suddenly stopped coughing and stood up. She slowly turned around to reveal that half her face was missing. Irina stopped dead in her tracks, a moment of horror stricken panic being quickly replaced by keen instinct as the monster let loose an inhuman shriek before charging straight at her. Irina aimed her weapon to fire upon which the creature was suddenly blown back by the blast of a shotgun. She turned around to see Sammy lowering his still smoking weapon as the rest of the group rushed over.

"What the hell happened?" Jon asked, already checking Irina for injuries. "Were you hurt?"

"Of course not." She assured, brushing him away assuredly. "But what the hell was that thing?"

"Uhh, guys?" Kiba pointed towards the downed creature who was slowly lurching back up onto her feet, her torso riddled with multiple shotgun pellets.

"But you just…" Irina turned white as a sheet.

As the creature shrieked again and lurched forward, another deafening blast sent the contents of her skull flying out the back of her head. The monster fell to the ground again, this time for good. Jon lowered his weapon and slowly approached the corpse.

"Guys…" Irina shook off her initial shock and the color returned to her face. "...please tell me that's not what I think it is."

"I'm afraid it is." Jon sniffed the corpse, his face souring at the pungent odor. "This body was already in a state of decomposition before you even shot it."

"Zombies." Sammy groaned. "Just what we needed, a mansion full of the undead."

Koneko looked at the downed zombie, then at the Mansion, and finally at the group of gun wielding young men and women she was surrounded by before turning to Kiba. "Okay, where have I seen this before?"

Xenovia peered down at the body behind Jon. "She looks American. Well dressed too...or at least she was. Probably a tourist."

"But what was she doing here? And why is she a zombie?" Irina asked in bafflement. "There hasn't been an outbreak since the sixties. We hunted down the last Death Cult years ago."

"Valper Galilei was experimenting with more than just the Holy Swords." Kiba explained, a hint of disgust in his voice. "He had several projects dedicated to Necromancy as well."

"That still doesn't answer the big question. What is-"

Jon was interrupted by the sound of...something being dragged across the stone floor on the opposite side of the room. They all turned around and aimed their weapons as a shambling figure slowly came into view. A zombie dragging a sledgehammer across the ground slowly lurched toward them. It let loose an undead scream before raising the hammer into the air and charging. This time, Irina raised her weapon and fired. Popping off a quick burst of rounds into the monsters skull.

"Nice hit." Jon commented with a smirk.

Rather than fall, however, the zombie dropped the sledgehammer and lurched back. Its head began to vibrate at an inhuman frequency before suddenly exploding. A large fleshy tendril with a sharp boney blade on the end burst from the stump where its head used to be before swinging wildly at the group.

"Smoke it!"

They unloaded their weapons on the monster, completely tearing it to shreds. It finally collapsed and began to dissolve into a pile of amorphous sludge on the floor.

"So...I get the feeling these aren't normal zombies." Sammy commented.

"Seriously, where the hell have I seen this before?" Koneko asked insistently.

At that moment the sounds of dozens, no hundreds, of shuffling feet and hollow death rattles filled the air. All around them, hordes of zombies came slowly shambling out of the shadows as they slowly began to corner their prey. One of the zombies pointed a bony, decomposing finger out at them and let loose its undead warcry. The others responded with beastial vigor.

"Everyone up the stairs! Now!" Xenovia shouted.

They unloaded their weapons on the horde as it charged towards them. Jon and Sammy covered their front while the others fired on the shambling hordes below. The duo fired on every zombie on the second floor that ran towards them before Jon hurled a fireball at the remaining horde. The magical projectile detonated upon contact, clearing the floor as they charged up the stairs and bashed in the door in front of them. The group all quickly darted inside as Jon and Sammy shut the doors behind them. The doors buckled and bounced as they held them closed.

"Grab something to brace against the door!" Jon shouted.

"And quickly!" Sammy added, as an undead appendage burst through the wood.

Koneko grabbed a large bookshelf and braced it against the doorway right as Jon and Sammy moved aside. They quickly piled up every single heavy object and piece of furniture they could find, forming a makeshift barricade. Until they were certain not even that massive mob outside could get through.

"Well that was a close one." Irina commented while reloading her weapon.

"What the hell is going on here?" Kiba asked in bewilderment. "There hasn't been a zombie horde that massive since the time of King Arthur's reign."

"Obviously someone forgot to explain that to the lame brains downstairs." Sammy retorted sarcastically. "Maybe if we just explain the situation they'll go away."

Irina rolled her eyes at him, completely ignoring the snarky Pawn. "Obviously these things are not normal zombies. Everything I read about describes slow shambling half eaten corpses. They were used primarily to spread disease and overwhelm with sheer numbers during the dark ages. These things are tough, fast, and smart enough to use weapons." A thought occurred to her. "You don't suppose this is the army that Fallen Angel was telling you about, was it?"

"It could be." Jon admitted. "But they'd need an army of Necromancers just to reanimate this many corpses, as well as a fresh and steady supply of dead bodies. The scale of the project makes it completely impractical."

"I agree that it would be difficult to raise an army of the undead on this scale by practical standards." Xenovia observed, placing her knuckle on her chin in thought. "But given the physiology of these particular brutes, I think it's safe to assume that Kokabiel has come up with a different method of breeding them."

"We won't know anything for sure until we find that lab." Jon said while reloading his weapon with a fresh magazine. "Now the way I see it, we can either fight our way back downstairs and waste a whole lot of magical energy and ammo in the process, or we can play this smart and try to maneuver around them."

"Let's start by searching the upper floor." Sammy spoke up. "Maybe we can find something up here that'll help us out."

They quickly took stock of the room they were in. It appeared to be some sort of parlor room complete with smoking lounge, a fireplace and rows of bookshelves and furniture that were now all piled in front of the door. The most peculiar thing regarding the room, however, was a rather conspicuously placed metal plate carved into the shape of a fierce canine's head resting above the mantle of the fireplace.

"What is this?" Irina slowly approached the mantle and took the dog's head from the wall. A metal clunk preceded the sudden lurching of the fireplace as it turned ninety degrees to the right on a rotating circular stage.

"Wah!" Irina stumbled as she was suddenly shifted off balance before falling backwards on her butt. She groaned indignantly while rubbing her sore bottom. "Hey guys, I think I found a way down."

Behind the fireplace was a set of spiral stairs that descended down into parts unknown. Below, the stench of death and danger hung heavy in the air.

"There's a door over here too." Sammy pointed to another set of double doors near the back of the room. "Where do ya think that leads?"

Jon looked at the secret passage and then back at the door. "As much as I hate to say it, I think we're gonna have to split up."

"That sounds like a terrible idea." Sammy admitted.

"Look, we're never gonna get our bearings if we don't cover more ground." He insisted. "You and I will explore wherever the hell this leads while they search around the second floor."

"What do you want to do about this?" Irina asked, waving the metal lion's head in her wrist. "It looks important."

"Can you hold onto it?"

She frowned at him in annoyance. "Yeah, I'll just stuff it one these pockets I don't have."

"Why do those things have to be skin tight anyway?" Sammy asked curiously. "Not that I'm complaining, mind ya. Just doesn't seem horribly practical is all."

Xenovia sighed in embarrassment and clutched her chest while turning away. "Trust me, I wouldn't choose to dress this way. But there are very complicated scientific reasons for our battle suits design. It's certainly not meant for sex appeal."

He coughed awkwardly his eyes wandering towards Irina's chest. "Yeah...of course not."

"Hey! Eyes up here buddy." She glared at him coldly her hands on her hips.

"So it's decided then." Kiba spoke up, getting everyone back on track. "Jon and Sammy will head down the secret passage while the rest of us explore everything else."

Jon nodded in agreement. "Right. We'll keep in touch through the communication enchantment. In the meantime, I'll hold onto that metal plate."

She tossed it to him upon which he stuffed the dog's head in his jacket pocket next to his smokes.

"Be...careful, Jon." Koneko insisted, a hint of worry in her voice as she stared up at him with conflicted doe eyes.

He flushed slightly upon seeing the adorable look she was giving him. "Errr, you too, Koneko."

"What are you two doing?" Irina waved towards the door. "Come on, let's get going."

* * *

The door in the parlour opened into a hallway that T'd off into two different directions. One way lead to a set of stairs that appeared to go back outside of the Mansion somewhere. The other way lead towards another door. Not knowing which way to go, they decided to split up again. Xenovia and Irina took the hallway leading back outside while Kiba and Koneko headed for the door at the far end of the hall.

Upon reaching the other side, Koneko quietly opened the door and quickly scanned the room with her handgun drawn. Kiba entered behind her, sword drawn as well. They were in a series of corridors that lead to various rooms. One by one they took turns going to different rooms, opening them, and checking around for signs of anything that might point them in the right direction. Just as it was looking as if they were being sent on a wild goose chase, Koneko busted down a locked door to one room where a long dead body in the early stages of dry decay was slumped over a desk, a revolver resting in his bony hand. Upon closer inspection, and after prodding the corpse to make sure it was well and truly dead with her gun, Koneko noticed a note scribbled in frantic writing resting on the desk. She picked up the paper, stained with red, and inspected the notes contents.

"They came at us while we were sleeping. The other guests all dressed as they were the day before. But they looked...wrong, somehow. I don't understand what's going on. The brochure promised us this was just a hotel. Why have we been locked in? And what the hell is going on with the guests? It's like they've all gone mad. I grabbed my daughter and ran, but one of them managed to bite a chunk out of her arm. We managed to lock ourselves in this office but she's still bleeding quite badly. I've bandaged the wound as best I can but she looks terrible and I don't know what to do."

Koneko kept reading. Apparently whoever this man was, he took turns between treating his daughter and scrawling this down.

"The bleeding has finally stopped but the skin around the wound has turned black. Her skin is deathly pale and her irises are turning a sickly green color. She's not responding to me when I try to rouse her and her forehead is burning up. I can still hear those...things screaming from the other side of the door. If there is a God, please, just let my daughter and I survive this night."

There was one final passage on the note. This one looked to be hastily scrawled, as if his hands were trembling as he wrote it.

"My daughter finally woke up. When I went to go check on her she lunged at me. She had that same mad look in her eyes as the others. Her skin was the same sickly green color and blood had pooled behind her irises. I'm no fool, and I'm not so blindly in denial that I can't see what has happened to my precious girl. She's become one of them. That bite turned her into one of those things. I managed to lock her in the empty cabinet but she bit me. I don't want it to end like this. I don't want to share the same fate. There's an old revolver in the drawer of this desk. I know what I have to do."

"Barbara, if you get this, I'm so sorry. You were right. We never should have come here."

Koneko read the note over and over again. The implications of what was written down simply being too impossible to believe.

"That...can't be right." Koneko shook her head in denial. "Zombies can't-"

The cabinet at the far end of the room burst open and an undead girl who looked to be no older than twelve shrieked at Koneko before charging. Koneko grabbed her wrists as the girl displayed surprising strength, knocking them both to the floor. They wrestled on the ground for a moment, the undead girl gnashing her teeth and snarling down at her. Koneko braced with her leg and pushed into the girl's abdomen with her heel, vaulting the undead up and over her. The zombie went careening into the wall before landing directly on her head and snapping her neck with a sickening crunch. Even with her neck snapped however, the zombie still found the strength to stand, her head awkwardly tilted at an unnatural angle. Koneko got to a knee, aimed her gun, and fired. A blue muzzle flash preceded the zombie's head bursting from its shoulders as a UV round went clean through her forehead. The headless body collapsed as a black tarry substance oozed from its neckstump.

Kiba rushed into the room, his sword drawn. "You alright?!"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Koneko calmly assured. "But Kiba, look at this."

She showed him the note. Kiba took it in his hand and read its contents thoroughly. As his eyes scanned over the letter, his face became visibly more and more sunken and nervous. Finally, he looked up from the document and stared at her in disbelief.

"But...that's not possible. Zombies can't turn people into more zombies just by biting them. You need Necromancy to reanimate the dead."

The Rook nodded in agreement. "The implications here are disturbing. If these things can replenish their numbers just by biting people then we're dealing with something far more dangerous than any normal zombie horde. We can't let this building stand. Once our job is done, we need to burn it to the ground."

Kiba motioned for her to follow. "We've still got a job to do. We can worry about damage control later."

They both made their way out of the room towards the final door they hadn't opened. Inside was a small book repository with old tomes lining the shelves. As they looked around the room, Koneko noticed scratch marks on the floor near one of the shelves.

"Hey Kiba. Look at this."

The Knight came over and peered down at the marks. He then peered at the bookcase in front of them questioningly.

"It's a secret passage." He surmised, turning back towards the rows of shelves stacked with hundreds of volumes. "I'll bet one of these books is the lever. You get started on the rows on the right, I'll start on the left. If we work together this shouldn't take too-"

Before he could finish Koneko had successfully pried the bookcase out of the wall and tossed it aside with her monstrous strength. Sure enough, behind the shelf was a staircase leading down into a stone hallway.

"Or...we can just do that." He shrugged.

They slowly descended the staircase, which lead to a dark hallway, at the end of which was a brightly lit room. Koneko and Kiba quickly darted down the hall towards the opening, upon which they found themselves in a brightly lit, white marble, octagon shaped room. At the corner of each side, eight suits of armor each at least eight feet tall, brandishing massive halberds in their steel laden mits, stood stoically as statues. On the far side of the room was a pedestal with another metal plate carved into the shape of a canine.

"There's something over there!" Kiba rushed towards the pedestal with Koneko close behind.

They stared at the metal head resting in the pedestal before Kiba reached out to take it. Just as he was about to grab it, Koneko took his wrist and stopped him.

"What?"

She looked around the room at the eight suits of armor resting in the corners. "It's too simple. Why go through the trouble of hiding this down here if you weren't going to guard it?"

"Do you have any other ideas?" He asked gruffly, jerking his hand free. "Look, obviously these things are important, and I for one don't want to overlook a potential clue."

She sighed wearily. "Fine, just be careful."

With that, he took the metal plate from the pedestal. After a moment of tense anticipation, they both breathed a sigh of relief. Nothing seemed to happen. They both slowly began making their way back to the hall, only making it about halfway before a metal gate suddenly dropped in front of the entranceway, trapping them inside.

"Well shit." Kiba mumbled in frustration. "Guess you were right after all."

"Funny how that works." She commented sarcastically.

The metal suits of armor began to stir around them. Lifting their steel halberds off the ground before taking several stiff steps off the podiums they were standing on. The metal suits began marching towards them in perfect rhythm, forming a complete circle around the two interlopers, surrounding them.

Koneko and Kiba stood back to back, raising their weapons in the air.

"I've got the four on the right." He calmly declared.

She nodded at him, aiming her gun at one of the metal suits on the left. The armored figures readied their halberds and marched towards them, closing the distance. Kiba bolted like a flash of lightning towards one of the suits of armor, attacking with a vertical slash of his razor sharp blade. Much to his surprise, however, the armored figure parried the blow with his halberd before attempting to stab him with the spear end of his weapon. Kiba nimbly dodged out of the way and tried to slice his arm off. His sword clanged off the metal plate harmlessly as the suit attempted a diagonal slash with his polearm.

"Careful, Koneko!" He warned while nimbly dodging out of the way of another attack. "These things have pretty crazy reflexes and their armor is enchanted!"

"Got it!" The Rook aimed her handgun at one of the slowly approaching suits of armor. It was time to see what Sammy's UV rounds could do. As the metal Knight brought his halberd over his head, intent on splitting the small girl straight down the middle, she fired. A plume of blue muzzle fire punctuated the sound of the powerful round striking the knight in the upper right corner of his breastplate. The bullet punctured the sturdy metal and sent the Knight lurching backwards. Koneko quickly followed it up with another round, and another, each one punching through the armor like wax. Yet despite this, the armor remained standing. It swung down on her with its halberd giving Koneko just barely enough time to jump backwards out of the way.

She aimed her weapon again, this time for the eye slits in the helmet. While the Rook wasn't nearly as good a shot as someone like Jon was, she was confident with her heightened vision she could hit her target. Koneko fired the gun, the UV round flying straight and true clear through the armors helmet, hitting something solid within.

Just as she was about to celebrate, however, the metal helmet began to gyrate violently before bursting completely off the armor's shoulders. A large fleshy tendril with a razor sharp bony prominence on the end burst through the metal and delivered a horizontal slice down on Koneko's head. Kiba dashed at inhuman speeds and blocked the bony scythe with his blade. Moving like lightning he then sliced his way through the fleshy tendril, cutting it into several pieces before watching it fall to the floor and disintegrate into bloody detritus. The stump that remained gurgled and sputtered before splitting and growing into seven new, albeit smaller fleshy tentacles, each armed with a bone blade.

The boney blades began slicing at kiba with blinding speed as he was suddenly put on the defensive. Parrying attacks from a half dozen fleshy appendages. Koneko took the opportunity to charge at the monster, delivering a spinning roundhouse kick directly into the armor's gut that dented the metal and sent it flying against the wall. Free from parrying, Kiba summoned his Fire Sword and charged. Though the suit was grounded against the wall the fleshy tendrils grew in length and lunged towards Kiba as he approached. He flashed in and out of existence as he methodically severed each and every tentacle from the body, cutting them to ribbons and burning them to ash at the same time. He finished by jumping into the air and plunging his blade directly into the fleshly neck stump that remained all the way down to the hilt. Cooking the monster from the inside out. Flames burst from the metal armor which slowly began to melt like wax and crumble into a pile of scrap and ash on the floor.

With one down, Kiba and Koneko turned to see seven more angry Armored Suits marching slowly towards them.

"Speed and precision won't help us here." Koneko observed while holstering her gun. She popped her neck and knocked her fists together. "Brute force is the only way we can get through that armor."

"Brute force, huh?" Kiba replied with a slick grin. "Good. It's rare that I ever get to use the big guns."

Channeling Sword Birth again, Kiba raised his blade up in the air switching his Fire Sword with a massive golden blade twice as long as and of his others. The heavy, unwieldy thing slowed him down considerably. Yet packed more punch than any of his other swords combined.

Kiba and Koneko rushed their enemies. The Rook dropped into a slide as one of the Knights swung his Halberd down on her. She evaded the blow and slid straight between his legs before grabbing his ankle and dropping the metal hulk to the ground. She then summoned her strength and lifted him by his ankle over her head, slamming the armor down on the stone floor with such force as to crack the metal plate in multiple places. Koneko pounced on top of the armor, her gun at the ready. She buried the muzzle of her weapon into the eye slits of his helmet before pulling the trigger. As the fleshly tendril burst out of the hole where the Knight's head used to be, she brought her foot up and then down on the mass of muscle, crushing it beneath her heel and pinning the tentacle down. With her handgun ready she fired on the pinned down mass, aiming for a bulbous weak spot she noticed along the mid length of the tendrils shaft. Upon hitting it with a UV round the tentacle exploded into a mass of gore on the ground. The headless suit of armor lurched up and grabbed her waist before beginning to slowly crush the life out of her. Koneko used her strength to wriggle an arm free before sticking the gun down the armor's neck stump and unloading the rest of her clip into its torso. The armor collapsed into a heap and slowly crumbled into scrap and gore.

While she reloaded her weapon, Kiba was hard at work smashing through the remaining six with his sword of destruction. The powerful blade smashed through the suit's halberds and cut their armor like butter. Rather than dart around like a bullet as he was accustomed to, Kiba slowly and methodically picked them off one at a time. Smashing through each armored suit, cutting through the metal plate and slicing them to pieces. As he cut through them, however, those same fleshy tendrils sprouted from the metal plates. Forming amorphous masses of muscle and boney scythed tentacles around them.

"Koneko, to the center!" Kiba shouted.

"Right!"

They both darted to the center of the room whereupon Kiba brought his fist high into the air.

"Sword Birth!"

He slammed his hand down into the ground. All around them massive blades of various shapes and sizes impaled the fleshy masses and cut them to ribbons. Yet still they continued to grow, winding themselves around the blades and conforming to the metal. Kiba's Sword of Destruction vanished. Replaced with his Sword of Fire. He brought the grip up over his head with the blade facing down before driving it into the stone below with a bestial scream. The forest of swords that surrounded them ignited, each turning into a blade of fire just like the one Kiba was holding. The fire engulfed the remaining masses of flesh, which crumbled to ash, the metal dripping like wax onto the floor before hardening into yet more useless scrap.

Kiba breathed a sigh of relief as the blades vanished. He drew his sword from the ground and surveyed the carnage they had left in their wake.

"Hope we don't run into too many more of those things." He spoke honestly, his sword reverting back to normal as he sheathed it.

They both turned to leave when they heard the sound of stone grating against stone. Kiba and Koneko slowly turned to see the pedestal where the Dog's head once rested slowly rotating a hundred and eighty degrees into the wall. On the other side of this turnstile was a massive suit of blood red armor wielding a silver sword with a decorative golden hilt. The red armor stirred to life before raising its sword and slowly stepping down from the pedestal it was standing on. It took on a combat stance, wielding the massive broadsword, steam flaring from the vents in the helmet.

Koneko glared at Kiba incredulously. "You just had to open your big mouth, didn't you."

* * *

The two Holy Sword Users descended the stairs towards the gate leading back outside. Though the situation was tense, Irina's mind had drifted off. Something about Jon's behavior was bugging her. And now that they were away from the rest of the group, she just couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Hey, Xenovia." She spoke up. "Why do you think Koneko was looking at Jon like that back there?"

"Like what?" She asked taciturnly.

"Well...you know." She turned her head and blushed. "It was sort of a, I wanna jump in your arms and start sucking your face, kinda look."

Xenovia cocked a brow at her "I think you might be reading too much into it."

Irina sighed nervously while brushing her hands through one of her twintails. "You may be right. I guess I just don't know if-"

"If what? If he's still single or not?"

Her eyes went wide and her face turned crimson. "Xe...Xenovia!"

"Irina, listen." Her partner stopped and looked at her worriedly. "You've got to let this go. Even if we make peace with Rias's Peerage, the two of you are from completely different worlds."

That stung. Irina gazed at the ground, her expression darkening. "But...that doesn't mean we can't-"

"Have you ever stopped to consider what forming a relationship with Jon would mean?" She asked insistently. "Dragons are not humans, Irina. They don't…"

"They don't what?" She asked curiously.

Xenovia bit her tongue. Now really wasn't the time to get into that. "Listen, let's drop it for now. We need to remain focused on the task at hand."

She wanted to ask again, but knew Xenovia wouldn't answer. Though it was still bugging her, Irina decided to simply put it to the back of her mind for now and focus on the mission. As they walked through the gate leading back outside they found themselves overlooking a sectioned off garden surrounded by thick high walls. The grounds were covered in grass as well as tiles that snaked in a maze like pattern around the garden. The tiles lead to a fountain in the center of the courtyard. Upon which another metal dog head was resting into the stone.

"Hey look!" Irina pointed out excitedly. She hopped over the balcony and jogged over to the fountain while Xenovia waited on the steps above. She reached up and grabbed the metal plate before waving it at her partner.

"Well that was easy enough!" She called out moments before the tiles in the courtyard began to rise out of the ground.

"Irina!" Xenovia jumped from the balcony and ran towards her disappearing partner moments before a massive wall cut her off. As the pillars that rose out of the ground finally came to a stop, she looked up to see that the entire courtyard had been turned into a giant maze.

"Well that's lovely." She sighed before testing the stone with her hand. It was wishful thinking to hope she could just bust through it. There was likely a layer of reinforced steel supporting the columns. Even as strong as she was, she couldn't bust through something like that. The walls were too high to jump over, and she swapped out her scaling equipment in the van for extra ammunition. As much as she hated to admit it, there was really only one option here. She was gonna have to work her way through the maze.

Xenovia carefully entered the labyrinthian structure and began walking along the wall with her SMG at the ready. She had only made it a few yards in, when she heard the sound of the stones moving again. She swore under her breath upon turning around and seeing a wall moving behind her. Effectively cutting her off from the entrance.

The further in she went, the more stones she heard shifting around her. No doubt the maze was taking on different forms, getting both her and Irina more and more lost. As annoying as it was, this proved to be more of a distraction than an outright trap. The maze wasn't terribly big, after all. At some point they'd find their way out.

And that was when she heard the soft patter of feet against the ground. Xenovia turned to see off in the distance what appeared to be a wild dog staring back at her. A wild dog with a decent portion of its flesh missing.

"Damn…" She quietly cursed, clutching at the cross around her neck.

The beast snarled at her, baring its massive fangs before charging straight at her. Xenovia opened fire on the beast, riddling its decayed body with holy rounds. The wild dog fell to the ground in front of her and its body began to dissolve.

"Was that it?" She asked in disbelief.

At that moment more dogs appeared in front of her. The soft patter of footsteps behind her alerted the Holy Sword User to the Dog's presence at her flank as well.

Xenovia sighed while reloading her weapon. "Of course not."

The beasts darted towards her as she unloaded holy rounds on them. Firing one direction and then the other, downing multiple dogs at once before her gun went dry. Xenovia then leapt up the side of the wall and launched herself off as one of the two remaining dogs leapt into the air to pounce on her. She kicked it in the side of the head hard enough to nearly snap its neck clean off its body before landing back on the ground. She wheeled around to face the final dog, which had already leapt into the air and successfully knocked her to the ground. It tried to sink its fangs into her throat but she grabbed it by the snout with both hands and used her strength to pry it away. With a single swift motion she completely snapped the creatures neck before standing back up and slamming it against the side of the wall with all her strength, smashing it into paste.

More dogs appeared off in the distance as Xenovia reloaded her weapon once more. Large slimy tentacles burst from their backs with razor sharp spikes on the end.

"Dammit, I don't have time for this." She cursed before aiming her weapon at them.

The tentacles on their backs were severed at the base as a glowing blue figure darted between them. The creatures all howled in pain before turning to face their new target. Irina drove her Katana through the skull of the middle dog before slicing through the two remaining ones as they leapt at her. Her sword shrunk back down into a rod which she placed back on her belt.

"Xenovia, down!" She called.

Xenovia dropped into a full split as three dogs directly behind her leapt at once. Irina drew her revolver and fired three shots with pinpoint accuracy, blowing all three undead dogs heads off. She then replaced the spent rounds with fresh bullets before popping the cylinder back in place, twirling the gun, and reholstering it.

"And here I thought you might be late." Xenovia commented with a wry grin as she stood back up.

Irina grinned back at her before pulling her SMG from her back and shouldering it. She motioned with her head in the direction to the right.

"This way. Everything behind me is a dead end."

Xenovia nodded and the two of them began making their way through the maze once more. Irina kept her weapon trained on the front while Xenovia covered their flank. More dogs rounded the corners as they moved through the labyrinth which the two girls dispatched in quick fashion. Firing quick bursts from their weapons before reloading as soon as their weapons were spent. Finally, as they rounded one last corner they spotted an entrance leading into the bowels of the mansion.

"What do you think?" Irina asked, pointing towards the entrance with her gun.

"I don't like it." Xenovia admitted. "But at this point it's our only option. We've wasted enough bullets on these zombie mutts."

Irina nodded in agreement and the two slowly descended the stairs into the catacombs below. Inside, they found a crypt like room with a gate on the opposite side. Once they were several yards in, a massive stone wall blocked the entranceway behind them, preventing the two from going back.

But neither of those things were what immediately caught their attention. They were too busy focusing on the two massive muscle bound monstrosities resting in what appeared to be stone sarcophaguses propped up against the wall. Each one was at least nine feet tall, their faces were obscured by spiky metal masks, and their hands had two sets of long metal claws that had seemingly been grafted directly onto their wrists and forearms. They couldn't even be described as human anymore.

"What in God's name?" Xenovia shivered at the creatures, seemingly asleep in their crypts. Maybe asleep wasn't the right word. Inert seemed more accurate.

"These were once people?"

As if having heard them, their eyes suddenly opened. The two massive beasts burst from their crypts, the metal claws on their forearms growing in length to hang down near their feet. The psychotic look in their eyes belied the murderous and destructive intent the two creatures held for their victims. With a bestial roar the two lumbering behemoths charged towards them. Irina and Xenovia fired on the creatures, emptying their weapons into both meaty opponents. Yet despite the caliber of the round they were both using, neither of the monsters fell. In fact, the bullet holes that punctured their bodies slowly began to regenerate as the monsters regained their composure and zeroed in on their opponents once more.

Xenovia lowered her weapon as a chill ran up her spine. "I...know what these are."

"What are they?" Irina asked while frantically reloading her weapon.

Her steely gaze focused on the two monsters.

"Flesh Golems."

* * *

As Jon and Sammy quietly descended the stairs leading into the bowels of...God only knows where, the Gremory Pawn took a moment to pop another cigarette in his mouth and light it.

"You know those things-"

"Yes, I know." Jon cut Sammy off before he could even finish. "I've had this conversation about eight times already. It's not for the nicotine."

Sammy shrugged at him. "Whatever man." After a moment of awkward silence he looked back. "Hey, let me bum one off ya."

He cocked a brow at him while taking a drag from his smoke. "Why?"

"I haven't smoked a cigarette since I changed over." He explained insistently. "Now come on, don't be a stiff. Hand one over."

He rolled his eyes but finally relented, taking out his pack of smokes and handing one to Sammy. The Black Dragon placed the smoke in his mouth and lit up in a manner similar to how Jon did with the tip of his finger. After taking a long drag and blowing a puff of carcinogens in the air he took a moment to look at the cigarette curiously.

"Not bad." He commented. "You still get that nice warming sensation in your chest."

Jon nodded, taking a drag from his smoke as well. "It ain't the same. But it's still...I don't know...comforting."

"Yeah...it is."

They walked on in silence for a moment, an awkward tension holding in the air. Finally, Jon took a deep breath and sighed.

"Thanks."

Sammy quirked a brow at him. "For what?"

"You didn't have to come along but you did anyway." He confessed. "I know Sona's probably gonna give you hell for this."

After a moment of silence Sammy replied. "It ain't about that. Look...I know what Kiba's going through."

"You're saying I don't?"

"Not to the same extent." He insisted. "Look, no offense, but his situation and yours are a little different. When you left, you did so with a clear conscience. Yeah you had to kill your comrades, but only because they made you. And in the end, that pretty little number Irina made it out of there alive. Didn't she?"

"I guess…"

Sammy sighed in frustration. "My point is, there's a key difference to what you went through and what Kiba did...Survivors Guilt."

"And you know what that's like?"

He nodded glumly. "Better than anyone."

They walked on for a moment longer before Jon turned and spoke to him again. "Why'd you become a Devil, Sammy? What deal did Sona make you?"

He chuckled humorlessly. "It wasn't really a deal. More a reason to keep going." Sammy took another long drag of his smoke before blowing it into the air. "When you join the military, any military, your squad becomes your brothers. Now I don't care who ya ask or what branch your served in, it's always the same. For better or for worse you guys are stuck together. You watch each others backs, you share each others pain, and you walk through hell and back with one another on ya arm. You may hate each other's guts one day, just to take a bullet for those same people the very next."

"And it was like that for you?"

"Of course it was." He replied quietly, a painful memory bubbling to the surface. "My unit was the closest thing to Brothers I had. I'd have died for any one of them given the chance." His expression darkened. "I should have died for them."

Jon quietly listened as he told his story.

"It was several years ago. Our squad had been dispatched overseas for a special op behind enemy territory. Deep in the heart of the South African continent."

"What the heck were you doing out there?"

"According to intel? Looking for insurgents." He laughed bitterly. "Bullshit. Wasn't insurgents that wiped out my unit. It was a fucking monster."

He felt a pit form in his stomach. "What happened?"

"We stumbled right into its lair." Sammy explained, his voice hollow. "Trained soldiers, grown men, reduced to cowering children in the presence of an Alpha Werewolf. The thing was fucking massive. Teeth longer than our combat knives, a hide immune to bullets. It tore us apart, all of us." His skin turned green. "I watched my Brothers, hardened men, get torn to shreds right in front of me. All with the same terrified expression on their face."

"How'd you survive?"

"Same way you did." He replied glumly. "Sheer dumb luck. My Sacred Gear kicked in and just sort of...took over. It was done before I could even remember what had happened. After that I staggered back to base until I was picked up by a patrolling unit. They had me shipped back home the next day." His depressed gloom turned into bitter anger. "Naturally, they weren't happy with my debriefing. Half the damn officers who interrogated me wanted me court martialed, the other half wanted me tried for treason. They were all convinced I had something to do with it." He took a moment to calm himself back down before continuing. "Eventually I managed to at least convince them I wasn't a traitor. That didn't stop them from thinking I was nuts. A week later I was honorably discharged after a psyche eval diagnosed me with PTSD induced psychosis. Horseshit, of course. They just wanted me out."

Jon tapped his smoke on the ground before popping it back in his mouth. "So what happened then?"

"Nothing." His voice became low again. "Nothing happened to me after that. I had all the time in the world to think. To obsess over what happened, and it was driving me insane. I couldn't get the voices of my Brothers out of my head, or the sight of their mangled bodies out of my eyes. Didn't take me long to start drinking." He shook his head shamefully. "It all sort of spiraled downhill after that. I bounced around from crap job to crap job, just trying to make it by despite my mental state. Of course, I wasn't able to hold anything down permanently, and my pension dried up soon after that." He held up a hand and shrank two fingers close together. "I was this close to ending up in a shelter."

"And that's when Sona appeared?" Jon guessed.

He nodded. "I still remember the night. I'd gone through half a bottle of whiskey and was staring at my M9 like it was an escape hatch. I just...wanted out. I was done. Done with the voices, done with the drinking, done with the sleepless nights, I just wanted to sleep...and never wake up again." He took a deep breath to steady himself before continuing. "I had the gun to my head, I remember that much. After that, just a bright light and a woman's voice in my ear."

"What did she tell you when she appeared?"

"She said I shot myself. That my brain was bleeding out and that this was my only chance to take back what I had done. I remember she said that if I was going to die, that I may as well die serving something greater than myself." He chuckled. "Had no idea she was talking about a literal Devil. But hey, I guess in my brain damaged state I must have liked what she was saying." A strange look formed in his eyes. "Or maybe...maybe it was just the sound of her voice I found so soothing. Either way, I barely remember the rest of the conversation. But I distinctly remember saying yes to the deal she offered me."

"And you don't have any regrets?" Jon asked curiously.

Sammy glared at him coldly. "I watched every one of my brothers get torn to shreds, just to get fucked over by the dickwads running the Army we served in and be forgotten by the Country they died for. No, I don't have any fucking regrets."

He nodded in understanding. "I had no idea, Sammy. But...thanks for sharing."

He shrugged. "Eh, it's all ancient history at this point. It's like I tell Sona, the man that once served proudly in the US Armed Forces died that night." His eyes drifted to the stairs again. "I'm just…"

"The thing that took his place?" Jon finished for him.

"Yeah…"

They walked on in silence for awhile longer, both men considering the other in a different light.

"Why do we hate each other?" Jon asked curiously. "I was just thinking about it, and it doesn't really make much sense. I mean...we're practically the same person and yet I can't for the life of me stand you."

Sammy laughed heartily. "Maybe that's the problem. We don't like being reminded how obnoxious we really are."

They both laughed at Sammy's reply, after a moment things got quiet again. As they reached the bottom of the stairs the two set aside their conversation and readied their weapons.

"You ready?"

Sammy cocked his shotgun in response. Both men kicked the double doors in front of them down and entered a set of dark, dank catacombs. Their Dragon Eyes immediately adjusted to the near pitch blackness that surrounded them.

"Hear that?" Sammy asked, pointing his weapon down one of the winding tunnels that snaked beneath the mansion.

"Yeah, I did." Jon admitted glumly. "Kinda wish I hadn't."

"You chickening out on me, Hyodo?" Sammy taunted with a sly grin.

He chuckled. "You wish. I just don't want to get zombie guts on me."

They stood back to back and aimed their weapons. The floodgates opened, and the catacombs were swarmed by hundreds of zombies wielding maces, axes, and machetes.


	19. Chapter 19

**::Author's Note::**

**Ladies and Gentleman, I'm finally back! I apologize for my extended hiatus, I never meant to put this project down for as long as I did. Unfortunately forces beyond my control pulled me away for a few months. Outside pressure from work and one of the most severe cases of writers block I've ever had kept me from working on the Devil's Colt series for awhile. **

**But after plenty of time to soak in new media, settle some IRL affairs, and update the previous arcs I'm back in the swing of things, here with four brand new chapters for you, with more on their way. The first two Arcs have both received story updates for any of you who may feel like going back and rereading some of the older chapters. If not, then stay tuned as we continue with a A Ten Winged War.**

**The break lasted a lot longer than I would have desired, but the adventures of Jonathan Hyodo are back in full force. I'm very happy to present to you all Chapter Nineteen at long last.**

**::End Note::**

Akeno's head was rested against Rias's left shoulder. Her Queen was currently in the throes of ecstasy on the couch in the Chapter Room, her head pressed firmly into her President.

"It feels wonderful, doesn't it, Mistress?" Rias purred into her ear while groping her Double D breasts.

Akeno nodded her head enthusiastically moments before arching her back and screaming in pleasure as she came hard. While Akeno caught her breath, Asia popped up from in between her legs and giggled, smiling contently at both of them.

"Holy crap." The Priestess of Thunder took a moment to cool down, her eyes still wide from shock. "Rias, my Love, you weren't kidding were you."

"I told you." Rias insisted with a devious smirk on her face. "She's a prodigy at this."

Asia licked what remained of Akeno off her lips, a sultry look in her eyes. "Should we go again?"

Right as she asked, the phone began to ring. Rias peered at the line curiously before standing up and walking over to answer it.

"Now who could that be?" She picked up the phone and held it to her ear. "Occult Research Club, this is Rias Gremory speaking." The President smiled upon hearing the voice on the other end. "Oh, Sona! So nice to hear your voice. How is everything?"

Her smile evaporated the moment she began speaking. Asia and Akeno both exchanged worried looks with one another while Rias nodded and replied with various forms of "Yes" and "Uh huh" to everything that Sona was saying. Her expression darkening more and more with every word she spoke.

"Yes, I understand. We'll get right on it. See you in a few minutes." The moment she was done Rias slammed the phone back down onto the pedestal and fumed.

"What is it, Rias?" Akeno asked with concern.

"I'm gonna kill them." She quietly seethed. "I'm going to kill both those prideful idiots the moment I get my hands on them."

* * *

Kiba was forcefully pushed back by the Red Knight's inhuman blows. Despite the power of his Sword of Destruction, Kiba was having trouble landing any major hits on the stubborn armor. He'd burned through a decent portion of his magical energy dealing with the six normal suits of armor and the Blade he was currently using was rapidly burning through whatever remained.

While he clashed with the Red Armored Knight toe to toe, Koneko provided support as best she could. Kicking and punching its midsection before quickly darting away before it could take a swing at her. They worked as a team, tagging in and out to take it in turn to wail on the armor whilst avoiding the massive silver broadsword with unknown enchantments on it.

"This is going to take forever!" Koneko growled before walloping the stubborn knight with another kick and then dodging out of the way of its sword swing.

An idea popped in Kiba's head. "Koneko, do you think you can get behind it?"

"Maybe…" She peered at him curiously. "What's your plan?"

"We'll hit him as a team, you aim low and I'll aim high." He explained.

Realizing what Kiba meant, Koneko grinned and nodded in agreement. As the suit slowly continued to approached she charged. It went for a horizontal sweep with its sword which she nimbly dodged by sliding between its legs like she did with the last suit of armor. Koneko brought two fists together and slammed with all her might into the joint behind its knee. Dislocating the armor and whatever flesh was beneath it from the rest of the body. The Armored Suit dropped to a knee as Kiba went in for the kill, bringing his sword over his head and down on the armor's plated helmet. The Sword of Destruction cleaved the suit down the middle, finally stopping right at the pelvic area. He dislodged his sword and backed away along with Koneko as they awaited whatever the Red Knight had in store for them next.

Clearly not wishing to disappoint, the Armor slowly lurched back up, standing on its injured leg as it snapped back into place with a sickening pop. A black, amorphous blob of flesh burst from the space between its damaged armor and grew to monstrous size. It completely took over the armor, save for its legs and right hand which still held the silver broadsword, forming a massive snakelike head with glowing red eyes and sprouting a mass of bladed tentacles out of its back. The armor on its left hand burst off as a massive boney, fleshy, arm with bladed fingers grew in its place.

"You are one ugly_**, **_Motherfucker." Koneko quietly commented as she stared up at the looming behemoth with a look of horror and disgust on her face.

The misshapen mass of black flesh, bone, and tentacles let loose a blood curdling wail. It was hard to tell if it was in pain, pissed off, or both. The monstrous creature lunged at them, slamming its boney claw into the ground as Koneko and Kiba proceeded to dart away. It lumbered after Kiba before trying to swallow him whole in one bite of its monstrous jaw. Though slowed considerably by his weapon, Kiba was still able to get out of the way before its snout hit the ground. Koneko, meanwhile, went in for a kick to the creatures base where the joints of the armor connected with the dysmorphic mass of flesh. She was swatted away by its boney backhand and collided hard with the concrete wall, getting knocked for a loop in the process. Kiba attempted to charge from the Monster's right and hack at its base with his sword but was blocked by the silver claymore still in its right gauntlet. The creature lurched back and slammed its fist into the ground repeatedly, trying to squash the nimble Knight.

Koneko recovered from the blow and shook the fog from her vision. As she scoped out the scene of the battle, she realized she was now behind the beast. The mass of tentacles on its back sprang to life, each one glaring at her unsettlingly with a single, misshapen eye. An idea popped into her head and the Rook charged the creatures back, drawing her handgun in the process. As the tentacles took it in turns to swing their blades at her she nimbly dodged each one. The moment she found an opening, Koneko popped one in the eye, severing the tentacle from the creature's back and causing black blood to come gushing out of the wound. The moment the beast tried to turn around to face her Kiba would swing at it again, drawing the Monster's attention back to him. They continued this pattern of pulling it in opposite directions, with Koneko popping each tentacle in the eye and severing it off its body. She quickly reloaded her weapon with her final remaining clip and aimed at the last two tentacles, dodging an attack from one while firing on the other one. She quickly dispatched both remaining tentacle in rapid succession before running up the creature's back and onto its head. She stuck the muzzle of her gun directly against it and fired point blank repeatedly. The amorphous monstrosity howled in pain before reaching up and plucking Koneko up by her shirt with its boney claw. It snarled angrily at her before opening its mouth to drop her down its gullet. With her last remaining shot, Koneko aimed and fired on its right eye, blasting it with her final UV round and causing the creature to howl in pain once more while clutching at the wounded limb.

"Now's your chance, Koneko! Do it!" Kiba shouted while parrying the Silver Broadsword.

The moment she landed on her feet Koneko charged the creature's legs and performed a leg sweep on its bad knee strong enough to knock its foot out from under it. The creature went careening backwards as its center of balance was thrown off before tumbling to the ground. Koneko grabbed it by the leg and, summoning all her strength, began to slowly spin the creature in a circle. Kiba stood in amazement as the air in the room circulated in rhythm with Koneko twirling the massive beast. Finally, she let it go, whereupon it smashed completely through the concrete wall in addition to the layer of steel rebar that was reinforcing it. The wall opened up into a large antechamber leading to a series of dank, dark catacombs which the beast went merrily sliding down before finally coming to a stop. It slowly, shakily, righted itself up as best it could, using its boney claw to support its lopsided weight.

"I almost feel sorry for it." Kiba commented as they both entered the new area and slowly approached the wounded creature. "Poor bastard probably doesn't even know what it is or why it exists."

Koneko knocked a fist against her open palm. "Then it's up to us to put it out of its misery."

* * *

Jon and Sammy worked their way methodically through the ever growing pile of headless bodies they left in their wake. These things, though still relatively frail, definitely were not your average zombies. Normal zombies didn't dress in black robes and cake their faces in warpaint. And they certainly didn't wield morningstars, machetes, and other such weapons of war. Whatever these things were, they still maintained some rudimentary form of intelligence.

Having said all that, they were obviously still monsters. Beings devoid of any true human spirit. They fought with heard mentality and used overwhelming force to bring down their prey and devour their flesh. As the two Dragons worked their way through the masses of undead hordes, the same overwhelming feeling surged within them.

"This fucking rocks!" Sammy roared in excitement before blowing another zombies head off with his shotgun. "Their brains go flyin everywhere if you pop em right!"

"Another group coming on your left!" Jon declared before turning and popping a group of fastly approaching zombies with his assault rifle.

Sammy wheeled around to his left and began firing off shells into the skulls of approaching zombies until his weapon was spent. He quickly shouldered his shotgun and pulled his Desert Eagle, downing the remaining horde with a group of well placed shots to the forehead. Once the remaining zombies had been dealt with, the two Dragons quickly reloaded their weapons and took stock of their remaining ammo.

"I've got five shells left." Sammy declare. "As well as two mags for my sidearm. You?"

"I'm down to my last magazine." Jon admitted. "Guess we won't be able to get away with not using our magic at this rate."

"Eh, it was fun while it lasted." He shrugged.

They both chuckled before slowly making their way further into the catacombs. Going room by room, hallway by hallway as they had been doing. Judging by what they were seeing, the zombies had devolved into some sort of tribal based mentality as many of the various rooms they found living dead in also contained altars and dark fetishes within them. This wasn't just a horde of zombies, it was a full blown Undead Cult.

"The more I learn about this place the less I like it." Sammy muttered warily. "It's like the further down we go the worse things get."

"I just hope the others are doing okay." Jon admitted with a hint of worry.

As they rounded another corner they were met with a long hallway with a large ornate door at the end of it.

"Well that looks promising." Sammy smirked.

Jon tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to the zombie standing right next to it. "But that doesn't."

The Undead Cultist lurched over to a nearby lever and pulled it down. The walls opened up to reveal a veritable gauntlet of swinging pendulums, moving buzzsaws, and, of course, more zombies.

"Are you fucking serious?" Sammy growled in annoyance. "Who the hell designed this place?"

"Someone with way too much time on their hands." Jon surmised before shouldering his rifle and pressing forward.

* * *

The Holy Swordswomen had used up the last of their ammo with their primary weapons doing battle with the two Flesh Golems. Now armed with their SMG and Revolver respectively, Irina and Xenovia seemed to have barely made a dent in these things as they would just keep regenerating every time. Meanwhile, the two monstrously strong golems wielded their metal claws with deadly efficiency. Attacking with reckless abandon like two possessed berserkers. While Xenovia fired on the golem to the right with her SMG, Irina took shots at the one on her left with her revolver. It charged her and swung wildly with its two metal claws, forcing her backwards to dodge out of the way. In the tight space they were fighting in, avoiding his weapons was proving to be difficult.

Spotting an opening, Irina drew her Excalibur Mimic and ran up the wall, narrowly avoiding another slash from one of its claws. She somersaulted off the wall and wrapped her lasso of light around his right bicep before tugging sharply, severing his arm from the rest of the body. Tendrils of flesh sprouted from the stump and caught the appendage mid flight, pulling it back to its body and mending it instantly.

Irina shuddered in disgust. "At least the last golem I faced was just sand."

"Remember Irina! The core is the weakness!" Xenovia shouted while still going toe to toe with the golem on the right.

"Right!" Irina's Excalibur Mimic morphed into a katana. As the golem charged again she channeled her psionic energy and unleashed her full potential on the creature. Flashing in and out of existence while slowly cutting down the monster to bloody ribbons. She sliced off all four limbs as well as its head before morphing her weapon back into a lasso of garrot wire. She wrapped the deadly strand around the torso of the beast in a criss cross pattern before tugging backwards and pulling. The torso shredded into pieces, revealing a glimmer of the core beneath all the flesh. She quickly pulled her revolver and fired, shattering the glass core and destroying the soul inside. The flesh that remained fell harmlessly to the ground before slowly dissolving into a pile of bloody detritus. On the other side, Xenovia holstered her spent SMG and pulled out an Incendiary Grenade. Summoning her own monstrous psionic energy she pulled the pin on the grenade and slammed it straight into the flesh golem's meaty chest. She then delivered a powerful kick, dislodging her fist from its chest while leaving the grenade inside. The Golem's chest regenerated around the grenade as it lurched forward to attack again.

Xenovia smirked victoriously moments before the golem's top half exploded in a shower of gore. Its legs took two unsteady steps before dropping to its knees and collapsing, dissolving the same as the other golem.

"Is it just me, or are these things getting more and more disgusting the further in we go?" Irina griped as she put her revolver away.

"This is bad. I've never seen necromancy on this level before." Her partner commented.

"Are we even sure this is still Necromancy?" Irina commented, looking around at the remains of the Flesh Golems. "From everything I know about the forbidden art, mutations of this caliber should not be possible."

"We won't know more until we find that lab." Xenovia insisted. "Come on, we need to find the others."

A massive tremor rocked the catacombs, chipping plaster from the ceiling. Irina and Xenovia both turned and looked at the entranceway that lead deeper into the substructure.

"Or...maybe they'll find us." Irina commented as the duo made their way towards the noise.

* * *

Jon and Sammy dropped their spent weapons and approached the ornate door, having just spent the last of their ammo reserves fighting their way through a gauntlet of traps and enemies.

"Okay, this shit was amusing at first but now it's just starting to piss me off. Whoever designed this place is looking to get a size twelve boot up their ass." Sammy growled impatiently.

"Save it for when we find Valper." Jon insisted.

"If he hasn't scampered off already. We weren't exactly discreet with our arrival you know. What's to say he's even still here."

"All the same, we can't just ignore everything we've seen." He replied while inspecting the door. "This goes far beyond just a simple revenge mission. Rias and Sona both need to know about what's down here."

They knocked their shoulders against the door, smashing it open to reveal a large, well lit antechamber. On the far wall opposite of them was a balcony overlooking a large, stone doorway. As they cautiously entered the bizarre new area, the sound of someone chuckling immediately caught their heightened ears.

Jon cursed under his breath. "I'd recognize that laugh anywhere."

"Me too…" Sammy growled before unholstering his Desert Eagle.

From above, a familiar looking mad man dressed in priest's robes slowly clapped his hands for them as he came into view from the balcony. He was flanked by two mysterious figures dressed in red and black robes that obscured their faces completely.

"I was wondering when you would notice us." Freed Sellzen spoke in his usual gleefully psychotic voice. "Tell me, do you like what I've done with the place? A bit of a fixer upper I admit, but the architecture was just perfect for new trap designs."

Jon chuckled, a spiteful smirk plastered on his face. "Should have known all this sick cultist shit was your idea. Only a madman could have come up with this place."

"Criticize all you want, but my new congregation simply loves it."

"A new congregation, huh?" He quirked a brow at him. "You preaching the good word again, Freed?"

The Stray Hunter cackled in delight. "Oh please! I've got a far better purpose now than spreading that horseshit!" He raised his hands into the air pridefully. "I have been honored with the prodigious power of Shepherding our newest flock." He snickered, his eyes glistening with manic joy. "I understand you've already made yourselves acquainted. They've been busy spreading the word of our Lord Kokabiel to all the healthy uninfected masses that have come here."

"Honestly, can't you nutjobs just handout pamphlets or go door to door bugging upper middle class families?" Sammy joked in a blithe manner. "You know...like everyone else?"

Freed sighed dismissively. "It's going to feel so fucking nice when I can finally shut those smartass mouths of yours up!" He snarled angrily at both of them, his thin veneer of sanity falling. "God I can't fucking stand Dragons! Those superior, smug, faces of yours make me want to puke!"

"Well what are you waiting for, Freed." Jon calmly challenged. "We're standing right here."

The Stray Hunter's angry scowl slowly vanished and turned back into a twisted smile. "All in due time, Jon. There's still work to be done before we're ready to toy with you again. In the meantime, why not play with my associates here?" Freed turned and waved them off dismissively. "Kill them both."

The two figures in robes removed their hoods to reveal that they were in fact Fallen Angels. Two sets of black wings sprouted from their backs as they slowly descended down from the balcony which receded into the wall as a concrete slab shut the entry point off.

The two shirtless bald angels approached and glared at Jon and Sammy, who in turn glared back at them.

"So what's y'all's story?" Jon commented gruffly.

"I am Barchiel." The Angel on the right introduced.

"And I am Balthial." The Angel on the left added. "We are Four Winged Angels counted among the Legion of Lord Kokabiel's Watchers."

"Jonathan Hyodo." The Gremory pawn introduced with a tip of his hat. "Red Dragon Emperor."

"Sammy Genshirou." The Sitri pawn added. "Black Dragon King."

"You boys are picking a fight you can't win. You oughta know that, right?" Jon insisted.

"And yours is a fool errand." Barchiel calmly spoke. "You think you can defy our Lord and not pay the price?"

"None will be saved from the flood that is to come." Balthial added. "Least of all you."

"So what, you going biblical on us?" Sammy asked curiously. "Your Master planning to start the apocalypse or what?"

They both shook their heads, those same blank, emotionless expressions on their faces.

"No." One spoke.

"No." The other spoke.

"This is not an apocalypse." Two maces composed of pure light appeared in Barchiel's hands.

"It is an extermination." Two battle axes composed of pure light appeared in Balthial's hands.

Jon and Sammy both looked at each other and nodded. Jon then removed his hat and tossed it aside as two gauntlets appeared on his arms as well as two metal boots on his feet. His face became covered in the Dragon's Mark and he sprouted a set of horns and two red Dragon wings. Sammy quickly followed suit. Summoning his Sacred Gear as well. His face became covered in his own Dragon's mark and his back sprouted a set of black and purple Dragon's wings.

Both Dragon's brought their own terrible power to bare as they glared at their next challengers with two sets of glowing eyes.

* * *

Irina and Xenovia dashed down the corridor of the underground catacombs they found themselves in. Following the sounds of a conflict from off in the distance. After rounding another corner they eventually stumbled upon Koneko and Kiba battling a massive misshapen monstrosity the likes of which neither of them had ever seen.

"What the hell is that?" Irina commented with a hint disgust. "These things just keep getting bigger and uglier don't they?"

"Perhaps we should assist them." Xenovia commented taciturnly.

Irina nodded and pulled Excalibur Mimic from her belt before charging into the frey. She whipped the razor sharp strand of light at the behemoth, cutting a diagonal slash into its body. The creature roared in pain before slamming its bony claw down on top of her. She quickly flash stepped out of the way and ran up the length of its arm before leaping into the air and slicing into its back.

She landed next to an injured and exhausted Kiba who regarded her warily. "About time you showed up."

"Sorry." Irina chuckled apologetically. "We were a little tied up on our end."

"You too, huh?" Koneko appeared next to her and glared up at the still standing monstrosity in front of them. "We've thrown everything we've got at this thing but it still won't go down."

Irina nodded in understanding. "Right. You two think you can hold out a bit longer?"

"I'm fine." Kiba insisted before raising his sword again.

Irina gave Koneko a look as if it to ask "Is that true?" to which the Gremory Rook immediately shook her head. Kiba had burned through a lot of his magical energy. She should have known he would be stubborn about this.

"Alright, you two hang back and rest up. Xenovia and I can take it from here."

Koneko nodded in agreement while Kiba simply rolled his eyes and looked away. As the beast slowly lurched back up and turned to face them, Irina charged once more, pulling an incendiary grenade from her belt and lobbing it at the creature's gaping mouth as it prepared to attack again. The grenade exploded, sending the amorphous monstrosity reeling as she proceeded to hit it with a vertical slash down its belly. She then performed a handspring to gain some distance before slashing at the weakened monstrosity repeatedly with her whip. Yet no matter how many cuts she made in its black fleshly exterior, the damn thing just would not go down.

"_Tsk, _enough of this." Xenovia commented before summoning her Excalibur Destruction to her right hand. The moment she took hold of the massive two handed sword her body surged with ungodly power. "Irina! Get back!"

Her partner immediately dashed out of the way as Xenovia charged. She leapt into the air and brought the end of her sword down into the behemoth's head. Its entire body began to glow with blue light before exploding into ash. The Holy Swordswoman landed daintily on her feet and shouldered her destructive blade while Koneko and Kiba gawked at her in bewilderment.

"Man...sometimes I forget just how powerful that chick is." Koneko commented.

Irina smirked pridefully. "Yep. Xenovias the best in the business when it comes to being a Hunter."

"Why doesn't she lead with that thing?" She asked curiously.

"The Excalibur Destruction is a powerful tool to be sure but it can also be unstable. If not used carefully, it's as likely to harm an innocent bystander or and ally as it is to vanquish evil."

"It's not as if that blade hasn't shed innocent blood before." Kiba stewed angrily. "What's a few more corpses to the pile?"

Irina peered at Kiba searchingly. "There's something I wanted to ask you."

He turned and regarded her warily. "What?"

"Why the Excalibur Swords in particular?" She asked curiously. "Why do these blades bother you so much?"

"I already told you why." Kiba insisted with a hint of aggravation in his voice.

"No but…" Irina shook her head. "...the Excalibur Swords existed long before Valper ever ran his experiments. Why do you hold a grudge against them?"

Kiba opened his mouth to speak when Xenovia did it for him.

"It's because without Valper's Research, no one would be able to wield the Excalibur Blades anymore."

Irina gasped in shock. "Wait...that can't be true, can it? I mean...I knew we benefited from Valper's research but I didn't think-"

"It's true." Kiba spoke up bitterly. "Before Valper's experiments only those who were born with Holy Blood could wield the Swords."

"Holy Blood?" Irina asked curiously. "As in, blood connected to one of the original twelve apostles?"

Xenovia nodded. "Every Legendary Swordsman who came before shared blood ties to the original twelve apostles. Arthur Pendragon, Saint George, Roland. They each shared a connection to the Twelve Apostles of Christ. Their descendants would go on to become infamous Holy Sword Users as well...however, as time passed, more and more Holy Bloodlines began to go extinct as their family's connection to the original twelve became more and more diluted. That was until..."

"Until the Vatican began using Light Crystals to imbue normal humans with the powers needed to wield a Holy Sword." Kiba finished angrily. "A method that came into being thanks to Valper's Research."

Irina looked crestfallen. "So then...our Blessing Ceremonies…"

"Were paid for with the blood of my friends!" Kiba shouted angrily. "Every time you use that blade you are profiting off of the pain and suffering that my comrades were forced to endure."

"So that's why you wanted to destroy the swords." Xenovia surmised. "You figured if you couldn't destroy Valper or his research you could at least stop it from being used by getting rid of the very power it was aimed towards unlocking." She shook her head in disappointment. "How unbelievably petty."

"Shut up!" Kiba glared at her angrily. "You have no idea what it is I've endured! The pain we went through just so you could hold that blade in your hands!"

She remained silent for a moment, considering her next words carefully.

"Did you know that there are several modern advances in medicine that can be traced back to the Eugenics Experiments performed by Nazi Doctors back during the Holocaust?"

He blinked at her in confusion. "What does that have to do with anything."

Xenovia shrugged, her blade still slung over her shoulder. "I'm just saying, as vial as those experiments were, a lot of human lives have been saved by what was learned. Just like a lot of human lives have been saved with our blades."

Kiba looked as if he wanted to say something but remained silent.

"I don't consider the sacrifices your friends made to be meaningless. Quite the opposite. I pray to them in thanks every time I use this blade."

He went wide eyed, completely at a loss for words with her admission.

"Xenovia...I didn't know that." Irina smiled warmly at her.

She nodded. "We can't always stop innocent people from suffering. But we can at least learn and grow stronger from it." She sighed. "And...for whatever its worth...I am sorry for what you and your friends were forced to endure."

Kiba seemed to consider her words for a moment. Finally, his expression softened and he turned, motioning for them to follow.

"We should...we should find the rest of our group. Let's go."

As Kiba walked away, the three girls watched him. Each with questioning looks on their faces.

"Thank you." Koneko finally spoke, a small smile forming on her features. "He needed to hear that."

"It's the least we can do." Irina insisted.

She sighed. "You know...I'm not sure we'll ever be friends but…" Koneko looked up at both of them with sincere eyes.

"We don't have to be enemies anymore."

* * *

The fight with Balthiel was beginning to remind Sammy a little too much of his duel with Xenovia. These four winged Angel freaks were tough, no doubt about it. His opponent was really pushing his abilities to the limit. Pushing him back repeatedly with the two battle axes he wielded in each hand. Sammy remained primarily on the defensive. Dodging and blocking axe swings while occasionally gaining some ground and hurling volleys of purple fire at his opponent. Balthiel would respond by shielding himself with his wings and spinning. Using wind magic to snuff out each fire attack as it attempted to land. With one final push backwards Sammy was taken to a knee, clearly winded, a bead of sweat forming on his brow.

"Try not to take it personally, Black Dragon." Balthiel spoke with calm authority as he slowly approached. "Our orders are very clear. We're to destroy anyone who comes poking their nose in here, where it doesn't belong."

"Alright, I won't." Sammy snarled before getting back to his feet and drawing on his power again. "And you try not to take it personally when I kick your ass back into the dirt!"

"Bluster all you want, I can tell you're reaching your limit." He charged, delivering another flurry of powerful blows that sent Sammy reeling back. Try as he might he just couldn't land a decent hit on the guy. "So long as my brother and I stand guard at this entrance, no one will reach Lord Kokabiel's secret lab."

"So this lab of yours?" Sammy spoke while dodging and deflecting attacks. "They making more of those zombies down there or what?"

Balthiel chuckled at him, continuing his relentless attacks as he replied. "Those mindless hordes are merely the footsoldiers. My Lord's invincible army shall be something far grander than that pahetic rabble upstairs."

The Fallen Angel managed to get a knick on Sammy's arm as he dashed backwards yet again. He winced in pain before clutching at the wound. "Damn Devil's curse…"

"I must say, it's been a long time since I've hunted prey that was this amusing." His opponent taunted. "I only hope my brother is enjoying himself as much as I am."

Sammy began to chuckle in amusement.

"What's so funny?" Balthiel asked in confusion.

"See about that…" A wicked grin formed on his face. "...as much as it kills me to admit this...Johnny Boy and I ain't exactly on the same level. At least not yet."

The Fallen Angel gave him a curious look to which the Black Dragon King sighed morosely.

"I'd never be able to beat him even on my best day."

It was then Balthiel heard something come crashing down to Earth behind him. He turned and gazed in horror as his brother Barchiel slowly raised himself out of the crater his body had just formed, beaten and battered. Above, the Red Dragon Emperor loomed over him like a wraith.

"Damn you!" Barchiel summoned a barrage of light spears which Jon avoided by popping in and out of existence, flash stepping from left to right before finally blocking the the last one with an energy shield. The Fallen Angel resummoned his maces and charged again, attacking from multiple angles yet never once successfully penetrating the green shield surrounding the Red Dragon Emperor.

"What?!" Balthiel was taken aback. "But that's impossible. His power was on par with yours!"

"Yeah, he's gotten pretty good at hiding that over bloated power level of his." Sammy admitted with a shrug. "And that's not even mentioning his boosted gear. Fact is, this fight was over the moment the audience heard the matchup."

Going back on the offensive, Jon knocked Barchiel completely off balance before delivering a flurry of supersonic punches at his central axis, finishing it up with a straight shot to the gut that knocked the breath out of his opponent and sent him careening into the far wall.

"Barchiel!" Balthiel abandoned his fight with Sammy to assist his brother, giving the Black Dragon King the opening he needed. He aimed his right gauntlet upwards, summoning his absorption line and firing. The strand of blue light wrapped itself around Balthiel's ankle upon which Sammy tugged downward with all his strength, jerking the Fallen Angel from the sky and sending him slamming down into the hard ground below.

"B...but how…" He attempted to stand only to discover much to his horror his energy was being drained. "What is this thing?!"

"This is my absorption line." Sammy explained pridefully. "I may not be able to boost my own power the way Country Boy does, but I can augment what I do have with the energy you're so kindly providing for me."

As the energy returned to his body, Sammy felt the air in his lungs become lighter. His muscles relaxed and the soreness in his joints ebbed away. Once he had absorbed his fill, he tugged swiftly backwards on the line with his reinvigorated strength and smashed the drained Angel in the face with a sharp left hook. Knocking the completely stunned Barthiel back into the dirt just as he promised he would.

"Dammit! Why didn't we know about this?! Why didn't anyone warn us what we were up against?!"

"Hate to break it to ya, but your Masters left you guys high and dry." Sammy commented whilst popping his knuckles. "Guess you're not quite as high on the totem pole as you thought if even Freed is getting a pass before yous two."

"Enough!" He barked angrily before resummoning his axes and attacking. The Black Dragon King nimbly dodged out of the way before delivering a stiff punch to the gut. The breath left his lungs as Sammy followed up with another hook that sent him tumbling back to the ground. From above, the wounded Barchiel saw his brother in peril and rushed to his aid, only to be stopped dead in his tracks by Jon who snatched him up by the throat and began slowly crushing his windpipe.

"Hey Sammy! Go long!" Jon called before spinning around and hurling Barchiel's body like a javelin. The Black Dragon King grinned wickedly before taking off into the sky and roaring, spouting an arch of purple fire directly at Barchiel that vaporized him upon contact. When the smoke cleared, nothing but a few scorched feathers remained which slowly made their way back down to Earth.

Balthiel stood up on his hands and knees, coughing up blood as he inspected his surroundings. Two angry Dragons looming over him and his brother dead and gone. If he didn't leave now, he was done for.

"This isn't over, you Bastards." He seethed whilst charging energy into the palm of his hand. "Not by a long shot."

Jon and Sammy were suddenly blinded by a flash of light. After managing to stun them, Balthiel summoned the last of his energy and teleported away. As their eyes readjusted, both Dragon's silently cursed as they realized the Fallen Angel had managed to escape.

"Come onnn, what's the matta ya pussy?" Sammy taunted to the spot where the Fallen Angel used to be. "You mean to tell me you're gonna pick a fight and then not finish what ya start, eh?"

"Forget it Sammy." Jon insisted before slowly descending back to Earth. His sacred gear disappeared as he picked his hat up off the floor, dusted it off and placed it back on his head. "We've got bigger fish to fry."

"Shouldn't we wait on the others first?" He descended back to Earth as well, his sacred gear fading.

Jon smirked. "No need, they're already here."

Sammy was about to ask when the door they entered from was suddenly blasted off its hinges. Koneko lowered her foot back down to the ground as she and the rest of her group made their way inside.

"Well it's about friggin time!" Sammy bemoaned. "Where were youse guys five minutes ago?!"

"Fighting a giant flesh monstrosity." Irina casually commented.

"Do I even want to know?" Jon asked warily.

Koneko shook her head. "No, you really don't."

Xenovia approached the door on the far end of the tall and inspected the inscriptions on it. The mural above depicted a greek warrior fighting what appeared to be a three headed dog, however the three heads were missing.

"Get a look at this." She called to the rest of the group.

Upon inspecting the mural closely, Jon, Irina, and Koneko each took out the dog head they were holding and nodded at each other. The group combined the three heads together, placing each one into the appropriate slot on the mural. As the final dog head was pressed into place with a satisfying click, the mural suddenly slid down into the floor, revealing a new passage. Upon stepping into this new hallway, the group noted at the end of the hall an ultra modern looking elevator complete with chrome finish.

"How much you wanna bet that leads us down to the lab?" Sammy commented.

"We're wasting time." Kiba insisted before hastily making his way to the elevator. "Let's get this over with."

They quickly made their way over to the elevator and got on. They hit the down button and the doors shut behind them, dropping them down deeper beneath the mansion into parts unknown.

* * *

The elevator descended down further than Jon and his group could have anticipated. From the glass tube they were riding in, the group could see the entirety of the massive, sprawling substructure that composed this impossible underground lab. It was massive. A giant metal silo with different structure and rooms hoisted up on steel scaffolding forming a circle around a central hub. It took the group's breath away the moment they saw it.

"I never would have imagined...how long has this been down here?"

"Probably not as long as you would expect." Kiba commented. "This place wasn't built by conventional means. The Fallen Angels played a big role in its construction, I guarantee it."

The elevator eventually came to a lurching halt and the group prepared themselves for the inevitable conflict that was to come. Much to their surprise, however, there was no one waiting for them in the corridor that opened up.

"They know we're here…" Xenovia pointed out warily, her SMG at the ready. "So where is everyone?"

"Coffee break?" Sammy joked blithely.

The group cautiously entered the sterile white tube that composed the entrance to the lab. On the wall was a map that gave the general layout of the building. Each section held an individual laboratory where different experiments were being conducted. While the central hub appeared to be devoted to the business and administration office.

"That's where he'll be." Kiba growled while pointing to the central hub. "I've no doubt."

"We should try to gather intel while we're here." Xenovia insisted. "I suggest we see what's in these labs first."

"Our only objective is Valper." The Knight insisted angrily. "I won't risk him getting away."

Jon sighed wearily. "As much as I hate to say it, it looks like we're gonna have to split up again. Koneko, you and Sammy check out the labs to the left. Irina, you go with Xenovia and check out the labs to the right. I'll head towards this central hub with Kiba."

They all nodded in understanding of their assignments. Each group split apart and began making their way through the labs.

* * *

Irina and Xenovia slowly worked their way through the complex to the right. Sneaking around corners and remaining out of sight of any security cameras as they flash stepped from cover to cover. They eventually happened upon a door that appeared to require some sort of cardkey to access. The Holy Swordswomen approached the door and inspected it thoroughly.

"So what do we do about this?" Irina asked curiously. "Not sure either one of us is strong enough to break through a door this thick."

"Unfortunately you're right." Xenovia smirked. "However, as always, I came prepared."

She pulled a roll of brown tape from her utility belt and began sticking it to the wall in a square pattern. Irina smirked at her.

"Thermite tape. Nice."

Xenovia nodded in agreement. "I don't have much left, so we better hope this is the only door that requires security clearance."

Once she was done planting the tape, Xenovia placed a small electronic primer against the top of the square. She hit a button upon which the tape ignited and began burning through the metal in a square pattern. Once it had eaten through the door, Xenovia kicked it down, revealing a large laboratory filled with rows upon rows of cylindrical vats. Inside the vats were bodies connected to tubes.

"This must be where they grow their husks." Irina surmised grimly.

"What was once a ritualistic process involving a witches cauldron can now be done in half the time through genetic cloning." Xenovia observed with a hint of disgust.

"Necromancy of the future." She shuddered. "Let's find out what we can and then get the hell out of here."

Moving further in, they entered another lab filled with what appeared to be machine parts. Robotic arms connected to lab benches where a body would be seemingly be placed. A consol on the far wall displayed information regarding the project which Xenovia approached cautiously.

"Dammit, it's encrypted." She cursed upon trying to access the holographic interface.

"That's my que." Irina gently moved her aside and pulled out a small circular thumbdrive. She inserted the drive into the monitors external port and began typing away on the holographic gui interface.

"What's that?" Xenovia asked curiously.

"It's called a P'own Box." Irina explained. "The tech geeks back at headquarters came up with it. Right now I'm bypassing their network security and bridging the closed system to the nearest telecom relay. Now I just need to run this decryption program I've uploaded from our servers and….there! Full access."

They scanned over the contents of the computer monitor in front of them. Just as they had suspected, the Fallen Angels were using cloning and genetic modification to streamline the Husk growing process.

But that's not all they were doing.

"Cybernetic Augmentation?" Xenovia peered at the words on the screen, a nervous pit forming in her stomach. "So...Cyborgs?"

"I guess so…" Irina accessed a computer file labeled, _Model 1, _and opened it. What appeared were the schematics for the suited agents that they had been fighting in the city. From the looks of things, there was nothing out of the ordinary for these vat grown Husks. Next, she clicked on the file next to it labeled _Model 2._

What they saw made them visibly turn green. The schematics that popped up appeared to contain details for a project whereupon the husks would be surgically fitted with some sort of robotic endoskeleton before having their flesh grafted into a suit of high tech armor. Biological entities fused with cybernetic machinery.

"Irina...do you have any clue what this is?" Her partner asked nervously.

"N...no...not exactly." She swallowed back her nerves. "But if these schematics are to be believed, then these new models of Husks are nothing compared to the ones we've been fighting.

"This is sick." Xenovia shook her head in disgust. "A perversion of life at its lowest form."

"You don't suppose they've actually managed to start building these, do you?" Irina asked worriedly.

She scanned over the various files that appeared on the monitor before pointing to an application labeled _Open Warehouse. _"See what that does."

Irina hit the application causing them both to jump as two metal shutters opened up to their left, revealing a massive, darkened warehouse. They approached the glass window and peered into the dark void. Suddenly, a series of floodlights began to kick on one at a time.

Their jaws hit the floor. There were hundreds...no...thousands of the things. Soldiers clad from head to toe in ebon body armor, a rifle in each of their hands. They were standing still as statues in what appeared to be some sort of stasis pod, awaiting activation.

"Well...guess we just found the army."

* * *

Koneko busted down a large metal door leading into one of the laboratories in the left wing. Inside, they found vats containing samples of necrotic flesh in various stages of decomposition. Sammy sniffed the air and grimaced.

"It smells rotten in here. What do you think all this crap is for?"

The Rook shrugged. "Don't know. Can't be good though."

As they wandered around the laboratory, they happened upon a personal laptop sitting at one of the desks. Sammy sat down and tried to access it to find it needed a password.

"Well shit. Should have known it wouldn't be that easy." He sighed. "Don't suppose you've got any bright ideas?"

Koneko shook her head. "Unless you need someone threatened or a door smashed down you're better off asking someone else."

"Yeah, somehow I don't think threatening the computer is going to…"

An idea popped into his head. Sammy peered down at the laptop again as if searching it for something.

"What are you doing?"

"When Hyodo spoke in Draconian and got those cops to piss off, it got me thinkin. What else can the Dragon language do?" He pondered while staring intently at the screen.

She glared at him in disbelief. "Don't tell me you seriously think you can open a laptop by shouting at it."

He shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

"Do you even know Draconian?"

"Of course I do. I'm a Dragon." He insisted. "I've just gotta...you know...get in touch with my inner King is all."

She groaned wearily. "Oh, this is gonna go well."

Sammy focused on his inner voice. The one that would speak to him in his dreams. Jon said that all he had to do to speak in Draconian was switch from his external voice to the internal one. But what the hell did that mean?

The more he focused, the more he could feel it. That second presence. The inheritance of the Black Dragon King. The massive force slowly merging with his body. Sammy took a deep breath, focused his power into his voice, and spoke.

"Bex."

Without any prompt from him whatsoever the computer unlocked itself, granting him full access to its contents.

"Holy shit…" Koneko stated in shock. "That actually worked."

He snickered pridefully. "Eh, what can I say? Sometimes I know what I'm talking about."

As Sammy began browsing through files, Koneko eyed him warily. Even the Black Dragon King was capable of extraordinary feats of power. And with access to something like the Draconian Tongue, it wouldn't be long before he possessed an extraordinary amount of influence over the Earth.

And Jon was even more powerful than him. Something she never failed to remind herself of whenever she started feeling herself getting close to him again.

"Hey check this out." Sammy pointed to the screen. "It looks like there are some audio logs here."

He scanned through the different logs and eventually picked one marked as _Session 13. _Sammy clicked on the log and hit the play button.

"_Personal Log, Dr. Valper Gallilei. This will be my thirteenth clinical trial introducing the mutated Z-Strain into a living organism. I'm eager to validate my tissue regeneration theory. Initial restraint was somewhat problematic but now the patient is resting comfortably."_

They could hear what sounded like a man begging for his life in the background, fighting against some unknown restraints.

"_There's no need to be frightened Isaac. Isaac...you know that's a biblical name? God said unto Abraham, give me your son, show me you are willing to sacrifice that which you love most. The one thing most precious to you."_

It was clear by the other mans panicked wails he was not listening to Valper's mad ranting.

"_You know what always impressed me about that story? It isn't Abraham's sacrifice, it's Isaacs." _

A sardonic chuckle resonated from Valper.

"_If I'm being honest, I have no idea what kind of God would ask a man to make that sacrifice but Isaac is still the hero of this story. You my friend, are the hero of our_ _story. Through your sacrifice, we shall make the world whole again."_

He began speaking purely to the recorder again while his 'patient' continued to beg for his life in the background.

"_He understands his part in all of this. Places his life in my hands, knowing that he is to become part of something bigger than himself. The forehead has been swabbed clean and marked. And I am now attempting to create a passage to insert the sample tissue into…"_

What followed was the sound of a motorized drill digging into what they could only guess was the poor patients skull while he screamed in agony amidst inarticulate attempts to beg the madman to stop. Sammy quickly shut the recording off.

"Sick fuck…" He sneered in disgust. "No wonder Blondie wants this Bastard dead."

"Can you get the next door open?" Koneko asked, seemingly ignoring the gruesome audio log.

"Already on it." He assured.

The door to the next section of the lab opened and the two made their way inside. There they found more vats, albeit far bigger than the ones before. These contained massive specimens, each grossly mutated beyond recognition.

"It's a regular Frankenstein's gallery in here." Sammy commented grimly.

Ignoring the monstrous creations for now, they made their way to the far wall where they used Sammy's new ability to open up a console interface detailing what experiments were being done here. While they couldn't understand most of what they were seeing, all the research being conducted here seemed to revolve around the pathogen Valper mentioned. The Z-Strain.

"So this is how he's raised such a massive army of zombies." Koneko observed worriedly. "Valper has discovered a way to turn living humans into zombies through a virus."

"Science and Necromancy, together in unholy matrimony." Sammy shook his head in disbelief. "What a fucking nightmare."

* * *

In the central hub of the lab, where the business and administration's office was kept, a meeting was taking place. A group of twenty two men and women, all dressed in suits, lab coats, and other formal attire were holding a business conference of some kind. At least that's what it sounded like. Jon and Kiba were less than interested in the specifics as they shuffled along the scaffolding and peered down at the meeting room below. The figures sitting at the oval table were surrounded by security. Those same Husks all dressed in suits and shades.

"Any of these guys Valper?" Jon whispered to Kiba.

"No." He whispered back.

"So what of the figures from our branch in Africa?" One man in a tailored navy suit asked.

"Well, the latest figures show we currently control roughly seventy percent of anti-malarial vaccines, thirty four of HIV Medications, and forty percent of all oncological drugs across Sub-Saharan Africa." Another man in a similar suit spoke up. "But we're facing challenges from the World Health Organization who've campaigned against our counterfeit pharmaceuticals."

"We have identified the key individuals to target." One woman in a professional looking skirt and blouse spoke up. "And we're expecting the same success we had with the campaign against human trafficking. Dr. Rigel?"

The woman in the lab coat nodded and pulled up figures on her smart tablet. "Since the boards resignation we have placed a hundred and sixty thousand human females into the leisure sector. As well as a hundred and eighty thousand humans of both genders into the research and development program. The inevitable completion of our Global Surveillance System based in China puts us right where we wish to be in regards to communication and information gathering. So once the operation is carried out, the moment for aggressive expansion will become available to us as soon as we…"

All conversation stopped as a hooded figure wearing dark, somber robes entered the room. Behind him was Freed Sellzen, who regarded the rest of the room with taciturn indifference as the hooded figure silently sat down.

"Don't let me interrupt you." He calmly spoke.

Kiba's body went rigid and his blood ran cold. "That voice…"

The Doctor cleared her throat and continued. "Our increased surveillance capability means government intelligence agencies will be easily counteracted once the operation has started." She finished.

"Thank you Doctor." The man in the navy suit spoke up. "Now onto the matter at hand. As I'm sure we're all aware by now...a fly has infiltrated our lab. The Red Dragon Emperor must not leave these premises alive."

"My team needs time inputting the final commands for the detonation sequence, and Tamiel and Ramiel are stuck at Site Thirteen dealing with the police. Once we've had time to backup all our necessary files and purge everything that remains then we can tear this place apart looking for him, but until then we do not alter the plan." One of the suits spoke up.

"Still, a direct confrontation seems inevitable. He's gained considerable power since his battle with Raynare if our information is to be believed." Another suit observed. "Do we have a plan of action?"

All eyes turned to the hooded figure expectantly. He reached into his robes and placed a glass jar on the table containing a jagged blood red crystal. Everyone sitting at the table scooted back in their chairs away from the glass container.

"The...the prototype was declared a failure." Dr. Rigel insisted nervously. "It's too unstable."

"It should be stable enough to serve our purposes at least." Another one of the suits observed. "Provided we find a willing volunteer to test it."

"I'll do it." One of the men on the opposite side of the table from the hooded figure stood up and adjusted his tie. "My loyalty to this organization is total. I will protect it with my last breath. There will be no more amateure mistakes this time, I assure you."

After a moment of silence, the hooded figure spoke again.

"Does anyone here challenge Mr. Altese's claim for the prototype?"

The members of the board meeting all looked at one another expectantly yet no one seemed to step up. Finally, a bald man entered the room opposite from where the hooded man was seated, bypassing security and glaring at Altese. Jon recognized him immediately.

"Baratheil?" Altese laughed haughtily. "Even after the beating they gave you? I'd have thought you had more sense than that."

Barathiel said nothing. Though he still bore the wounds from his battle with Sammy, he looked no less fearsome than he did before. If anything, he now looked moreso.

"Give me one good reason I should let you take the-"

Before Altese could finish his sentence Barathiel had already summoned his war axes and charged. In a single swift motion he cleaved Altese's head from his shoulders which went merrily tumbling across the table as his lifeless body slumped back in its seat.

"Well I'd say that was rather definitive. Any objections?" The hooded figure asked.

There were none. As the room returned to a quiet atmosphere, the hooded figure calmly strummed his fingers against the large wooden table.

"It's funny…" He spoke in an unsettlingly calm voice. "...all that excitement at Site Thirteen, and now this, rang a distant bell. And now...suddenly it all makes perfect sense."

His gaze turned up towards the scaffolding above.

"Welcome Kiba. It's been a long time."

The Knight's breath stopped as the figure slowly lowered his hood. The man beneath it had short grey hair and a vertical scar running down his left eye, which was white as a marble. A hideous smile formed on his features.

"What took you so long to see me again?"

"VALPER!"

Kiba drew his sword and dropped from the scaffolding down onto the table below in a blind rage before charging straight for his target. Freed darted in front of him and blocked with his Excalibur Rapidly. At that moment every Husk in the room drew their guns and took aim at the Knight. Jon dropped from the rafters above, his revolvers in hand as he proceeded to light up the room, firing shot after shot as he landed on the table and gunned down every single Husk present.

The members of the board room all glared up at Jon before slowly rising from their seats. He lowered his still smoking revolvers while slowly gazing about the room, taking stock of the twenty two angry faces he saw staring back at him.

"Well howdy."

During this time, Freed had successfully managed to fend Kiba off and knock him backwards onto the table next to Jon. With a victorious smirk he then retook his place next to Valper who calmly stood up from his seat and took his leave.

"I'll leave you both in the capable hands of my associates. Until next time, Kiba, auf wiedersehen." He placed his wrist up to his mouth and pressed a button beneath his robes. "Disable security failsafes. Priority alpha."

Valper left, leaving Jon and Kiba alone at the mercy of the twenty two boardroom members who each one by one sprouted a set of black wings and took to the sky. A spear of light formed in each of their hands, along with a set of six above them.


	20. Chapter 20

Irina and Xenovia moved carefully through the rows of inert soldiers. The armor they were wearing appeared to be made out of an advanced polymer and looked quite state of the art. Not to mention the sleek, high powered rifles each one of them was holding.

"Why aren't they moving?" Irina asked curiously.

"I think they're on standby...either way best not wake them up."

She nodded in agreement and the duo continued to make their way through the warehouse to another door. Inside, they found a smaller room containing rows of monolith computers.

"Any clue what this is?" Xenovia asked.

"If I had to guess, this is some sort of data storage room. These look like hard drives."

"Think you can access them with that P'own Box of yours?"

Irina shrugged. "Possibly. We just need to find some sort of computer terminal."

"Over here." Xenovia pointed to an access terminal a couple yards away and the duo approached. Irina quickly hacked into the system and began pulling up files.

"So what am I looking for exactly?"

"I don't know. Schematics regarding the layout of the Nexus might be a good start." She offered.

Irina began combing through data files before finding one that seemed to be the correct document. "Okay. I'll save it to Box's hard drive. Is there anything else?"

Xenovia thought for a moment. "Any information they have on the Vatican."

She frowned. "O...okay." After making another search query Irina was blasted with a giant cache of data files containing information on the Vatican. "Woah…"

"Anything stand out?"

"There's a lot here." She admitted. "It would take days to sort through all of this...hang on."

"What is it?"

Irina inputted more commands on the console. "There's a datacache here that's been separated from the others by a firewall. I'm trying to bypass it now." She cast a squirrely gaze at the document cache that pulled up. "That's strange...these look like biblical verses."

Xenovia quirked her head up in intrigue. "Download those as well."

"Why? Shouldn't we be finding information on their plans for the Holy-"

"Just do it." She insisted.

Irina shrugged. "Fine. Just know I don't have a lot of storage space on this thing, so we shouldn't-"

At that moment an alarm started blaring on the console.

"Well that can't be good…" Xenovia cautiously drew her SMG.

"Dammit! The systems being wiped clean!" Irina began furiously punching commands into the console.

"Just save as much as you can and let's get moving." Her partner insisted.

"Should only take a minute."

Back in the warehouse, every single soldier suddenly flipped on. A single red light illuminating the center of their helmets. One by one they began jumping from their pods and arming their rifles.

"Irina, we need to move." Xenovia warned severely as she braced herself by the door.

"Working as fast as I can!"

The soldiers began marching towards the server room door with their weapons at the ready. Xenovia popped out of cover and fired her SMG at the nearest troop. The bullets ricocheted off its armor harmlessly as it aimed its weapon and returned fire. Bolts of blue plasma flew from the rifle with a metallic thud, dissolving everything they hit.

Xenovia whirled back in to cover. Just barely avoiding a stream of blue plasma bolts as they went merrily whizzing by her, hitting the monitors in the server room.

"Irina! Now!"

"I've got it!" Irina snatched the P'own box from the console and opened a door in the back of the server room. "This way!"

They ran to the back of the server room and sprinted down a long corridor that diverged to the left and the right.

"Do you know where we're going?!" Xenovia shouted over the sound of plasma fire.

"Nope!" Irina admitted before making a sharp turn to the left. Xenovia stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing Irina immediately begin running in the opposite direction. "Wrong way!"

The sound of metallic boots reverberated down the hallway to the left. Xenovia quickly followed Irina in a full sprint to the right, dodging bolts of plasma fire while firing her SMG behind her.

"Our weapons are useless against that armor!" Xenovia shouted while reloading her weapon. "We need more firepower!"

They quickly burst through the door at the far end of the hall and looked around. Two massive grins enveloped their features upon seeing where they had ended up.

It was an armory. An armory stocked full of nothing but those same plasma based rifles. Irina and Xenovia quickly took one rifle each from the walls. After performing a quick inspection of the how the rifles functioned they loaded a fresh magazine into their new weapons and loaded their belts with additional ammo.

"Asketh of the Lord…" Xenovia started while priming her weapon.

"...and he provides." Irina finished before priming her weapon as well.

* * *

Koneko and Sammy continued to sift through data regarding the biological experiments being conducted at this facility. Koneko took pictures with her phone so she could share everything they found with Rias and Sona. Though most of it went completely over their heads, what little they could decipher for themselves painted a rather disturbing picture. Valper had been apparently working on a viral pathogen capable of turning healthy living humans into undead. From what they gathered their were two different strains. But beyond that, there was no way for them to tell the difference between the two.

"We should bring back samples." Koneko spoke up.

"You want us to bring a viral pathogen that creates zombies back to Kuoh?" Sammy asked as if trying to understand her logic. "Exactly how is that a good idea?"

She scowled at him in frustration. "We have no idea what this thing is or how to fight it. We need to bring it back to Sona and Rias so they can have it analyzed in a lab of our own."

He shrugged. "Suit yaself. But if anyone asks who it was who started the zombie apocalypse, I'm gonna tell them it was you."

They inputted the commands to retrieve a sample of each strain of the virus. A metal claw extracted two samples of the virus from a nearby quarantined unit. The first was blue in color, while the second was green. The two samples appeared in the matching dispenser, each contained in shatterproof vials. Sammy grabbed both samples and pocketed them before turning to Koneko.

"Alright. We've got our bottles of death. Now let's get the hell out of dodge before-"

An alarm started blaring as a set of quarantine shutters slammed down over their only exit. Sammy let out a long, frustrated sigh while rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"You know...I could almost feel that coming right as I was about to say it."

"We've got a problem." Koneko commented dryly before pointing towards the vats containing different mutated specimens. The green amniotic fluid they were suspended in began to drain away and their eyes opened.

"Ah crap…" Sammy drew his Desert Eagle.

One of the containers shattered as the mutant inside it jumped through the glass and roared with beastial vigor. Sammy unloaded the entirety of his clip into the beast, finishing it off by blasting its head clean off its shoulders. The mutant collapsed to the floor before dissolving into a puddle of goo. As more creatures awoke, they began one by one bursting out of their containers and approaching the duo.

"How many bullets do you have left in that thing?" Koneko asked while adjusting one of her combat gloves.

"Including those eight I just shot, that leaves me with...eight."

So in other words none. Koneko popped her neck and knocked her fists together. Looks like they were doing this the hard way.

* * *

The angels had fallen one by one. Feathers rained down upon the board meeting table as Jon and Kiba cut their way through all twenty two of their opponents. Jon was in the process of finishing off the last three, leaping high into the air and spinning upside down before firing off twelve shots into the three Fallen Angels who charged him. He landed gracefully back down onto the table as three fresh corpses plummeted back down to Earth and looked behind him to see Kiba, still standing but nevertheless exhausted.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine." Kiba insisted.

He chuckled. "Liar."

The sound of a figure stepping up onto the table caught his ear. Jon turned back around to see Barathiel the Four Winged Angel step up onto the table. A murderous look in his eyes.

Jon scowled angrily. "Must have miscounted. Kiba, do you think you can find Freed and Valper from here?"

He nodded assuredly. "Of course."

"In that case…" Jon summoned a gauntlet to his left hand and boosted before placing his hand against Kiba's back. "...I leave the rest up to you."

He'd been looking for an excuse to test out this new move he had perfected. And now was as good a time as any.

"Transfer!" Jon bellowed before hitting Kiba with a massive jolt of magical energy.

The power surged through the Knights body, who was taken aback by the sudden blast of energy he was granted. Suddenly he wasn't tired anymore. Wasn't in pain anymore. The toils of their ordeal were now a distant memory.

Hell, this was the best Kiba had ever felt in his life.

A wicked grin covered his features as he stared at the energy coursing through his fingertips. "This power...this gift...when did you learn how to do this?"

"Is that really important?" Jon insisted. "Get going before the trail goes cold! I'll keep this one distracted."

Kiba nodded in understanding, his features lightening somewhat. "Thank you...Brother."

With that, the Knight took off like a bolt of yellow lightning after his quarry. Leaving Jon alone to deal with Barathiel.

"So one ass whoopin wasn't enough for you, huh?" He smirked at the Fallen Angel. "What are you hoping to gain here? I already beat your brother."

"And for that you will pay with your life." Barathiel seethed. "Blood for blood, as it were." An evil grin formed over his features as he raised his hand into the air. The glass jar containing the strange crystal flew into his outstretched hand. He proceeded to crush the jar into shards of glass, gripping the crimson crystal tightly.

Jon quirked a brow at him. "And just what the hell is that supposed to be?"

His grin widened. "Your death."

Barathiel proceeded to stab the sharp jagged crystal into his own chest, much to Jon's surprise and utter confusion. He seemingly absorbed the crystal into his body which glowed deep inside his chest.

And then Jon felt it. An overwhelming surge of power as the Fallen Angel's skin turned deathly white. His hands appeared to rot and turn black as they suddenly grew long razor sharp blades on each finger. His body danced with red electricity as a third set of wings then grew on his back.

From what Devil's Colt was now feeling, his opponent had effectively just tripled his power.

"Now, Ddraig! You shall pay for your transgressions as I slowly tear you to pieces!" Barathiel bellowed in anger as he charged his power.

Jon took a deep breath and steeled himself. He removed his hat and tossed it away into a pocket dimension. Then his coat and shirt which he did the same with. He then summoned his Sacred Gear, a gauntlet on each hand, and two metal boots on each foot. His body became covered in the Dragon's mark, and two horns sprouted from his head. Finally, a massive pair of red Dragon's wings appeared on his back.

"Monsters...guess after this there will be just one less to deal with."

The two massive forces charged and collided in a burst of ungodly power.

* * *

Koneko and Sammy had successfully worked their way through each mutated creature. Smashing in skulls, breaking out spines, and ripping out entrails using sheer brute force to fight their way through. As the last mutant fell, Koneko summoned all of her strength and lifted the metal quarantine door over her head, allowing them both a chance to get through. The moment she shut the quarantine door behind them, they both collapsed in exhaustion, battered, bloody, and low on energy.

"I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up." Sammy admitted in between labored breaths.

"Me neither." Koneko replied.

"Come on, let's find the others and get the hell out of here." As he stood to leave, Koneko suddenly grabbed him.

"Wait." Koneko pointed towards the computer that contained Valper's personal logs before walking over and ripping it out of the wall.

"Seriously? You wanna listen to more of that shit?"

She grabbed the monitor while she was at it and rejoined him. "Any bit of information we can bring back is worth it. Think of it as insurance to keep us from getting punished too severely."

Sammy sighed. "Eh, that's a fair point. Now come on!"

They ran out of the lab and made their way down the hall. As they rounded the corner, however, they were suddenly stopped by a group of armored soldiers carrying rifles.

"What the-"

The soldiers opened fire. Sammy just barely had enough time to summon his Sacred Gear and form a barrier in front of them as they were hit with high velocity plasma rounds.

"Run!" Sammy barked before tailing it in the opposite direction.

They bolted down a different hallway, with Sammy keeping his barrier up to ward off plasma bolts from behind them. Just as they were about to turn another corner, however, more soldiers appeared in front of them.

"Get down!"

Sammy shielded Koneko with his body as he erected another barrier. Now fending off plasma bolts from both sides, sweat was beginning to accumulate on his brow as his stamina began to wane.

"This ain't good." He grimaced through the exertion of holding up two barriers at once.

When it seemed like they might be at the end of their rope, the soldiers to their left suddenly stopped and turned around as they were beset by an unknown force behind them. One by one they fell as their armor was riddled with plasma rounds. Sammy and Koneko both smiled in relief as Irina and Xenovia came charging around the corner before taking up defensive positions, plasma rifles in hand.

"Get behind us!" Xenovia commanded.

The beleaguered Pawn and Rook both got out of the way as the Holy Swordswomen proceeded to unload on the soldiers behind them. Cutting each down to size in rapid succession. As the last soldier fell, they both lowered their weapons and stood up.

"All clear." Irina declared.

"Man…" Sammy was staring at their plasma rifles the way he normally stared at Ruruko in her underwear. "...I have got to get me one of those."

"Glad to see you two made it." Irina spoke after reloading her weapon. "What's that you got there, Koneko?"

"Valper's personal computer." She explained before frowning at it. "I think."

"We found a server room with some information on the Nexus." Irina pulled out her P'own Box and showed it to her. "That was when we ran into the Robocop brigade."

"What the hell are those things?" Sammy asked.

"From what we can tell they're Husks that have been cybernetically augmented." Xenovia explained. "They were none too happy when we started rooting around in their network."

Koneko nodded. "Sounds about right. The mutants weren't too happy with us stealing samples from their lab either."

Irina gave her a squirrely look. "Mutants?"

As if on que, a mutant running on all fours rounded the corner behind them and roared with bestial vigor. Xenovia immediately turned and smoked the inhuman thing with her rifle. As it began to dissolve, they could hear the distant sound of more abominations coming down the hallway.

"Book it!" Sammy shouted before starting into a dead sprint away from the noise.

The group sprinted down the hall while Xenovia and Irina occasionally turned around to take shots at the creatures chasing them. After gunning down another mutant clinging to the walls, she ran up next to Koneko and snatched the useless monitor out of her hands.

"So here's the good news." She used her psionic power to chuck that thing as hard as she possibly could, nailing another mutant in the head and knocking it to the ground. "You don't need the monitor."

"Guys, I hate to say it but this whole situation is starting to look pretty FUBAR." Sammy admitted as they continued to run away.

"We just need to hold out until we can find Jon and Kiba." Irina insisted. "With any luck, they'll have already found Valper, killed him, and secured an exit route."

"Come on." Sammy insisted. "When have things ever gone that smoothly for us?"

"Try to show a little optimism." She retorted. "Lord knows things can't get much worse than this."

**Warning: Security Protocol 88-C is in effect. This facility will self destruct in T-minus thirty minutes.**

Sammy audibly cursed in frustration. "The Lord just loves proving ya wrong, doesn't he?"

* * *

Jon's back slammed into what he could only guess was a dissection table. Having just been slammed through the roof of one of the laboratories. He quickly recovered in time to see Barathiel come barreling towards him. The two forces collided and began attacking each other with reckless abandon. Wild, animalistic shots taking the place of strategic combat as they battled for supremacy. Jon knocked the six winged Angel off of him and stood up, dodging a flurry of swipes from his claws before feeling his back hit a table. He grabbed a random beaker and smashed it over Barathiel's head. The chemical in the beaker burned his skin and caused him to lurch back in pain.

Devil's Colt then proceeded to bring the entire table over his head down onto his opponent, knocking him to the ground. With a boost from his rocket propelled boots, Jon tackled Barathiel and sent him flying through a metal wall, three glass vats of amniotic fluid, and a window before they finally ended up outside the complex in the massive metal cylinder again.

The two combatants took to the sky once more. Barathiel managed to gain some distance before beginning to hurl redish black balls of terrible energy at Jon. The energy balls detonated with ungodly force, putting him on the defensive as he dodged and outmaneuvered each blast. Seeing an opening, Barathiel charged in again and swiped. Forcing Jon to quickly reorient mid flight and dodge. He was only partially successful, wincing in pain as Barathiel managed to graze his chest with four razor sharp claws.

"And so the mighty Red Dragon Emperor reaches his limit!" Barathiel roared. "Face it, Ddraig, your fate was sealed the moment you-"

He howled in pain as a surge of red electricity jolted his body. Jon instantly capitalized on the opening and smashed him in the face with as much force as he could muster. Sending Barathiel careening into the central pillar of the complex.

"Guess whatever that bloody icicle was it wasn't as stable as you thought, huh?" He taunted.

Barathiel fumed before unsticking himself from the wall and charging. Now it was Jon's turn to hit him with a salvo of magic. He unleashed volley after volley of high tier fire magic, forcing Barathiel back before following it up with a massive Dragon's Roar that scorched the Fallen Angel and sent him tumbling.

It was too soon to celebrate, however, as not even a moment later, Barathiel recovered and came barreling towards Jon at supersonic speeds. Hitting him with a massive uppercut that made his vision swim before following it up with a kick that sent Jon flying. He quickly reoriented himself and hit his opponent with a wall of green energy, knocking him backwards and forcing the two into a standoff yet again.

**Warning: Security Protocol 88-C is in effect. This facility will self destruct in T-minus thirty minutes.**

He sighed. "Well that ain't good."

Barathiel cackled in delight. "Your friends are in trouble now! This entire facility is about to become their tomb!" He charged up a massive ball of energy into his hand. "As it is about to become yours."

Jon flared black smoke through his nostrils before hitting his boost ability again. A burst of power radiated off of him as he stood his ground and prepared for his opponent's next attack.

* * *

Irina and Xenovia continued to clear everything in front and behind of their group. While Xenovia provided cover to their rear with her rifle, Irina dropped her weapon and switched to her Excalibur Mimic. After morphing it into a Katana, she proceeded to cut a bloody swath through anything that stood in her way.

Just when it seemed like they were about to be overwhelmed, the attacks suddenly stopped. Instead, what they found was a pile of corpses, both mutants and cyborgs alike, having been cut down by a blade that was not their own.

"Kiba…" Koneko surmised.

The group followed the trail to wherever it may lead. Sure enough, they were taken to some sort of boarding platform outside the maze of complexes where Kiba was locked in a duel to the death with Freed Sellzen. Behind him was none other than Valper Galilei, carrying a large metal case in his right hand.

Freed cackled in delight as their blades clashed again. He dodged several wild swings from Kiba before backing away and acknowledging the group who arrived.

"Oh hi!" He waved at them with a psychotic grin on his face. "If it isn't the little midget and friends."

Koneko glared at him coldly.

"Oops! I mean little lady!" He quickly corrected with another hysterical cackle. "You know, I was really looking forward to some more Devil Hunting tonight but unfortunately Valper and I need to catch a train."

"Get out of my way!" Kiba bellowed before charging again, using the energy Jon granted him to go toe to toe with the Stray Hunter.

"Xenovia, look." Irina tapped on her shoulder and pointed at the case in Valper's hand.

"The Excalibur Swords!" Xenovia proceeded to drop her rifle and summon Excalibur Destruction to her side, unleashing the full brunt of her devastating power.

Meanwhile, Sammy summoned two black gauntlets to his arms while Koneko knocked her fists together and took a fighter's stance.

"Oh my my! Five of you in one night. I'm overwhelmed by my surging popularity."

"Freed, stop playing around with these imbeciles!" Valper insisted angrily. "The train is due to arrive any second!"

"You're not getting away from me, Valper!" Kiba shouted in seething hatred. "Not this time!"

As Freed prepared to attack Kiba again, Irina darted in front of him and blocked with her Katana.

"Xenovia and I will distract Freed! You go for Valper!"

Kiba was about to say something but then simply nodded in understanding, glaring spitefully at Valper before backing away and allowing Irina and Xenovia to take over.

"_Awww, _feeling left out?" The Stray Hunter taunted. "Don't worry, there's plenty for you too!"

Freed clashed with his new opponents as Irina and Xenovia did battle with his Excalibur Rapidly. Meanwhile, Kiba leapt in front of Valper and readied his blade, a bloodthirsty look in his eye.

"I've been waiting a long time for this, Valper…" He seethed angrily before bringing his hand up into the air. "Sword Birth!" He roared before slamming his hand down onto the ground. A trail of swords sprang up from the floor on a direct course for Valper, who calmly raised his hand into the air, casting a magic circle that proceeded to disintegrate every sword Kiba just cast.

"What?!" The Knight was taken aback.

"Sword Birth…" Valper calmly observed. "...a rather unique Sacred Gear that allows one to create magical swords at his will. In times passed, I had hoped to one day harness such an ability, that we might be able to create weapons on par with Excalibur." He sighed and shook his head morosely. "But in the end, you were just another disappointment."

Kiba stewed in his seething rage. As Koneko and Sammy ran over to back him up he brought a hand out to stop them. "No! He's mine."

"Don't be an idiot!" Sammy retorted in frustration. "You felt that power just now, same as the rest of us!"

"Kokabiel has clearly blessed Valper with the powers of a Fallen Angel, there's no telling how strong he is!" Koneko insisted.

On the other side of the bay, Freed clashed with Xenovia's Excalibur Destruction.

"Face it Sugartits, the Church lost! Now why don't you be a good little girl and become prey to my sword!" Freed taunted.

"You vile traitors!" Xenovia seethed angrily at him, channeling more and more of her psionic energy into her sword. "Hear me now, Freed and Valper. I condemn your souls in the name of the one true God!"

The Stray Hunter growled at her angrily. "How dare you say that. Don't you ever throw that disgusting name at me again!"

As they continued to battle, Kiba summoned the power he had borrowed from Jon and raised his sword. "This ends now, Valper!"

"Kiba wait!"

Too late, before Koneko could stop him he had already charged. Valper raised his hand again and blasted Kiba with a bolt and purple lightning that knocked him down flat to the ground.

"Motherfucker!" Sammy charged, upon which he too was zapped by lightning and fell to the ground next to Kiba.

_"Tsk!" _Koneko seethed as she lowered herself further into a combat stance and eyed Valper warily. They were in trouble, big trouble.

**Warning: Security Protocol 88-C is in effect. This facility will self destruct in T-minus twenty minutes.**

As the automated message played again, a chrome train connected to an overhead rail line pulled up to the station and the doors slid open.

"As amusing as this little distraction has been, I fear we've used up the last of our time together." Valper calmly explained. "Freed!"

"What?!" He called back in annoyance.

"You're done." The Genocide Priest insisted. "All you had to do was get rid of those vermin from the Church and take their Swords. It should have been easy with the power I bestowed upon you." He glared at him in anger. "Yet here they still stand. And before long, the prototype Power Gem I bestowed upon Barathiel will begin to destabilize. If we're not gone by the time the Red Dragon Emperor finishes him off we'll be hopelessly outmatched."

"You think I'm going to let either of you Monsters escape?" Xenovia growled while brandishing her massive Excalibur Destruction.

Valper grinned at her and shook his head. "Ah, Xenovia. The Vatican's infamous attack dog. So doggedly loyal to that archaic font of lies and secrets."

She glared at him coldly. "What do you mean?"

He cackled at her viciously. "Do you really mean to tell me that after all this time the woman known as God's Strongest Swordsman still hasn't figured it out?"

"Figured what out?!" She demanded angrily.

"The truth about your God...about the lies they have spread through that insipid book."

She chuckled at him dismissively. "You expect me to believe a word you say about my Lord?"

"Don't get me wrong, the Holy Bible makes for an interesting fairy tale." His grin only widened. "But I've found the truth is far more interesting."

She remained silent.

"You take the image of your creator from a book. A book written by man. I have heard the truth from the mouth of my Lord."

Again, she said nothing.

"So you have doubted...haven't you?" He laughed again. "In that case, you need only look in those files you stole, they will tell you everything about-"

"Shut up…"

Valper turned to see Kiba slowly rising to his feet.

"Don't count me out. I'm not…" He raised his sword and brought his power to bare. "I'm not done yet!"

A sardonic grin spread over Valper's features as he calmly pulled a blood red gemstone out of his robes. All the energy and fervor in Kiba's body instantly vanished as he dropped his sword and stared petrified at the stone.

"N...no...it can't be. That's not…"

"Why yes it is." Valper taunted cruelly. "This fight was over before it even started."

The Genocide Priest channeled his magic into the stone. The blood red gem began to glow with unknown power. Power that began to radiate off of Kiba as he was suddenly hoisted into the air. A pained scream resonated from his lungs as his entire body began to convulse in agony. A surge of blood red electricity coursing through him.

"Kiba!" Koneko shouted in horror.

"So long as I have this then you can never touch me." Valper continued, holding the stone in the air as Kiba's body contorted and writhed in agony. "And now, my little failure, you shall die!"

The sound of a plasma rifle arming stopped Valper in his tracks.

"Eat plasma, you old fuck!" Sammy shouted before unloading a barrage of rifle fire at the Priest. The spell Valper was casting instantly vanished as he was forced on the defensive, erecting a barrier to defend himself with.

Kiba plummeted to the ground, whereupon Koneko caught him. Much to her relief, the Knight was alive, albeit completely comatose.

"Impudent little…" Valper seethed as he brought up his free hand to hit Sammy with another electrical attack.

"Yoohoo!"

The Priest turned just in time to see Irina perform a spinning sidekick, planting her shin directly in his face and knocking him flat on his side. Acting fast, Irina kicked the metal crate containing three of the lost Holy Swords towards her partner who stopped the box mid slide with her foot.

"Oh fuck you!" Freed charged Xenovia, who summoned the destructive power of her sword and unleashed a devastating wave of energy on her opponent with a single swing. The Stray Hunter was sent flying backwards into the tram car, his head smacking hard against the reinforced steel.

Xenovia quickly grabbed the case and waved for the others to follow. "Quickly! Let's get out of here!"

Koneko grabbed Kiba and Valper's computer and hightailed it out of their. Quickly followed by Irina and Sammy.

"Dammit! You won't get away!" Freed stood up shakily to chase after them when the automated warning spoke again.

**Warning: Security Protocol 88-C is in effect. This facility will self destruct in T-minus ten minutes.**

"Forget it, Freed!" Valper shouted angrily, wiping a trail of blood from his cheek as he slowly stood back up. "If we don't leave now we won't clear the blast radius!"

"But the swords!"

"They won't make it far." Valper assured, a hideous grin forming on his lips. "The Operation will see to that."

* * *

The Facility was slowly coming apart at the seams. The entire complex rumbled as the self destruct protocol neared the end of its countdown. As metal and debris fell around them, the Devil's Colt and the Six Winged Angel continued to do battle above. Jon was knocked back by another powerful blow from Barathiel, who began furiously swiping at him while he blocked with barriers. The Fallen Angel summoned a ball of energy and hit him with it at point blank range as Jon brought up another barrier. It wasn't quite enough and the Dragon was sent careening down into the bottomless pit below. He managed to reorient himself and stop his descent before turning upwards to face his opponent.

**Warning: Security Protocol 88-C is in effect. This facility will self destruct in T-minus ten minutes.**

Barathiel cackled in delight. "Your friends are running out of time, Ddraig!" He raised his hand into the air and summoned a ball of energy twice the size of anything he had previously thrown at him. "And so are you!"

The massive projectile came hurtling towards Jon who, despite the situation, smirked knowingly to himself as he felt his boost ability kick in. He summoned a red ball of energy and chucked it into the middle of the massive projectile. The two forces canceled each other out in a massive blast that did little harm to either opponent.

"What?!" Barathiel reeled back in horror moments before Jon appeared directly beside him faster than he was able to track. The Dragon backhanded with enough force to send the Fallen Angel smashing into the far wall. He quickly recovered and flared angrily at his opponent.

And that was when he noticed the change. Jon's markings were pulsing with neon green energy and his power had effectively skyrocketed.

"I may be running out of time." Jon calmly spoke, that same knowing grin on his face. "But yours was all used up about five seconds ago."

Jon's wings disappeared as his body became encased in armor. A metal tail sprouted from his backside and a helmet carved into the shape of a Welsh dragon covered his head.

Power erupted from him as Jon brought the full wrath of his Scale Mail to bare.

"It's over!"

The Red Dragon Emperor rocketed towards his opponent, his speed ignited by the twin thrusters at his back.

* * *

Koneko, Sammy, Irina, and Xenovia made a mad dash back to the elevator, with the Gremory Rook keeping a comatose Kiba and Valper's computer close to her person. The facility was coming down around their ears as the detonation sequence neared its conclusion. It didn't help that two titanic forces were still battling it out above them. As they reached the elevator the automatic message played again.

**Warning: Security Protocol 88-C is in effect. This facility will self destruct in T-minus five minutes.**

"All aboard!" Sammy called after opening the elevator and ushering everyone inside. "Next stop, anywhere but here!"

"What about Jon?" Irina asked worriedly as the elevator doors shut.

"He'll make it." Koneko assured.

"But-"

"Just trust me! He'll make it!" The Rook insisted.

As the elevator began to rise, the group was treated to a view of the chaos below them. Two forces were phasing in and out of existence, creating shockwaves with every hit they made. Irina stood in awe of the spectacle, despite the worry she felt as the facility collapsed around them.

"Incredible...I've never seen such power before. What do you think, Xenovia? Xenovia?"

Her partner didn't respond, something seemed to be weighing on her mind. A gnawing doubt she couldn't shake loose.

"What's wrong?" Her partner asked worriedly.

"It's...it's nothing."

"What are you two doing?! Let's go!" Sammy insisted as the elevator doors opened up.

The group sprinted down the hall into the catacombs of the mansion. They were nowhere near safe yet.

* * *

Back below, the fight between Jon and Barathiel had taken a drastic turn. The Fallen Angel was quickly finding himself overwhelmed by the much stronger Dragon. He was at the end of his rope despite desperately wishing to believe the contrary.

"Damn you!" He seethed angrily as a jolt of electricity surged through his body.

Jon loomed over him, his expression obscured by the neon green visor on his helmet. "That power of yours is pretty tough to break through but it's clearly taken a toll on you." He seemed to shake his head. "You were never supposed to win. You realize that, right? Your Masters used you as bait to secure their escape."

"Silence!" Barathiel unleashed a barrage of magical attacks that all seemed to hit their mark.

When the smoke cleared, however, the armored dragon was still standing. Surrounded in a neon green energy shield.

"The more I find out about your kind the more I pity you pathetic bastards." Jon raised his hand above his head and summoned a massive ball of fire. "With friends like yours, who needs enemies?"

He tossed the slow moving projectile at Barathiel, who laughed in disbelief. "You honestly expect that thing to hit-"

A gleam caught his eye a fraction of a second too late as his opponent proceeded to deliver his _Hyodo Special, _smashing him in the face with his gauntlet and sending him spiraling towards the opposite end of the massive cylinder. Jon charged a red ball of energy into his gauntlet which grew before shrinking to the size of a small stone. He grabbed the ball of energy in his right hand and unleashed a massive Dragon's Shot on his opponent.

Barathiel's pained and angry screams slowly faded as he was engulfed by the energy and he disintegrated into dust.

With the battle finally over Jon quickly took stock of the cataclysm going on around him.

**Warning: Security Protocol 88-C is in effect. This facility will self destruct in T-minus thirty seconds.**

"Welp, time to go!" He commented before channeling his remaining energy into his thrusters and rocketed towards the exit.

* * *

Somehow, despite everything they had endured, the group made it back outside. The moment they cleared the front entrance to the old mansion all of their remaining energy was put into getting as much distance between them and the blast zone as humanly possible. Irina suddenly stopped and turned around, prompting the others to do so as well.

"What are you doing?!" Sammy shouted hysterically.

"Where's Jon?!" She shouted back in terror.

Koneko felt her stomach drop. Where was he? He should have been right behind them!

Don't tell me he…

A figure came bursting through the roof of the mansion ahead of a trail of neon green energy.

"Jon!" Irina beamed excitedly.

Koneko's features lit up into a radiant smile. He made it!

The Red Dragon Emperor came barreling toward them, landing directly in front of the group and turning back towards the mansion with his arms crossed in an X formation.

"Everyone, down!"

They hit the floor and covered their eyes and ears. What followed was a white flash of light that enveloped everything as the world deafened around them. The shockwave that followed shook the Earth below their feet as everything within a half mile radius was instantly flash incinerated.

As the smoke finally began to clear, the group one by one began to tentatively open their eyes. It was then they realized they were now standing in the middle of a massive scorch mark, where once there was a dense forest. They were encased in a shield of neon green energy produced by the armored Dragon still standing on his feet.

The only thing that saved them from certain death.

With the blast having subsided and the rumbling Earth having finally settled, the shield slowly disappeared as did Jon's armor, which fell off his body in plates before crumbling into dust. What remained was a man covered in sweat, dirt, and blood, breathing deep labored breaths. As the last of his power faded away, his knees finally gave out and he collapsed.

"Jon!" Irina immediately got up and ran to his side, offering him a hand up and a shoulder to lean on. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" He nodded. Though clearly exhausted he was for the most part intact.

She sighed in relief, her features brightening almost immediately. "That was incredible! My God, Jon. I've never seen anything like it before in my life!"

He chuckled. "Yeah well...it ain't exactly something that-"

He felt a small, strong being press against his body and hug him tight. Jon and Irina looked down to see Koneko holding him by his waist, her cheek pressed firmly against his abdominal muscles.

"You reckless idiot…"

The sound of her choked sobs left Jon stunned in place. As did the sensation of her tears running down his skin.

"I thought you were...you almost…" Her eyes were shut tight as her bottom lip started to quiver.

"Koneko…"

"You stupid stupid idiot!" She broke down completely. Her emotions welling up and spilling over in a way that Jon had never seen her do before. She knocked her fist against his body repeatedly as she took all her relief, all her frustration, and all her anger out on him. But he barely felt a thing. Whatever monstrous strength she may have had left faded away the moment she saw that he was alive.

Everyone stood in silence as Koneko quietly sobbed into Jon's abdomen. Finally regaining his senses he wrapped his free arm around Koneko and held her close.

"It's okay." He assured gently. "The nightmares over now."

Seeing this, Irina slowly lowered Jon down to a knee and walked away as he wrapped his other arm around Koneko.

"Thanks." He spoke while holding Koneko close to him and stroking her hair.

"Don't mention it." Irina spoke quietly. Walking away as her heart began to shatter into a million tiny pieces.


	21. Chapter 21

The Holy Swordswomen gave Jon and company some distance as soon as the initial shock had worn off. As the mood quietly settled down and Koneko finally stopped crying, a wave of relief washed over them that turned into exuberant jubilation as it finally dawned on them what they had just done.

"I cannot believe we actually managed to survive that shit!" Sammy declared in exasperated relief.

Jon chuckled, resting next to Koneko while taking a long draw from his cigarette. "Too bad we're probably not gonna survive whatever punishment Rias and Sona have cooked up for us."

Sammy groaned before falling backwards onto the burnt out ground. "Don't freaking remind me. I'm getting the shakes just thinkin about it."

"Still. We did good for ourselves." Jon admitted. He suddenly frowned upon looking over at Irina and Xenovia, both of whom had excused themselves a few yards away. He thought maybe they just had Church business to discuss but they were just standing there, both of them looking so...lost. "It's just a shame we didn't manage to get all the Holy Swords back."

"I don't know why they're so gloomy all of a sudden, three out of four ain't half bad." The Sitri Pawn insisted. "Plus all the intel we brought back." He then patted his new Plasma Rifle. "Not to mention this little baby for my personal collection."

Jon rolled his eyes.

"I'm telling ya. Everything turned out okay in the end."

"Not for everyone…"

Koneko was with Kiba, who was still unconscious.

Jon frowned at him. "How's he doing?"

"He still won't wake up." She sighed. "Whatever Valper did to him it's rendered Kiba catatonic."

Jon placed a hand over hers gingerly. "He'll be okay. I'm sure."

She smiled up at him, a light blush creeping over her cheeks.

"Sorry buddy." He spoke to Kiba. "We'll get him next time, I promise."

"That's assuming you live long enough for their to even be a next time."

Jon and Sammy both turned white as a sheet as they slowly turned and peered at the malevolent voice that spoke. Rias, Asia, Akeno, Sona, and Tsubaki were all standing over them, the portal they used to get there still present in the background.

The expressions on their faces told the boys everything they needed to know. They. Were. Pissed.

"R...R...Rias…" Jon stammered nervously.

"S...S...Sona." Sammy added.

Rias and Sona's glares in particular were the strongest and most frightening. By the looks they were giving it was as if they were both mentally deciding exactly how they were going to tear both men to pieces.

"Now listen ladies." Jon slowly got up to his feet, as did Sammy. "I know we broke the rules but there's a very good reason why."

"Oh...we simply cannot wait to hear all about it." Rias seethed, her tone belying the murderous aura she was giving off.

Jon was petrified. This was bar none the angriest he had ever seen the President. Not only that, but even Akeno was giving off death glares.

For fucks sake even Asia looked pissed.

Sammy, meanwhile, was like a deer in headlights as Tsubaki proceeded to walk straight up to him and raise her hand up behind her head.

"Gyah! Not the face!" He flinched.

A twisted smirk formed on Tsubaki's features. "Very well."

She proceeded to nail him right in the groin with a magical fist. Sammy keeled over in pain before collapsing into a ball of hurt. She then very calmly proceeded to grab him by the scruff of his hair and drag him to the portal.

"We'll see you in the dungeon, Rias." Sona waved goodbye as she and Tsubaki took their pawn away.

"D...Dungeon? Why are we going to the-"

Before Jon could finish his question he felt a surprisingly strong hand grip his ear and pull.

"Jonathan Hyodo!" Asia huffed while stomping her little foot on the ground. "I am so so so upset with you right now!"

"Ack! Asia! Asia!" Jon pleaded as he tried to get free of her vice like grip. When did their Bishop get this strong? "I get that you're mad but this is hurting me!"

"Asia sweety." Akeno slowly approached. "Now that simply won't do."

He sighed in relief. At least one of his Treasures was still the voice of reason.

A twisted grin suddenly formed on Akeno's features as she not only proceeded to grip Jon's other ear but twist it until it damn near came off. "This is how you torque an ear."

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ju'kara why?!" Jon whined in pain.

"Sorry Master." Akeno apologized with a smile despite the cold dark gaze in her eyes. "But your Ju'kara is a bit upset with you too on account of you and Koneko scaring her half to death with your recklessness."

"You scared all of us!" Asia insisted. "Honestly, what were the two of you thinking?"

"Asia, Akeno." Rias calmly spoke up. "Please escort Mr. Hyodo to the Dungeon. I need to have a word with our Rook."

"With pleasure." Akeno spoke through gritted teeth.

"You are in big trouble, Mister!" Asia added. Talking to Jon as if he were a small child.

The two irate girls proceeded to drag Jon by his ears towards the portal.

"Wait! Can't we just talk about this?!" He asked desperately moments before vanishing behind the magic circle.

Rias approached Koneko who kept her head low in shame. For the longest time, the President simply stared at her. Finally, she sighed and shook her head.

"Honestly. I don't even know where to begin with you. I could see Jon pulling a stunt like this but I expected more from my Rook."

"I just…" Her bottom lip began to quiver as fresh tears trickled down her cheeks. "...I didn't want to lose Kiba. He's the closest thing I have to a brother."

After a moment, Rias's stern gaze finally softened. "Well, nothing to do for it now. Grab Kiba and let's go."

As Rias turned to leave, Koneko immediately spoke up again.

"Ms. President…"

She turned around. "Hmm?"

"It wasn't Jon's fault…" She kept her head bowed as she spoke. "He only came because I asked him to. Please...don't punish him too severely."

Rias gasped in surprise somewhat before considering her words and smiling. "Come. Let's go home."

Koneko grabbed Kiba and the computer before following the President through the portal. Off in the distance, Irina quietly stewed. Watching the way they all interacted with each other, her worst fears had been confirmed.

The way Koneko threw herself onto Jon. The way those three girls glared at him, not just in anger, but in worry. The way she used to do so very long ago. They weren't just members of his Peerage. They loved him. And by the looks of things, he loved them too.

"I should have known…" She bit down on her lip as tears formed in her eyes. "...God forgive me. I'm so dumb."

* * *

The last time Jon found himself in Sona's dungeon, he had Akeno tied up hanging from the ceiling by a long length of rope. It was one of his favorite memories from this place. Now, however, he was terrified.

Sammy wasn't kidding about Sona being vicious with her punishments. The poor Sitri Pawn had earned himself one hundred lashings on the cross for the part he played in their insubordination, and Jon was forced to sit there and watch. While the magic whip Sona was using didn't seem to be doing any lasting damage to his back, by the way Sammy was screaming it was clear it still hurt like a bitch.

What disturbed Jon even more was how unbothered Sona looked while whipping him. Akeno wasn't kidding about Sona being a hardcore Dominatrix if her skill with a whip and pure sadistic coldness was any indication.

It just begged the question. If this was Sammy's punishment. Then what the hell was _**he **_in for? Asia had scampered off to tend to Kiba. Who was recovering in the same bed he recovered in the last time he was rendered comatose. Leaving Jon to quietly wait out his penance alongside Koneko while Rias and Akeno silently glared at the both of them.

Finally, Rias stood up from her seat. Jon gulped as she slowly approached.

"Jon...Koneko…" She glared at them both sternly, her arms crossed.

Yep...I'm fucked alright.

The President proceeded to wrap them both up in a giant hug, a content sigh escaping her lips. "What is wrong with you two? Making me worry like that."

Realizing he wasn't about to get the shit kicked out of him, Jon finally relaxed, hugging her back. "We're really sorry, Rias. We didn't mean to scare you."

Koneko nodded in agreement and hugged the President as well.

"Oh what kinda bullshit-" Sammy lurched forward as another stinging lash struck his back. "Hyodo gets a damn hug while I get whipped?!"

"That's them." Sona calmly explained before cracking the whip against his back again. "This is us."

Jon had never been so happy to be Rias's servant than he was at that particular moment.

"Alright." Rias let them go and smiled. "Now it's time we decide on your punishment."

Jon's heart sank. "Aww come on!" He protested. "I thought we were just gonna let this one slide!"

She giggled at him and shook her head. "That's not how it works I'm afraid. I may be one of your Treasures Jon, but you are still my servant. The fact is, good intentions or not, you disobeyed a direct order. I simply cannot let that slide."

Jon groaned but otherwise nodded in understanding. "Fine just...get it over with."

"Wait…" Koneko spoke up, her voice puny. "Rias, I'd like to make a request."

Both she and Akeno turned their gazes towards her curiously.

"Whatever punishment you had planned for Jon, I'd like you to give it to me instead. In addition to my own."

"Koneko…" Jon was genuinely touched by the display. Especially considering she was the last person in the world he expected it from.

Rias frowned at her thoughtfully. "And why would you make such a request?"

"It's like I said…" She kept her voice low and her head bowed to the floor. "Jon only came along because I asked him to help me. He…he only disobeyed you for my sake." By her tone it was clear the guilt of that fact alone was eating up at her more than she cared to admit.

"I see…" Rias considered her words carefully.

"But you can bet your bottom dollar I'd have gone anyway." He interrupted.

Koneko gasped and peered at him with an open mouth.

"If Koneko's getting whooped then so am I." Jon insisted. "I'm just as comparable to this as she is."

"You're wrong…" The Rook shook her head vehemently. "Jon, this was all my idea. You can't-"

"Sorry, Kani." Jon smirked at Koneko, a reassuring look in his eyes. "But I ain't about to let you fall on the grenade like that."

Koneko's face lit up like a thermometer. "D...did you just call me…" Her whole body bristled from head to toe. "...Kani?"

Rias sighed before turning her gaze to Akeno who shared a knowing look with her President. The two of them snickered quietly to each other before their King Piece turned and looked back at them again.

"The fact is, you both disobeyed me. Which means you both get punished. End of story." Rias scolded gently.

They both nodded in understanding.

"Now Koneko. You're up first." She ordered.

"Yes Ma'am." She stood up and bowed her head pensively.

"For your punishment, Akeno and I have decided on one hundred spankings."

"I understand."

A wicked grin crossed the President's lips. "To be administered by Jon."

Koneko's face lit up as her whole body bristled. Jon lurched up from his seat, seemingly just as flustered.

"To be administered by who now?!"

Rias giggled at Jon mischievously. "You heard me. I don't want to hear any protesting from you two. You're being punished after all."

Jon glared at Akeno. "This was your idea, wasn't it."

She snickered devilishly while placing a hand over her lips. "And make sure you spank her the same way you do me. I'll know if you're holding back, Master."

"Oh come on!" He insisted.

"Just do it, Jon." Koneko replied pitifully before kneeling down on the floor like a feline and sticking her butt up in the air. "It's like Rias said, this is my punishment."

"But…" Now he was the one getting flustered. "...I mean, are you sure? I'm not gonna get my hide handed to me for this later am I?"

She shot him a sour, angry look. "Just get it over with already!"

"Okay okay, fine!" Jon knelt down next to her and lifted up her skirt, in much the same way he would do to Akeno. "You uh...you ready?"

Koneko's cheeks flared again and her body bristled but she otherwise nodded before closing her eyes and bracing herself. "Go ahead…"

He lifted his hand up before shooting Rias and Akeno one last _do I really have to do this? _look. When they both nodded their heads he sighed and proceeded to bring his hand down sharply against Koneko's bottom. She arched her back and her eyes went wide as an indignant little noise escaped her lips. He brought his hand up again and repeated the motion. And then again. And again after that. Though he was worried it was starting to hurt her, Koneko appeared to be more embarrassed than in pain. Likely, this was Rias and Akeno's intentions. Not to hurt her, just place her in a somewhat humiliating position as a means to humble the poor girl.

Those two really were sadists. In retrospect, a whip might have been kinder.

"Alright, that's enough." Rias declared.

Jon and Koneko both looked up at her in confusion, the Rooks bottom now visibly red.

"But that wasn't even fifty."

The President nodded. "Koneko, I think you've reflected enough on your actions. The fact that you understand what you did was wrong tells me all I need to know."

"I…" Koneko quietly nodded in understanding, holding her emotions back this time. "...thank you, Ms. President."

Jon smiled. "That's our Rias for ya. Stern and cold one second then warm and kind the next."

She smirked at him angrily. "Nice try, Jon. But I haven't forgotten about your punishment either."

He sighed glumly. "Well, it was worth a shot."

* * *

The air was cool that night. Autumn had taken hold at last and the leaves were falling around campus. Jon had been relegated to the outside of the Honor's house while Rias and Akeno discussed his punishment. Knowing those two, making him wait around while they talked about it was probably just as much punishment for him as the actual punishment was going to be. Christ, his Treasures were ruthless.

With nothing else to do, Jon popped a smoke in his mouth and lit up before deciding to take a little stroll. As he left the Honor's House, however, he spotted Sammy with yet another girl by a nearby tree. Upon closer inspection he realized it was…

"Tsubaki?" Jon spoke quiet enough to where they wouldn't hear him.

Sona's Queen appeared to be arguing with Sammy. She suddenly slapped him across the face before glaring at him coldly. Jon winced.

"Trouble in paradise…"

Sammy appeared to be trying to calm her down but she proceeded to push him up against the tree. Her eyes looked...hurt. Finally, after Sammy whispered something into her ear she just stared at him again. After a moment of quiet, the two embraced in a passionate kiss.

Jon quirked a brow at the sight. "Then again."

Tsubaki seemed to regard the Pawn warily for a moment before kissing him again and then heading inside. She blushed slightly upon seeing Jon, realizing he had been watching, but otherwise regarded him politely and made her way inside. Sammy, meanwhile, sighed and leaned against the tree, staring up at the sky.

"Everything good?" Jon asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. Tsubaki was just giving me a piece of her mind regarding my 'reckless behavior'."

"She obviously cares about you, at least."

He snickered devilishly. "Yeah? What gave that part away?"

Jon chuckled. "Okay, smartass."

They both laughed quietly before Sammy winced in pain and rolled his shoulder.

"How's your back?"

"Stings like hell, but no real damage done." He assured.

Jon winced. "Sorry man."

"Ah, trust me. It could have been way worse. So what about you?"

He shrugged. "Rias and Akeno are still deciding on my punishment."

"Bummer." Sammy commented somewhat taciturnly.

They sat in silence for a moment.

"So how's Blondie?"

Jon sighed in a melancholy tone. "He's in a coma. At least that's what Asia told me. We don't know what Valper did to him but he may not wake up for...awhile."

He genuinely frowned at that. "Is Koneko doing okay?"

"She is." Jon assured. "All things considered, she's just happy he's alive and home. And so long as he's not waking up, we don't have to worry about Kiba scampering off to get himself into anymore trouble."

Sammy chuckled. "I've had about as much trouble from him as I can stand, if I'm honest."

"Me too."

Again, they stood in silence. Neither one wanting to be the one who said it.

"So the thing is I wanted to apologize for-" They both spoke in unison.

"Ah, hell. You go first." Sammy insisted.

Jon chuckled. "Fine. I'm sorry I've been such a territorial dickhead."

He snickered at that. "Eh, it wasn't like I was making it difficult for you to hate my guts." Sammy sighed, a somewhat shameful look in his eyes. "Truth be told...I hated ya guts even before we met."

The Gremory Pawn gave him a confused look. "You did?"

The Sitri Pawn nodded. "The first time I ever heard your name get mentioned was shortly after I'd been converted. Sona wouldn't shut up about Rias's newest pawn." Sammy's expression darkened somewhat. "And the more she found out, the more she wouldn't shut up about you. Didn't matter what I did or how much stronger I became, everything you did just seemed to impress her more."

Jon felt a pang of guilt hit him. "Oh…"

"The truth is…" Sammy's eyes looked genuinely hurt as he spoke these next words. "...I think she still regrets not getting to you before Rias."

He remained silent. There was nothing Jon could really say to make things better after all.

"She ain't imprinted to ya, I can all but guarantee that." Sammy assured. "But...you're strong Jon. You're a hell of a lot stronger than me. That much became clear after tonight."

"You're insanely strong yourself." Jon assured. "Strong enough to join the Green Berets."

"You're damn right I am." He insisted confidently. As soon as that confidence came back it was gone just as quickly, however. "I'll always be grateful to Sona for giving me a new life after I tried to destroy my old one. But…" He sighed morosely. "...I'm always gonna have to live with the fact that I was her second choice."

After yet another moment of silence, Jon joined Sammy in his stargazing and spoke up.

"I don't believe that. Not for a second."

The Sitri Pawn cast him a curious look.

"It ain't about who's the strongest. It's about how well you connect with your Peerage." Jon insisted. "Fact is, Sona and I would have never worked out. Not if what I just saw was any indication." He turned and smiled at Sammy. "I'm sure your Master knows that. So why the hell would she take you for granted?"

Sammy seemed to consider his words for a moment.

"Don't count yourself out just yet." He continued. "Could be now that Sona has you, she couldn't imagine any other man being her Pawn…" A slick smirk crossed his lips. "...or her Dragon."

After taking some time to let Jon's words sink in, Sammy took a deep breath and smiled before chuckling dryly to himself. He then sat up from the tree and turned to head inside.

"You're alright, Hyodo."

Sammy patted him on the shoulder and went back inside. As he watched the Black Dragon King head back into the Honor's House, the text alert on Jon's phone suddenly went off. He smiled upon pulling the phone out of his pocket and checking to see who it was who messaged him.

"Irina."

* * *

Jon walked to the main quad of campus, just like Irina asked him to do in her message. He hadn't really had a chance to speak with her after the battle at the underground lab, and was really anxious to hear about where her head was at. A lot had happened in a very short span of time, after all. Just as was promised, Irina was waiting for him in the middle of the quad.

She was not smiling.

"Irina." Jon ran up to her in high spirits. "Look, sorry about disappearing on ya like that. Rias and the girls weren't that happy that we...that we…"

His voice trailed off as he finally noticed the spiteful look she was giving him. A pit formed in his stomach. This was all too reminiscent of the look she had on her face shortly before attacking him at that old abandoned building.

Something had happened.

"Irina...what's wrong?"

After a moment, her spiteful glare turned into one of detached indifference. She sighed and shook her head. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong." Irina reached into her robe and pulled out a small flash drive before tossing it to him. "Here."

Jon caught the drive, looked at it for a second, and then looked at her in confusion. "What's this?"

"It's all the information we got from the facility's server room." She explained before turning to walk away. "Consider it a thank you from the Vatican for your support in helping us reclaim three of the lost Holy Swords."

"Hold on." Jon called out to stop her. "So what happens now?"

She shrugged, not turning around to look at him. "What do you mean what happens now? We report to the Vatican and return with what we have. Our mission is over, Jon. I'm going home."

And just like that she was leaving. At first he thought maybe she was joking around, but no she was being serious. What was with her all of a sudden? Why was she being this cold?

"So what, that's it? That's really all you have to say after everything we just went through?" Jon replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Thanks for helping me get the swords, Jon. Really did us a solid there, now see ya later."

"What did you expect?" She turned around sharply, that spiteful glare in here eyes again. "We come from completely different worlds now, Jon. You have your side, and I have mine."

"I thought we were past that." He insisted, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

She frowned woefully, her eyes sinking to the floor. "I thought we were past it too. But then I figured out the truth."

"The truth about what?"

She clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white. "When were you planning on telling me? After I almost kissed you on the quad? Or were you planning to surprise me the moment you managed to lure me back to your little den of iniquity?"

"What the hell are you talking about, Irina?!" He asked desperately.

"The other girls, Jon!" She growled in a sharp, biting tone.

He was rendered silent.

"I know the truth." She continued, her voice still sharp. "When you said those girls were your family you meant they were your lovers didn't you?"

"Did Xenovia tell you?" He asked quietly, no longer looking her in the eye.

"She didn't have to. I figured it out on my own." She seethed.

"Irina, whatever it is you're picturing, I promise you it's not what you think." Jon tried to assure, a hint of panic in his voice. "I didn't-"

"Are you, or are you not, in a relationship with multiple women right now?" She asked plainly.

"I mean…" He tripped on his words. "...yes? Technically. But it ain't what you're picturing. We're not-"

"What exactly should I be picturing?" She challenged impatiently. "Is this...is this what you were picturing our relationship would be? Another addition to your little pile of Treasures?"

"I keep telling you that's not it!" He insisted, growling in anger. "Would you just let me explain-"

"There's nothing to explain here, Jon." She cut him off bitingly. "What you're doing goes against everything I believe in and I want no part of it."

Hearing that cut Jon deeper than he thought it would. He'd been preparing himself for the very real possibility that Irina would be pissed when she discovered the nature of his relationship with the other girls. He just wasn't expecting her reaction to be this...visceral.

But in hindsight it made perfect sense she would feel this way.

"Look...I get what you're saying, alright?" He responded in a hushed tone. "You want me to back off, I'll back off. Just say the word and I'm done." Jon sighed. "But Irina, you're still like family to me. Even if we ain't bonded that way, can't we at least go back to the way things were?"

"You don't get it, do you?" Irina shook her head at him. "Jon...I can't be associated with this. I can't be associated with you. Not so long as you continue to mock the very concept of love with these base antics."

Jon scowled at her angrily, he'd officially had enough. "Is that really what you think I'm doing? That's really all you see me as?"

She was about to speak when he cut her off.

"Oh who am I kidding?! Of course it is! Because I forget that, at the end of the day, whatever I do with my life doesn't mean a damn thing unless I get approval of it from Mr. Big Guns upstairs first!"

"Watch it, Jon." She warned severely.

"Or what?!" He challenged. "I'll get sent to Hell?!" Jon chuckled spitefully. "Guess what? I've already been there! And it ain't nearly as hot as people keep saying it is. If anything, I was a little chilly my first time down. The second time I went, it was raining! Hell has weather, Irina! It was lovely down there!"

"Oh sure, Jon. Make jokes, and completely blow off the situation like you always do."

"I'm not joking." He growled. "Everything you think you know about me, about my Peerage, about my allies, none of it is true. I've seen enough to know that much at least."

Irina remained silent.

"It just makes me wonder. What else is the Church wrong about?" He continued.

"Stop it." She insisted.

"Why?" He challenged again. "Worried you'll hear something you don't want to? I may not be perfect Irina, but at least I don't leave myself in willful ignorance like you and Father Kyle did!"

Irina gasped, clutching her hand to her heart as it broke for the second time that night. "You...you never believed...did you."

"Of course I didn't!" He roared. "How the hell could I believe a word of that insipid book Father Kyle tried to cram down my throat all those years. When everything I've seen has contradicted it in every way possible! You say I'm going against everything you believe in?! That's fine! You're the delusional one here! Not me!"

Silence fell over the main quad. Irina shook her head at him in disbelief before slowly backing away.

"We're done here. Goodbye, Jon."

Realizing what he had just done, Jon quickly ran after her.

"Irina! Irina wait, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"

She turned back around and stared at him with hurt, tear stained eyes.

"I love you, Jon."

That stopped him dead in his tracks. He wanted to respond but just...couldn't. Hearing her say it out loud was too much of a shock.

"It's the truth." She continued. "I love you. I've been in love with you since you and Father Kyle brought me back to the Monastery."

"Irina…"

"I don't need you to share my beliefs, only understand them." She wiped her face on the sleeve of her robe. "Jon, you've gone down a path I cannot follow. Even if my heart is screaming at me to do it, my resolve won't allow it."

"But…"

"My love for you is strong, Jon." She cut him off again, raising a hand up before he could approach. "But my faith is stronger. So long as you are what you are, then we cannot be together. Not as lovers, or as friends."

"So...this is really it then? This is goodbye?" He asked, his voice low.

She smiled at him. "It doesn't have to be. You could come back, Jon. You could come back to the light were you belong."

His heart broke in that moment. Not because of what she said, but because of what he knew his answer would be.

"I'm sorry." He smiled at her, his eyes welling up. "But I made my choice already. My place is here now. My family is here now. And that's not going to change."

Her smile slowly faded as fresh tears fell down her face. "Then I release you, Jon. With a heart full of love…" An angry scowl covered her face. "...for the man you once were."

"Irina please-"

"Don't!" She stopped him from approaching again as her bottom lip began to quiver. "This is goodbye, Jon."

She turned and walked away before stopping and glaring back at him.

"You should be happy. We don't always get to say goodbye to the people we love before they leave us."

He said nothing as she turned and left. Jon stood there, watching as his former pupil walked away for what he knew in his heart would be the very last time.

"Jon…"

He slowly turned to see Rias and Akeno staring at him with concerned eyes. With somber, downtrodden steps he turned away from them and began walking back to the ORC Headquarters.

"Should we still punish him?" Akeno asked, a woeful look in her eyes.

Rias shook her head, her heart breaking for her servant. "There's no need now. She just did it for us."

* * *

Irina slammed the door to the old church shut and pressed her back against the wood, slowly sliding down to the floor as the emotions she'd been keeping pent up finally spilled over. She curled her knees up to her chest and rested her head in her arms as she proceeded to silently bawl like a small child. It had taken every ounce of strength she had not to break down in front of Jon. The pain of saying goodbye to him for good was almost more than she could bare yet she held strong to her faith and did it.

But this ache in her heart wouldn't be going away any time soon. Of that she was certain.

"You bastard." She seethed angrily through her pained sobs. Irina would never forgive Jon for forcing her to do this. Never.

"Bad night for you too huh?"

Irina gasped, temporarily knocking herself out of her depressed stupor as she lifted her head up and regarded Xenovia in confused shock. Her partner was wobbly on her feet, her face red and her words slightly slurred. In her right hand was a half empty bottle of wine.

"Xenovia?" She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up, her expression turning to one of concern. "What's happened to you?"

The Holy Sword User shrugged apathetically before wobbling backwards and collapsing down onto the steps of the altar. "Nothing really." She took another swig of the wine. "I've just been lamenting the loss of everything I once believed in."

"Are you drunk?" Irina stood up and glared at her in disbelief. "Where did you even get that wine from?"

She pointed behind her towards the underground passage under the altar. "There's a communion cellar down there. The wafers have all gone bad but this…" She hiccuped. "...this is still good."

"I can't believe you." Irina stormed up to her and snatched the bottle from her hand before inspecting it. "How much have you had?"

"Enough." She replied, still slightly wobbly despite having sat down.

"What in God's name possessed you to do something like this?" The turmoil she was suffering from a moment ago had subsided in lieu of the utter shock and disappointment she now felt for her partner.

"Do we even truly know who God is, Irina?" Xenovia questioned, a desperate look in her glassed over eyes. "Or is everything we've been told just one giant lie?"

Irina could not for the life of her believe what it was she was hearing. "Xenovia...this is blasphemy."

"Is it?" She hiccuped. "The documents we found in Valper's servers seem to indicate otherwise."

"What documents?"

"I was curious…" Xenovia admitted. Her vacant expression belying the hollow emptiness she now felt. "Try as I might, I just couldn't get what Valper said to me out of my head. While you were gone, I got on your computer and started digging around in the files. Irina...everything he said was true."

"What?!" She shook her head incredulously at Xenovia. "How can you possibly say that?"

"There's no denying what's been laid right in front of you." She pointed towards Irina's room. "If you don't believe me, go see for yourself. I've got it pulled up."

"Got what pulled up?" Irina insisted.

"The truth!" She wailed. "The truth about everything…"

Though she feared her friend had lost it, Irina was at least curious to see what could cause Xenovia to go off the deep end like this. She placed the bottle down and ran to her room. Sure enough, Xenovia had indeed pulled up several different documents from Valper's server room. It appeared to be some form of translation research conducted by Valper regarding various interpretations of the Holy Text. As Irina scanned through the files a pattern began to emerge.

A pattern than made her sick to her stomach.

"It's all there." Xenovia, who was now propped against the doorway, wine bottle in hand, shakily pointed at the laptop. "All the evidence needed to confirm what I had suspected for so long. The Church has been doctoring the Holy Bible."

Irina gazed at the information on the screen at a complete loss for words. If what these research documents were claiming was true, then large portions of the Holy Text had been drastically altered or outright omitted over the course of what had to be centuries.

"This...this can't be real, can it?" She asked breathlessly.

"Irina, do you think I'd have let myself be fooled by forged documents?" Xenovia took another swig of the wine before slumping down on the bed. "Everything you see in Valper's findings coincides with my own research into the Holy Text. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament have been heavily edited by outside hands." She pointed towards a document Irina had clicked open. "You see that one? That's a piece of the original gospel first written down by Paul himself. One of several artifacts believed to be locked away in the Vatican's private repository. I confirmed that it was authentic."

"But...if this to be believed…" Irina was shaking her head in denial of what she was seeing. "...then the condemnation of homosexuality was never mentioned at all in any of the original Testaments."

"It makes sense if you think about it." Xenovia slurred. "How many of the Holy Bloodlines do you think have gone extinct because their descendants were born gay? Not to mention the Pagan Artifacts that might have endured had there been children to continue the bloodline." She began to quiver in rage. "How many innocent lives have been put to the torch so that the Church could preserve its weapons?"

The changes only became more and more convoluted from there. Vast swaths of information and scripture found within their version of the Bible simply did not exist when it was first compiled if these documents were to be believed. In addition, there were entire sections mentioned in the original text that appeared to have never found their way into future iterations. The changes would have had to be subtle, and made over the course of centuries, yet there they were all the same. Severe inconsistencies and incongruencies added for the sake of garnering more and more power for the Church.

The words of their Lord had been tainted by the lies of man.

"But…" Irina slumped backwards in her seat, in total denial of what she was seeing. "This can't...it's not…"

"Irina…" Xenovia bit her bottom lip to stop it from quivering. "...I considered every possibility for how these documents might have been forged...but try as I might I could find nothing. They're genuine. Every single one."

After a moment Irina shook her head and shut the laptop. "Xenovia...we can't afford to fall apart right now. The Holy Swords-"

"Don't you get it, Irina?!" Xenovia cut her off angrily while tossing the wine bottle against the far wall. "The mission is over! Our Superiors have been lying to us!" She collapsed backwards into the bed. "The Church has been lying to us. Our faith, our prayers, they've manipulated the Lord's faithful for the sake of maintaining power."

She sighed before standing up and sitting next to her partner. "Our mission is not over, Xenovia. We are servants of God, not the Church."

"But we don't even know what that means anymore." Her partner insisted woefully. "So much of what we believe is tainted by lies and there's no way to discern the truth without access to the Vatican Archives."

Irina placed a reassuring hand on her knee. "This is just a test of our faith. Like everything else that's come before."

Xenovia gazed up at her incredulously. "How are you so calm? I'm falling apart and you're still this sure we're on the right path?"

She nodded assuredly, a bright smile on her face. "It's like you said. There's no way to tell how much of the Holy Text has been tainted or to what extent. But the words we have must still have meaning, or they would not continue to ward off evil forces as they have done for countless centuries."

Xenovia quietly gasped. She hadn't considered that.

"God is still listening to us." She insisted. "Even if the Church has strayed from his path, that doesn't mean we have to. Together, we can rediscover the truth." Irina took a deep breath. "Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times."

Her partner smiled at her. "I'm...not familiar with that passage."

Irina shook her head. "It's not one. Martin Luther King Jr said that." She helped her partner up. "We are still God's Champions. Which means we still have a job to do."

"I cannot in good conscience bring these divine relics back to the Church. Not now. Not after all I've learned." Xenovia insisted.

"We may not have a choice. The Holy Swords cannot stay here. Not in a city overrun with Devils and Fallen Angels."

She remained silent.

"What's wrong?"

"I just remembered…" Xenovia's skin began to turn pale. "...there was something else I found in those documents. Something...disturbing."

Irina gave her a worried look. "More disturbing than evidence our faith is tainted?"

She nodded, that same vacant look in her eyes. "Much more."

* * *

Jon sat at the foot of Rias's bed, the picture of him, Irina, and Father Kyle in his hand. He'd been staring at it for at least an hour, still lost in his own thoughts. Which was why, despite his heightened senses, he barely registered the knock on the door that came while he was still withdrawn. No doubt Rias, Asia, or Akeno coming to check on him.

"Hey…"

It was Koneko. Jon slowly turned to see the small white haired girl staring at him with concerned eyes. Truthfully he might have been a little surprised were he not so completely numb to everything. For a solid three minutes, neither one of them said anything to the other. Jon simply continued to stare at the photo, still so completely lost in thought.

"She was never boring." He finally commented.

The Rook nodded in understanding. "The girls told me what happened. I'm sorry, Jon."

"Can I ask you something, Koneko?" He spoke to her while still staring at the photo.

"Of course." She nodded.

"Do you ever feel like you're dead, but no one's bothered to tell you?"

She quirked a brow at him. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Just this feeling. Like the man in this photo ain't around anymore."

Koneko frowned before slowly walking over and hopping up on the bed next to him. "Maybe because he's not."

Jon remained silent.

"But...is that such a bad thing?" She asked, looking up at him with curious catlike eyes.

"It ain't that." He assured. "I'm grateful for what I've got, make no mistake about it. I'm a lucky man, I know that. I've gained so much in these past two years. More so than any other man can rightfully ask for."

"But it feels like you lost something along the way." She finished for him.

He nodded. "I've given up so much to become what I am now. And while I don't regret all the good I can do as a Dragon, I feel like I really failed when it came to being a human."

She sighed in a melancholy tone. "Maybe…" A slight smirk appeared on her face. "But if it's any consolation, I think you make a way better Dragon than you did a Human."

Jon sat up and quirked an intrigued brow at her. "How do you figure that?"

"Because you try harder." She explained honestly. "Whereas before you were so dead set on acting like you weren't trying at all."

He thought about her words for a minute while she continued.

"No one's life is perfect, Jon. Not even yours. Dragon's are capable of making mistakes, just as Humans are." She smiled. "But the difference is, where a human might use their imperfections to justify their failures, Dragons don't do that. They consider their failures to be, not an unfortunate inevitability due to their flawed character, but a constant reminder of their unwillingness to act. Where men often languish in their flaws...you grow stronger because of them."

"How do you know this? Has Rias been talking to you?"

She shook her head, a light blush forming on her cheeks. "No, it's just an observation I've made...from watching you."

He remained silent.

"There were so many times you could have given up on Kiba." Her eyes began to well up. "And you would have been perfectly within your right to. No one would have blamed you if you had just let him destroy himself." She gripped the comforter in her hands until her knuckles turned white. "But you risked everything to bring him back." Slowly, she turned her gaze up towards him.

"But...that's not all you managed to do."

The look on her face at that moment took Jon's breath away. That glimmer in her eyes. The curves of her lips. Truly, whenever Koneko smiled, really smiled, it was one of the most radiant things he could imagine. What Jon wouldn't give to see her always smiling like this. Just the way she was now. Forever.

Deciding to take a chance, he gently placed his hand over hers. She didn't move away.

"What else have I done?"

"You helped me realize something." She explained, a suggestive look setting into her face.

"What?"

"That I don't want to be like Irina." Koneko scooted just a bit closer to him. "I don't want to run from my feelings just because they scare me."

He could feel her small heart skipping in her chest.

"Can I ask you something, Jon?"

"Of course. Ask me anything." He insisted while getting further and further lost in her catlike eyes.

"Earlier, when we were being punished, you called me Kani. Why?"

He coughed awkwardly. "Well...Koneko is Japanese for Kitten, so I thought calling you that might be too on the nose. Kani just...felt right, I guess?"

She considered his words for a moment and smiled again, her face breaking out in a blush once more. "It's funny...normally I'd be considering socking you in the jaw for saying something like that."

Jon laughed nervously. "You're _uhhh, _you're not gonna do that this time, right?"

She shut her eyes and shook her head, still smiling as she did so. "No...I've got a better idea."

He gulped. "Well…" Jon sighed in weary resignation. "Ah, fine then. I guess I earned it."

She nodded. "Yep. You most certainly did."

"Imma just close my eyes and...you do what you gotta do."

A mischievous look gleamed on her face. "Oh trust me, I plan to."

Jon reluctantly shut his eyes and mentally prepared himself for whatever came next. Upon which, he felt two silky soft lips make contact with his. The sensation didn't last long. Just a few seconds at most. Yet it was perfect all the same.

When he slowly reopened his eyes, Koneko was no longer looking at him. She had her head turned away and appeared to be quite flustered. More flustered than he had ever seen her before. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her face was the deepest shade of crimson Jon had ever seen on her before.

"I know we've...kissed before." Her words were nervous and unsure. "Twice already. But...that was the first time I've ever kissed someone and...meant it."

"Kani…"

"I know it wasn't very good." She continued while biting her lower lip nervously. "We've been out in the cold all night so are lips are chapped and dry. Neither one of us have bathed yet since we got back, so we both stink. But…"

Jon placed a tender hand on her cheek and turned her gaze back up towards him before using his other hand to brush a strand of hair out of her face.

"Doesn't matter." He assured in a soft, loving tone. "It was real. So it was perfect."

Now it was his turn. Jon pressed his lips to Koneko's and held them their a fair bit longer this time. When they finally pulled away, they did so slowly.

"Well?" He asked. "Still dry and cold?"

She nodded, her mouth slightly ajar as she slowly lost herself to him. "A little...let's try again."

He kissed her again. This time, he could feel her leaning in further into him before they pulled away, their foreheads still resting against one another.

"Again." She requested, her features softening completely.

As they kissed for the third time, he cupped her cheek in his palm, his fingers tangling in her silky soft hair. They held the kiss for far longer this time before breaking away once more.

"Again…." This time, she didn't wait. Koneko wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and fully leaned into him as they kissed deeply. His free hand grabbed her waist and pulled her in tight. Once they were done, they didn't pull away. They kissed again after that. With each kiss that followed, the ice around her soul began to melt a little more.

* * *

Rias, Asia, and Akeno slowly made their way upstairs, being extra careful to keep the casket they were towing from hitting the walls or scuffing the floor.

"So explain to me again what this thing is? Because it sort of looks like we're going to bury Kiba." Asia commented nervously as the three girls used magic to float the giant casket towards the chained up room in the back of the dorms.

Rias chuckled in amusement. "I know that's what it looks like, but this casket serves a very specific purpose."

"Kiba's body has endured a severed amount of magical trauma." Akeno explained. "Between the light magic that poisoned his body and now this, he's endured more than can be healed by conventional means."

"His body has entered a state of hibernation while he heals. It's known as a Torpor."

"A Torpor?" Asia blinked in confusion. "I've never heard of such a thing."

"It's essentially a type of trance." Akeno explained. "A method of healing the body, mind, and spirit simultaneously."

"So this will heal him?"

She smiled encouragingly. "No, Asia. It will make him stronger."

Rias nodded in confirmation. "Not only is Kiba's body and mind being healed, they're also adapting to the injuries that he has accrued. Once he's out of this casket, he should be far more resistant to the magics that Koneko mentioned."

"That's wonderful!" Asia beamed. "Why is it we've never done this before?"

Rias and Akeno both looked at each other and frowned gravely.

"There is...one major drawback to the Torpor." Rias admitted. "While the sleeper rests, he enters a dreamlike state where he must overcome nightmarish visions of the suffering he has endured. Until he does this, he cannot awaken. He will remain asleep...indefinitely."

Asia's skin paled. "In...indefinitely? How long do these normally take?"

"It really depends." Akeno admitted solemnly.

"Depends on what?" She insisted.

"On the strength of the sleeper's spirit. On how much physical, mental, and emotional trauma they've endured. There are a lot of factors to be considered, and no way of truly measuring how arduous the dream journey will be. It could take days, months...years." Her voice trailed off.

"Years?" Asia asked nervously.

They both remained silent, confirming her worst suspicions. It could very well be a long time before they saw Kiba again. But the Gremory Knight was strong, so she was hoping that, with a little luck and enough prayers, it wouldn't be too long before they had him back in their fold.

"This is it." Rias declared as they approached the chained up room with caution tape over it. "Asia before we go any further, I need you to promise me something."

"What is it, Rias?"

"Whatever you see in that room, you have to swear to me that you will not speak a word of it to Jon."

Asia squeaked quietly in surprise. "Y...you want me to keep it a secret?"

"Swear to me." She insisted, a severe look in her eyes. "What you are about to see is not for Jon's eyes or ears."

She gulped nervously but otherwise nodded in understanding.

Rias then turned to her Queen. "Akeno, do it."

She nodded before raising her hand up and casting a magic circle. The chains around the door receded into the walls as did the caution tape. Rias then produced a small key and unlocked the door before turning the handle and opening it.

The first thing Asia noticed upon entering the small room was the sudden temperature drop. She could see her breath in the air for how cold it was in the room. There appeared to be boxes of various shapes and sizes along the walls but otherwise it appeared to be a storage room and little else.

That was until her eyes caught the object resting on the back wall. There, among stacks of boxes, was a casket that looked eerily similar to the one they were transporting Kiba in.

Asia's blood ran cold. "Rias...who's in that casket?"

"It's not important." The President insisted. "Let's just find a spot on the wall to put this down and leave."

"But…"

"I told you, it's not important." She insisted sharply.

"Rias…" Akeno lectured in a motherly voice. "...it's Asia. It's your Bishop, your love. You can trust her."

The President sighed. "I know I can, Akeno. I know that. It's just…" She bit her lower lip as guilt seized her heart. "You have to understand. That casket represents one of my greatest failures as President of the ORC."

Okay, now Asia had to know. Her curiosity wouldn't stay silent for this.

"I promise you, Rias. I won't speak a word of it to Jon." The golden haired beauty assured.

Rias took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay...I'll tell you." A somber look enveloped her features as she peered over at the second casket again. "The one in that casket is a young man named Gasper. He's...my other Bishop."

Asia damn near dropped the casket as she quickly clasped a hand over her mouth, her eyes going wide with shock. "You...you have a second Bishop?!"

She silently nodded, her expression grave.

"How come you never told me?"

"Gasper has been in a Torpor for years. Healing from a grievous injury incurred by a very deadly Hunter." Akeno explained.

"That doesn't explain why you never felt the need to tell me." Asia sounded almost hurt by the fact that the President had been hiding this from her.

"Whatever you may be thinking right now, Asia, I promise you I didn't hide this information from you without reason." She assured, another depressed sigh escaping her lips. "Truthfully, I had wanted to tell you for some time now. Everyone else in the Peerage besides you and Jon knows about this place. But...I couldn't risk him finding out."

"Why? Why is it so important that Jon doesn't find out about this?"

Rias and Akeno exchanged nervous looks with one another before finally nodding.

"That deadly Hunter that Akeno mentioned…" The President swallowed back the rest of her reservations. "...it was him. Several years ago, Heaven's Revolver very nearly killed my Bishop."


	22. Chapter 22

Asia was still reeling from Rias's confession. Despite them having left the chilly back room of the dorm rooms, she still felt cold. The harrowing truth of Rias's second Bishop having sent a chill up her spine.

"Asia...are you going to be okay?" Akeno asked worriedly.

She nodded. "It's just...what if Jon-"

"I understand how jarring this information is. But there's something you should know." Rias insisted. "First of all, no one here blames Jon or bears any grudge against him whatsoever. We fully understand that he was just doing his job."

"We cannot stress that enough." Akeno added just as insistently. "Everyone here agrees that Jon is not to blame. Even Koneko got over her initial anger pretty quickly."

Rias nodded in agreement with her Queen. "Hell, knowing what we know of Gasper, even he wouldn't hold a grudge against Jon for what happened."

That came as a relief to the President's second Bishop but still it didn't completely erase her anxieties.

"We took it upon ourselves to vote and decide if we should tell Jon what happened shortly after he was recruited into the Peerage and we all agreed we would wait until Gasper had woken up from his Torpor before we told him." Akeno added. "Everyone agreed it's better this way."

"Jon doesn't need the guilt of this weighing down on his conscious." The President insisted. "Not until he sees that Gasper is okay."

After taking a moment to process all of this, finally Asia's racing mind began to calm down. With a deep breath she smiled and nodded in understanding. "Okay...I understand. I won't breath a word of this to Jon. I promise."

Rias sighed in relief and hugged Asia tightly. "Thank you. I know how you feel about keeping secrets from him, but it means the world to me that you'll keep this one."

They kissed tenderly. Akeno meanwhile, giggled at the sight.

"We should see how he's doing." She suggested. "I think he's still taking the situation with Irina pretty hard."

Rias and Asia both frowned knowingly and nodded to each other.

"Come on girls, let's go show our Dragon our support." Rias insisted.

Both girls followed the President back to her room. Putting the nasty business regarding Rias's other Bishop to the back of their minds.

"Now then...let's be extra careful not to upset him. He's probably still a little raw right now."

They all nodded in agreement as Rias slowly began to open the door.

"Jon? Jon we're…"

Rias immediately stopped opening the door as her back stiffened in surprise. She then proceeded to quietly close the door.

"What is it, Rias?" Asia asked worriedly.

She began to snicker quietly to herself.

"Rias?" Akeno asked curiously.

The President finally turned around, still snickering like an idiot and her face slightly red.

"Okay? You wanna fill us in, Love?" Her Queen was now very curious.

"Well...I've got good news and bad news girls." She explained while stifling her amused chuckling.

"Okay...what's the good news?" Asia asked nervously.

"The good news is I think Jon's going to be just fine."

"And the bad news?" Akeno asked next.

Rias grinned mischievously. "I fear we may have been kicked out of our room. It's currently occupied."

Asia covered her mouth with her hands to hide the beaming smile covering her face. "Wait...you don't mean…"

She nodded in confirmation, her grin widening even further. "Yep...they're both in there right now."

"You're kidding." Akeno's face lit up into a radiant smile as well. "It's about freaking time."

"Agreed...though this does put us in a bit of a predicament. Considering how long we've been waiting for this, I seriously don't want to disturb them. But at the same time, I'm not sure where we'll sleep tonight."

Asia giggled. "Well...we were having a slumber party in the Chapter Room before all of this happened. Our stuff should still be in there."

"Of course!" Akeno beamed excitedly. "How silly of me, I had completely forgotten."

Rias nodded excitedly. "It's settled then. The sleepover is back on, ladies."

* * *

Jon slept in late the next day. The events of last night having exhausted him physically, mentally, and spiritually. Most of it didn't seem real. Like it had all been one long, terrible nightmare.

"Did you know your eyes flutter when you sleep?"

He smiled upon hearing the soft voice of Koneko lying next to him. That part hadn't been a dream at least. Jon turned over in the bed and was greeted to the sight of a glowing smile from the normally stoic Rook.

"Morning, Kani." He greeted gently before kissing her.

"Morning." She purred. "Did you sleep well?"

He groaned before popping his back and cracking his neck. "Like a dream."

"Listen…" A light blush crept over her cheeks. "...I wanted to say thank you for last night. I know we didn't...you know…"

Jon chuckled. "I don't know, second base on the first date still ain't half bad." He teased jokingly.

Koneko scoffed and rolled her eyes at him dismissively. "Whatever."

"Hey, I'm joking." He insisted, still snickering quietly to himself. He wrapped his arm around the small of her waist and pulled her in close. "Kani, I don't want to rush this any more than you do."

She shook her head. "It's not that." Koneko sighed before laying herself on his chest. "I guess...I guess it's just been awhile since I've felt this close to someone. I think I just got lost in the moment."

"Hey." He tilted her chin up to meet his gaze. "You ain't gotta explain it to me. You're still new to this. I get that. We're moving at your pace here."

Koneko smiled at him warmly and nodded. "Thank you."

The two lovers kissed again. Truthfully, that's all they really did for their first night together. At some point they lost most of their clothes, but beyond that, all Jon truly did that night was hold her close.

And he wouldn't have had it any other way. The two of them had been on rocky terms for as long as they had known each other. This next step in their relationship was a huge milestone for the both of them.

"Listen...I'm gonna get washed up. But…" She blushed heavily. "I'd love it if I could walk to class with you and Asia."

"I'd be delighted if you did."

She nodded before pecking him on the cheek. As Koneko left, Jon took a moment to peer at her spirit once more. He frowned upon seeing a layer of ice still covering whatever she was keeping buried underneath. He hadn't gotten through to her completely.

As soon as she was out of the room Jon sighed in frustration. "Dagummit. Guess it won't be quite that easy."

Regardless, he found himself in good spirits all the same. Though the loss of Irina still weighed on his mind, he was comforted by the fact that Koneko had finally warmed up to him. It was enough, at least, for him to put the issue aside and focus on the day. Jon threw on a muscle tee and some track shorts before making his way out of Rias's room. The smell of breakfast wafted into his nostrils and his stomach growled. Some of the girls excellent cooking sounded amazing right about now.

Jon casually made his way downstairs, stretching out his sore and aching limbs as he did so.

"Morning, y'all." He greeted upon entering the dining room. "Smells wonderful in here."

He heard an effeminate little giggle that he knew had to be Asia.

"Good morning Jon."

He couldn't help but be slightly stunned by his Treasure's choice of outfit. Or rather, by her almost total lack of one. Upon exiting the kitchen, Asia revealed herself to be wearing a backless white silk cooking apron...and nothing else.

"Well that's certainly one way to say hello first thing in the morning." He joked.

Asia blushed, another giggle escaping her lips. "You and Koneko must be so drained after everything that happened last night. So we decided a nice big breakfast was what you needed."

He couldn't help but smirk. "And the outfit?"

"It was Akeno's idea." Jon heard Rias's voice next. As she exited the kitchen he noted that she too was wearing nothing but a backless apron. Hers, however, was purple with a red heart in the center. Her breasts were practically busting out of the top of the apron. Contained by little more than a small layer of cloth. "Since you and _**Kani **_decided to haul yourselves up in our room, we had no way to change clothes. So we decided we would just go without this time." She grinned at him wickedly as she did a small curtsey. Revealing more of her cleavage through the apron. "Well, what do you think?"

"I'm finding it particularly hard to think at all at the moment." He admitted shamelessly.

Now it was Rias who giggled flirtatiously. "Then I'd say it's working."

"I hope you guys are hungry." Akeno came out wheeling a service tray stocked with delicious looking breakfast items. "Because there's plenty to go around."

The food was the absolute last thing on Jon's mind at the moment. Akeno was dressed in a black and white cooking apron with frills. Reminiscent of the maid's outfit she wore their first night together. It left absolutely nothing to the imagination and clung to her figure like seran wrap.

"So what would you like first, Master?" Akeno shot a sultry look at Jon, biting the tip of her nail while fiddling with her collar in the other hand. "A bit of toast? Some eggs? Or...perhaps you'd prefer a bite of me?"

Leave it to his Ju'kara to still be able to leave Jon speechless.

Rias chuckled at Akeno. "Alright, enough showing off ladies. Let's get this boy some breakfast."

Asia and Akeno wrapped two slender hands around Jon's arms each and guided him over to the table. Once he sat down they began serving him breakfast. Offering generous views of each of their shapely figures.

"And here I thought you girls were still mad at me." Jon commented in amusement.

"We were." Rias admitted. "But...after seeing all the intel you brought back regarding Kokabiel's forces, we decided you performed well enough to earn a little reward."

"And besides…" Asia added as she began to rub Jon's shoulders. "...we know saying goodbye to Irina like that wasn't easy."

"But you made your loyalty to your Treasures clear, Master." Akeno finished while plating his breakfast for him. "You've given up a lot for us. Last night was testament to that. Showing a little gratitude is the least we can do."

As Jon settled in to eat his breakfast, Koneko came strutting down the steps to the dining room, fully dressed and cleaned up for the day. Upon seeing the three girls completely nude save for their aprons, doting on their Dragon as always, she chuckled and rolled her eyes dismissively at the sight.

"You three sure are starting early this morning." She commented before taking a seat next to Jon.

Rias giggled at her. "Don't act like you're any better, little missy. I saw your clothes scattered all over my rug last night after all."

Koneko's entire body went rigid and her face heated up like a thermometer. Jon chuckled in amusement but otherwise waved them off.

"Alright, alright. Leave her alone, you guys. She's still adjusting."

"Awww, you're no fun Jon." Rias teased jokingly.

"Thanks…" The Rook gave him a small smile of appreciation.

"Koneko...I just wanted to say I'm so happy you and Jon have finally connected."

Jon damn near dropped his fork as he watched Asia slowly saunter up behind Koneko and wrap her slender arms around her, pressing her healthy endowments against her neck. The tiny Rook proceeded to bristle from head to toe, her face lighting up yet again. The look she had in her eyes was unlike anything Jon had seen on her before. Was Asia...seducing Koneko?

The blonde beauty then whispered something into Koneko's ear that Jon couldn't make out. She'd obviously used magic to keep him from eavesdropping. Whatever it was, it was for the Rook's ears only.

What mattered was that it made her smile. Asia finished by kissing her on the cheek and taking a seat at the table.

"So how's Kiba?" Jon asked as they settled into their breakfast.

Rias and Akeno both shared nervous looks with one another.

"He'll be fine. He just needs plenty of rest." Asia spoke up almost immediately before smiling at Rias. "Right, Ms. President?"

The President quirked her head at Asia curiously before smiling and nodding in agreement. "Yes. Kiba will be just fine."

"Good to hear." He nudged Koneko playfully. "Ain't that right, Kani?"

She nodded before taking another bite of her breakfast.

"Now then, loathe as I am to say it. We must move on to a more serious topic." Rias announced, her tone returning to that same stoic professionalism. "Jon, the information you and Koneko brought back to us has made one thing abundantly clear. Kokabiel intends to attack the city of Kuoh."

"There's gotta be more to it than that." Jon insisted. "Did we find anything in the files that Irina…" He glowered somewhat before clearing his throat. "...that...the Holy Sword Users provided for us?"

Rias shared a concerned look with the other girls before continuing. "Sona is still in the process of having it fully decrypted. But in the meantime, Akeno and I will be making a trip down to the Underworld to meet with my older brother."

Jon almost choked on his hashbrowns. After downing a glass of milk to stop the coughing he spoke. "You mean Lucifer?"

The President nodded. "I won't lie to you, Jon. What you and Koneko unearthed is grave. The scope of this attack is beyond anything Sona and I can control on our own. We'll need reinforcements in the event that the worst should happen."

"So what do you want us to do?" Koneko asked curiously.

"It will take at least two days to get everything ready in the Underworld." Akeno explained. "While we're handling things there, the two of you must guard the campus."

"So in other words, sit here and wait until you get back." Jon grumbled plaintively.

The President grinned at him despite the annoyed look in her eyes. "And just in case either of you get any funny ideas, Asia here will be keeping an eye on you both for the next few days. Think of her as your chaperone."

"You mean babysitter." He retorted.

Rias shrugged indifferently. "If you don't like it, then next time don't scamper off to a top secret underground laboratory without telling anyone."

He shot her a chiding grin. "Hey, if it wasn't for us breaking the rules you wouldn't even have this information."

"Maybe so, but you were still extremely lucky." She insisted impatiently before placing her hands squarely on her hips. "Had reinforcements been able to show up or, Hell forbid, Kokabiel himself, none of you would have been left alive to tell us about this."

"Please, Master." Akeno begged with her head bowed. "Please promise us you will stay here until we come back."

Finally Jon relented. With a weary sigh he smiled and nodded at Akeno. "Very well, Ju'kara. You have my word."

"Asia. If anything should happen while Akeno and I are gone, you contact us immediately."

The Bishop nodded at her President. "Understood, Rias."

She sighed before finally relaxing back in her seat. "Okay then. That's enough of that." A knowing smirk crept over her features. "Koneko, Sweetie?"

The Rook quirked her head up at the President. "Hmm?"

"I know you just recently opened your heart up to Jon. But would you mind letting us borrow him for a minute. There's something the three of us need to discuss with him in private."

Koneko looked around at Rias, Akeno, and Asia's faces. Each of them bore the same knowing look in their eyes. With a soft smile she nodded in understanding.

"Knock yourselves out." She stood up and grinned at Jon playfully. "I'll have plenty of time to whip him into shape while you and Akeno are gone."

Jon gulped, suddenly feeling a little hot under the collar.

With that, the Rook winked at him and left. Leaving her Dragon alone with the remainder of his Treasures.

"Now then…you scared the absolute hell out of us last night." Rias commented while slowly standing up and sauntering over to him.

"And while we've decided not to punish you, Master, we still feel you owe us something." Akeno quickly followed suit, taking a spot behind him same as Rias.

"So...for the next hour or so, you belong to us." Asia added while taking a spot behind him as well.

Jon looked at his three Treasures, a nervous pit forming in his stomach. "Somehow I get the feeling you ain't talking bout making me clean up the Headquarters are ya?"

They all collectively shook their heads before dropping their aprons with one swift motion.

"Nope. We had something else in mind."

* * *

Boy was Jon in deep this time. The moment the girls had stripped their aprons the three naked beauties proceeded to haul his bewildered ass upstairs to the dungeon, stripping his clothes away as they did so.

Once they were there, the girls made quick work cuffing his wrists and ankles to the metal frame in the center of the room, completely spread eagle. Akeno took position behind him, pressing her breasts against his back as she reached around and grabbed her Dragon's stiff erection in her hand, stroking it teasingly while Rias and Asia dropped to their knees in front of him.

"Now then, girls." Akeno's breath was hot against his ear as she spoke. "When it comes to oral, the best way to get acclimated to a man's size is to practice on him. Toys will only get you so far."

They both nodded in understanding.

"We've been waiting awhile to do this." Rias explained before resting her cheek against Asia's.

"Rias and I are going to practice on you until we're just as good as Akeno is." The blonde beauty added.

"And here I thought I was supposed to be serving you ladies. Not the other way around." Jon teased, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Akeno rolled her eyes at him before releasing her grip on his cock and pressing two fingers against the very base of his shaft. Her fingers began to faintly glow purple with magical power.

"W...whoa. What the hell is that?" Jon began to squirm slightly in his bonds. "Are you using magic?"

She giggled in a twistedly sadistic voice. "How observant of you, Master. Right now I'm using my magic to inhibit the cluster of nerves that tell your brain it's time to orgasm. So long as I have my fingers pressed against you like this, you'll be able to get juuuust close enough to feel it, but not quite there."

Jon felt a nervous chill run up his spine. "Now that is just evil."

Rias groaned in embarrassment. "Yes...it truly is."

Akeno quirked a brow at her. "What was that, Love?"

The President gulped before shaking her head profusely. "Nothing! Nothing…" She laughed nervously.

Asia simply giggled at them both.

"In that case, you start Rias. I've got a hold of him, so don't worry about how long it takes. Practice as much as you need." Akeno assured.

"With pleasure." Rias wasted no time slipping her lips around Jon's head before slowly sinking her throat down his length. As her warm soft tongue slid along his shaft, Jon could tell immediately that this was going to suck big time.

And not in the fun way.

The President almost got to the very base of his shaft before she gagged and had to pull up. She huffed in frustration while rubbing her sore throat.

"I swear it's always that last little bit that gets me."

"You're not relaxing enough." Akeno insisted while maintaining a grip on Jon's ability to orgasm. "You need to train your throat to suppress the urge to gag once it hits your uvula. Mind over body, Rias. Like with all things."

"Easier said than done."

"Now Asia, your turn." Akeno instructed.

"Okay!" The blonde beauty giggled in a bubbly voice before taking Jon into her mouth the same way Rias did before sinking down as far as her tight little throat could go.

"Jesus fucking Chri-"

Akeno quickly slapped a hand over his mouth before egging Asia to continue. "You're almost there, Hun. Remember to relax."

She shut her eyes tight and pressed herself down even further. Jon felt his toes curl and his eyes cross as her chin rested on his balls. Asia pulled away with a satisfying pop before smiling radiantly. "Did I do it?"

Akeno beamed pridefully at her and nodded. "You sure did, Love. That was excellent."

Asia squealed before clapping her hands together excitedly. "I finally did it! Yay!"

"Okay, my turn again." Rias insisted before grabbing Jon's cock and licking up the shaft. "No way am I losing to my Bishop."

What then proceeded was the most agonizingly frustrating forty five minutes of Jon's life. Rias eventually caught up to Asia and the two began practicing various techniques under Akeno's tutelage. Just as she promised, that spell she kept pressed against his shaft would let him get right to the edge but not quite reach the other side. It was beyond frustrating and if he tried to protest or complain she just slapped a hand over his mouth again. Though of course that alone wasn't enough, and so the She-Devil took it upon herself to nip at his ear, lick his neck, and generally just do everything in her power to make an already unbearable situation about ten times worse.

"Remember to breath through your nose when you come up." Akeno instructed to Rias, an amused grin on her face as she kept one hand firmly over Jon's mouth.

"How do I know if I'm doing the tongue thing right?" She asked after popping off his member yet again.

Akeno quirked her head for a moment in thought. "Do it again."

Rias began sucking on his manhood once more while attempting the thing with her tongue that Akeno showed them. Jon's face immediately responded and he began fighting against the bonds in frustration again before she finally relented.

The Queen giggled in amusement. "I'd say you're doing it right, Hun."

"Ladies, come on!" Jon insisted imploringly, having finally managed to wriggle free of Akeno's hand. "I get you're trying to teach me a lesson but at this point this falls into cruel and unusual punishments."

"Hmmm, what do you think Rias? Has he suffered enough?" Akeno teased with a wicked grin.

"I don't know." She continued to stroke his shaft whilst occasionally lapping at the small bridge underneath the tip as she spoke. "Asia, what do you think?"

The blonde giggled at Rias. "While I don't want to be cruel, it is funny seeing Jon make those silly faces."

"For fucks sake!" He growled in frustration. "I get it already! I won't pull a stunt like that again!"

"You swear?" Rias insisted sharply while stroking him.

"I swear!"

She smirked at both girls. "Well ladies, I'd say he's learned his lesson. Akeno?"

Another stream of mischievous giggling escaped her Queen's lips. "He's very pent up. Just a fair warning to both of you."

Asia blushed deeply. "Well...it's not like it's the first time he's ever...you know…"

Rias rolled her eyes at Asia. "One of these days I'm gonna get you to say it." She then turned to her Queen. "Akeno, please release Jon so he can give us a cum shower."

"You say it so casually." Asia whined, her face turning scarlet.

"As you wish." Akeno released the spell and lowered herself down to his thighs. She then reached up and cupped his balls in her hands, massaging them vigorously. "You heard what the President wanted, Master. Give it to them."

"Go ahead, Jon." Rias insisted while taking his shaft in her hand and stroking far more forcefully. "We're waiting for it."

"Please…" Asia gulped, her face still scarlet. "...please do it on me, Jon."

Both ladies pumped his cock with one hand each while opening their mouths and sticking out their tongues. They arched their backs and hoisted their breasts up for him while Akeno massaged his balls.

It didn't take long.

"Gyaaah! Fuuuuuck!"

Jon erupted. Rias and Asia asked for a shower and that was exactly what they got. The constant teasing and edging had built up his climax to such a degree that he emptied his swollen sack in a single burst. The thick hot substance hit both his darling Treasures and coated them in white. Their face. Their breasts. Jon had never cum on either girl quite the way he had just done. Hell, he'd never truly cum quite like that in his whole life. Once he was completely spent, the ladies exchanged his seed in their mouths with a passionate kissing session. Pressing their messy bodies together while they made out in front of their exhausted Dragon as he slumped over in his bonds.

"Don't get too comfy, Mr. Hyodo." Rias licked her lips as she and Asia continued to stroke him. "We're nowhere near done with you yet."

* * *

Tsubaki Shinra was no stranger to the field of Microbiology. She'd been spending the better part of her century long lifespan studying the sciences and their practical applications to her own alchemic research. Yet in all her years of study, she had never seen a virus quite like this one before. If it could even be called that.

"How's it going?"

The Sitri Queen looked up from her microscope to see Sona standing at the door. She adjusted her specs and dusted off her lab coat before standing.

"I must admit. At first I was furious with Sammy but...what he's brought me." She peered down at the small sample she'd been studying under her microscope. "It's unlike anything I've ever seen before."

"What can you tell me about it?"

Tsubaki frowned thoughtfully. "Not as much as I had hoped, I'm afraid. What we're dealing with is some form of mutated virus. It multiplies incredibly aggressively and is transferred primarily through fluid to fluid contact. However, I theorize it can be aerosolized if kept in a humid environment as well."

"Yes yes, but how is it capable of making zombies?" Sona asked insistently.

"The virus appears to behave as a form of cancer. Destroying host cells and replacing them with unstable mutated versions. As to how or why, I have a theory."

"Go ahead."

"The thing is. I hesitate to refer to this thing as purely a virus." She admitted. "Normal viruses use DNA and RNA Helix structures to rewrite a cell's genetic code. This virus...doesn't do that." She wheeled over to her laptop and punched in a few commands. "I had a sample run through our Electron Microscope and found this."

Tsubaki moved aside to allow Sona to peer down at the monitor. What she was seeing was an ultra enhanced 3D rendering of the virus. Inside, she could see that the virus housed not DNA or RNA genomes, but something else entirely.

"Are those…"

"Death Runes." Her Queen confirmed. "Valper has discovered a way to cast necromantic spells on a molecular level. If he were to deploy this Bioweapon over a large population center…"

Sona shuddered at the thought. "What can you tell me about the second sample?"

"Actually, this one fascinates me more than the virus." Tsubaki admitted before wheeling over to her second lab setup. "It would seem Valper was researching more practical applications for this weapon than just spreading an army of zombies."

She quirked a brow at her Queen and nodded. "Go on…"

"The virus in this sample has been drastically altered to allow for much more stable genetic rewriting. Rather than completely take over the host's cell structure. This particular batch appears to bond to healthy cells without destroying them, rewriting their code without destroying the host's tissue in the process."

"Meaning?"

She adjusted her glasses again. "It can potentially give an otherwise normal human drastically altered physical or mental abilities."

Sona peered at the vial marked _Sample 2 _with far more intrigue than before. "Might there be a practical application for something like this?"

"I'll need to run more tests to verify my hypothesis. Unfortunately, without a larger sample size to test from, I fear any long term practical applications are impossible."

The Heir to the Sitri clan sighed. "And considering those buffoons blew up the lab the samples were in, I somehow doubt we'll be getting more of this stuff any time soon."

Tsubaki nodded in agreement. "For now, my primary focus is researching ways to counteract the virus. How goes the decryption?"

Sona frowned in frustration. "It's taking longer than I had anticipated. Much of the information on these servers are blocked by multiple firewall enchantments. They've gone to extensive lengths to protect their data from prying eyes."

"Let's just hope then, that the information we do have is enough to convince Lucifer to send aid. When is Rias due to leave for the Underworld?"

"She's already left. Her and Akeno both." Tsubaki informed. "The rest of her Peerage is at the Halloween party on campus." She added a few notes to her terminal as she spoke. "Seems a bit silly to me, Ms. President. I understand it's tradition, but why are we having the party now when so much is going on?"

"For that very reason." Sona explained. "We need to move quickly to get a handle on this situation. It'll be easier moving around if half the campus is distracted."

Tsubaki nodded in understanding. "I suppose that makes sense."

"And besides." Sona smirked. "From what Rias told me, she needed something to keep her Pawn distracted while she was gone."

* * *

Asia had just finished getting dressed into a skimpy little nurse outfit. The outfit came complete with a skirt that cut off at the midpoint of her thighs and clung to her frame like seran wrap. Her breasts had been pushed upward by the corset beneath the outfit and a heart shaped hole had been cut into the chest to reveal the center of her cleavage. A pair of red stilettos and white mesh stockings were added to complete the look.

Now if only she could convince Jon to come out. Asia tapped on the door to Rias's room which her date for the night had hauled himself up in.

"Come on, Jon." She whined insistently. "It can't be that bad."

"Nope." He vehemently refused from the other side of the door. "Ain't gonna happen."

"We're going to be late." Asia knocked on the door again. "Come on, we promised we would meet Aika and the others there. They're going to wonder where we are."

"She's gone too far this time." He spoke angrily. "There's no way I'm going anywhere in this getup."

"Just let me see it." She pleaded. "Come on, I wanna know what Rias picked for you."

After a long silence, finally Jon opened the door and reluctantly stepped out of the room. A sour look on his face. He was dressed in a _Sexy Cowboy _outfit, complete with chaps, a brown leather vest and matching hat...and that was about it. Most of his chest and abdomen were completely exposed as were his arms. The outfit came complete with a lasso that dangled from his belt.

Asia covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing. He looked really good in it, but it was still a rather silly costume.

"Why, why, why, am I always stuck with the ridiculous cowboy gimmick?!" He asked in frustrated resignation. "You ladies get to dress as whatever you want, but noooo, not me."

"It's not terrible." She assured. "You pull it off quite well."

"I look like a male stripper." He insisted.

Asia bit her nail thoughtfully. "I mean…"

"Come on." He spun around once for her. "You can't tell me that's not exactly what I look like."

"Maybe that was the intention? I've never celebrated Halloween before but from what I've been told, it's pretty common for adults to dress provocatively for the occasion." She pulled at the hem of her skirt. "Mine's pretty skimpy too."

He wasn't so lost in self pity as to not notice. Asia was absolutely killing her Sexy Nurse outfit. What surprised him most however was how comfortable she seemed to be in it. Jon remembered an Asia who would have blushed from ear to ear at the mere thought of wearing something like this. She'd come a long way since first becoming Rias's Bishop.

Well...if she could be comfortable in hers, the least he could do was try to be comfortable in his.

Jon sighed. "Alright, I give." He smiled and wrapped his hands around the small of her waist. "Damn you look stunning."

She peered up at him lovingly with her brilliant emerald eyes, her cheeks glowing bright red. The two kissed each other for a moment before Jon finally pulled away.

"Alright, best not get too riled up just yet."

She chuckled and nodded in agreement. "After all, I'm not your only date tonight, am I?"

"So he finally came out?"

Asia and Jon turned to see Koneko standing in the hallway. She was wearing a black latex skirt with pink lace panties underneath. Her legs were dressed in pink stockings with a matching garter on her right thigh. Her top was a black and pink latex bralette shaped into hearts that just barely covered her nearly exposed breasts. Her neck was decorated with a choker and a bell attached to the end of it. A pair of small black horns with purple ribbons tied onto them rested on her head and a purple tail with a forked end protruded from her backside.

Jon quirked a brow at the getup. "A succubus?"

She placed her hands on her hips and cocked it to the side, an annoyed frown on her face. "Is that a problem?"

"No, not at all. I just...figured you might go with something cat themed again."

Koneko scoffed at him. "I like things other than cats, you know."

He raised his hands up defensively. "Hey, don't get me wrong. It looks great on ya."

She rolled her eyes and strutted up to him, grabbing Jon by his belt and pulling him towards the door. "Come on, Roy Rogers. Let's get going before we're late."

"Roy Rogers?!" He sounded incredibly offended by the comparison.

She shot him a coy smirk while guiding him to the door. "Be thankful I didn't say Steve McQueen." Koneko then turned and smiled at Asia sweetly. "You coming, Babe?"

Asia blushed upon being called babe but quickly followed. "Yes, coming!"

* * *

It's been the subject of debate as to when exactly Halloween officially became a Holiday in Japan. Though what is known is that it was only very recently acknowledged as a legitimate tradition. Whereas countries in the west honored the custom every October 31st by dressing in costume and lighting jack o'lanterns to ward off evil spirits, the people of Japan always welcomed and embraced their spirits. Until recently, Halloween had never been formally celebrated in the Island Nation. At least not until Western Theme Parks began influencing its popularity. But where Halloween had always been a time honored tradition in the West, it was more of a commercialized oddity in the Land of the Rising Sun. To this day, Halloween represented more of an excuse for young adults to dress up and party while flash mobs and parades took to the streets of Tokyo.

However, the University of Kuoh was a different matter. Their campus had been celebrating Halloween since its inception. For one night out of the year, the school was converted into a veritable sideshow of haunts and decorations reminiscent of western culture during the month of October. This is where the similarity ended, however.

Unlike the traditions of the West, or the traditions of Japan, Halloween represented a single night where the Devils and Humans of Kuoh could bridge the gap between their two species. If only just a little. It was during this time that pacts were made, blood bonds forged, and many many memories erased. All under the guise of a hedonistic party. During this one night the campus was closed off to all outsiders and the students were encouraged to party, drink, and experiment with each other.

The annual Halloween party was exactly the kind of distraction Sona and Rias's peerage needed while their President's attended to serious Underworld matters. With the students distracted by the evening's events, the Lady King's of Kuoh could move about freely, without the need for as much discretion.

After all, who would question supernatural occurrences and the appearance of monsters on Halloween?

Jon and Asia had yet to partake of a Kuoh Halloween Party, their duties to Rias and to the Peerage having kept them occupied during the last celebration. However, upon seeing the campus now, it was pretty much what they were expecting. The grounds were a mess, drugs and alcohol were being passed to the students as freely as candy. Many were already passed out on the quad despite it only being close to nine. Several couples were actively making out with each other and their neighbors partners. Some of the more rambunctious students had excused themselves behind buildings or, failing that, a nearby tree for a bit more rambunctious fun.

Asia was holding up well all things considering. Jon was half expecting her to get cold feet the moment they passed by the fresh puddle of vomit on the stairwell leading to the quad. Yet she kept herself for the most part composed, if somewhat wary of the stumbling drunks. Koneko, of course, was completely unphased. This was clearly not her first rodeo when it came to this sort of thing, and what few reservations and anxieties Asia began to show she quickly quelled with her presence.

As for Jon, he couldn't help but feel like their time might be spent better elsewhere. Try as he might, he just could not keep still about Kokabiel or his men. On the other hand, it was really hard to focus on that sort of thing with two gorgeous women on his arms. Normally he could expect questioning or judgemental stairs right about now from the human population of the campus. But this was probably the only time of the year where someone like Jon having both Asia and Koneko accompanying him as his personal dates was socially acceptable behavior.

The trio made their way to the Student Center where the largest party was taking place. Music was blaring over the building's PA system and students were happily dancing with each other, dressed in whatever provocative and enticing costume they had picked to lure in the object of their desire.

"There you guys are!"

Among the hordes of students, three figures emerged that Jon immediately recognized. Matsuda and Motohama had dressed as Frankenstein's Monster and the good Doctor of the same name. While Aika was sporting her best Harry Potter robes, complete with wand and lightning bolt scar.

Asia immediately ran up and hugged Aika. "Happy Halloween you guys! I love your costumes."

"And we love yours, Asia." Matsuda was practically drooling already.

"Yeah. What would it take to make you my lab assistant?" Motohama asked.

Jon smiled at them angrily. "Behave yourselves you two. She's with me tonight."

They both moaned in obtuse sorrow.

"Of course she is." Matsuda sniffled.

"Jonathan Hyodo, one of these days I will come to the Halloween party with a megababe on my arm just as pretty as Asia...and then it shall be you who is chasing my date's tail all night!"

He chuckled in amusement and rolled his eyes. "If you say so buddy."

That was when Matsuda noticed his other date clinging to his arm. He did a double take, nearly losing one of his glued on neck rivets in the process. "Hey, Motohama. Check out Mascot Koneko in all her sexy glory."

"Bust twenty six, waist twenty two, she's the very definition of a petite goddess."

Koneko groaned in disgust and rolled her eyes at the two. "Oh great, you're here as well." She then tugged insistently on Jon's arm. "We're not gonna spend all our time with your pervert friends are we? You promised me and Asia tonight would be about us."

"Awww man! You've even got Koneko and all her short sugary hotness in your honey nest now? And here I thought maybe you'd share the love a bit on account of it being Halloween and all."

"Come onnnn. Let us dance with her. Just once." Motohama begged.

"Not if you were the last men on the planet." Koneko responded coldly.

The perverted duo collapsed in dramatic fashion.

"That was cold, Bra." Matsuda whined.

"Why you gotta treat us like an enemy?" Motohama insisted.

"Because the two of you are the enemy to all women." She explained with that same biting coldness Jon knew all too well.

The perverted duo proceeded to burst into crocodile tears while Aika and Asia caught up with one another. Jon, meanwhile, chuckled at his date and kissed her on the cheek. Much to her indignation. She still wasn't quite used to him doing that in public.

"With how well we've been getting along, I sometimes forget just what a grade A bitch you can be."

She cocked a brow at him and crossed her arms. "I can always remind you if you're that desperate."

He shook his head. "As much as I think it adds to your charm, I still prefer it when your target is someone other than me."

After a moment of quiet glaring she finally smiled at him. God he would never get tired of seeing her do that. At that moment, _Baby's On Fire _by Die Antwoord came on over the PA system. Koneko grabbed Jon and dragged him closer to the mosh pit.

"Come on, we're dancing." She spoke plainly, removing any choice from him. The Rook cast a glance over to Asia and motioned towards the dance floor.

"I'm gonna borrow Jon for a second! That okay?"

Asia nodded brightly. "I promised Aika we'd dance together for a few songs! You two go ahead!"

Jon left with Koneko while Aika left with Asia. The latter of whom blew a raspberry back at the Perverted Duo in celebration of her success with acquiring a dance with arguably one of the most sought after women on all of campus, the blonde beauty Asia Argento. Leaving both men alone on the ground in their obtuse groveling.

Koneko found the nearest bench and hopped up, pulling Jon close enough to where his body was pressed up against hers.

"Woah!" He chuckled at her. "A little eager, are we?"

She scoffed at him before turning around and pressing her ass against his groin. "Shut up and dance, would you? I'm trying to have fun here."

"Yes Ma'am." He responded eagerly.

The two began dancing together, losing themselves in the rhythm of the music in a way that was reminiscent of their first date together at the nightclub. Though of course, that was just a front for the very deadly mission they were on. And Jon couldn't fully enjoy the time they had together as the majority of his attention had to be elsewhere.

Not this time. As Koneko swayed, gyrated, and grinded her hips back into him, he relished in every moment. The shape of her curves, the softness of her skin, the lustrous silkiness of her hair. All his thoughts at that moment were entirely focused on her.

But of course, with the memories of their first date came the buzzing, unwanted distractions and anxieties of their current predicament. They were up against their deadliest foe by far, and Jon was all but certain that his little war against Salazar was going to look like a playground fistfight in comparison to what loomed over head. He feared for the safety of this precious woman as he did for all his Treasures. He had already seen Koneko grievously injured once, and he never wanted to see her like that again.

"You're getting in your own head again." Koneko commented, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Stop worrying so much about the Fallen Angels and focus on us like you promised."

He sighed. "I'm sorry, Kani. I really am trying to keep my head clear of all this crap. It's just hard knowing that there's the possibility that-"

She turned around and shut him up with a fierce, almost angry kiss on the lips. When she finally pulled away, he was too stunned to really speak.

"I'm not going to let you worry tonight." Koneko insisted with flat disinterest in what he was saying. "Even if that means I have to knock you over the head, you got it?"

He gulped and nodded. "Yeah, I hear ya."

Koneko placed her hands on her hips and glared at him for a moment. Her face eventually softened and she sighed wearily. "This is a big step for me, Jon. If I'm going to do this, I mean really do this. I need you present with me. Tonight is our night." She placed a hand up to his cheek. "Tonight, I want you and Asia to show me what it really means to be one of your Treasures."

He felt his heart do a summersault. "Wait...so then you mean-"

She nodded. "It's going to be different. I'll warn you. I'm still working through a lot of these feelings I'm having, but…" Her gaze turned away and she blushed fiercely. "Jon...I want it to be you. More than anything, I want it to be you and Asia both who take my first time from me."

Jon couldn't help the little smirk that came over his lips. "Be honest, you fell for her before you fell for me, didn't you."

She grinned sarcastically at him. "Wouldn't you like to know, Mr. Hyodo." Koneko turned back around and continued dancing against him, gripping his neck with the palm of her hand for support. "Oh, and if you think this means I'll start fooling around with Rias and Akeno too you can put those perverted fantasies to bed. I'm not like them. I won't mate with just anyone just because you're our Dragon."

Jon quirked his brow at her. "Mate?"

Her eyes went wide and she made a small indignant noise as it dawned on her what she just said. "I mean...I won't just sleep with anyone just because we're all imprinted to you. Ask Rias and she'll tell you, I'm very picky about who I let touch me."

He frowned slightly. Despite how close they had gotten she was still holding something back from him, he could tell. Still...compared to where they were two years ago, this was heaven.

"One more thing." She continued while moving his hands across her body and up to cup her breasts. "So long as I'm your ma...your Treasure, you'll hold a place in my heart. But my loyalty will always rest with Rias above all else."

"Of course. I wouldn't expect anything less from you." He assured.

"Also, don't think you can get away with doing whatever perverted little things you want with me." Koneko insisted bluntly. "I'm not Akeno and I'm not Rias. I have my own expectations from you as well as my own boundaries. I expect you to respect them."

He chuckled at her before turning his feisty little date around and pressing her close. She gasped in surprise before quietly glaring at him.

"Kani…" Jon insisted. "...you know me well enough to know by now that I would never disrespect your boundaries like that. When I committed myself to this peerage I committed myself to you as well." He placed a hand on her cheek and caressed her gently. "You don't have to keep your guard up around me anymore. It's okay to let go."

She sighed, placing her hand against his and closing her eyes. For a moment, he thought he could hear what sounded like purring.

"I know…" She spoke in a quieter, more subdued tone. "Jon, you have to understand, this is completely alien territory for me. I put on a brave face, but these feelings I have…" She bit down on her lower lip nervously. "...they still terrify me. It's going to take time before I'm fully comfortable with this."

He nodded in understanding. "Take as much time as you need. Just know that I'll always be here for you."

Her heart fluttered in her chest. Jon was the only man she'd ever known who could make it do that.

"I'm going to try my hardest." She assured. "For you and Asia both. Because the truth is…" Koneko took a deep breath and smiled at him.

"With the two of you, I feel like I can finally learn to start accepting the real me again."

There were so many questions he wanted to ask her. So much he wanted to know. Koneko...his Kani...was still such a mystery to him. That stubborn Ice around her soul had not completely vanished. So long as it was still there, he would continue to do his best to melt it away and reveal her true self to him.

He'd spend centuries pursuing the truth of this Treasure's soul if he had to.

Koneko wrapped her arms around him and pressed her forehead to his with her eyes shut. "Right now, I just need your presence. I need you here with me, and not with Irina or the Fallen Angels or wherever your mind keeps getting pulled away to. Can you do that for me, Jon?"

"Of course." He assured emphatically. "Koneko, I promise before this night is over, all my attention will be on you."

"Good." She then leaned in close and whispered in his ear. "Because I'm not going to say it until I know you're fully here to hear it."

Jon gulped. What he wouldn't give to hear those three magical words come out of Koneko's mouth. But he knew he had to be patient, and focus on giving her the attention she needed if he hoped to hear them by the end of the night.

They kissed again. Deeper this time now that their weren't so many eyes on them. From a few yards away, Asia smiled happily at the two. Aika picked up on this right away and stopped dancing, a curious grin now plastered on her face.

"It's funny." She observed. "No matter how many other women Jon's with you never seem to lose your smile. How is it the two of you make this work?"

Asia placed her hands against her heart and shook her head. "It's not about numbers. We're all family. All of us." She bowed her head and shut her eyes, as her heart began to beat madly in her chest. "Normally, the others are always showing me how to feel new things. But tonight? Tonight is special. Because tonight...I get to be the one to show Koneko how precious she is to me."

Aika shook her head incredulously at her. All the craziness about magic and the supernatural aside, what she wouldn't give just to know what was going through their heads. These people...if they really were just people...lived a life that many would consider decadent and perverse, yet the feelings they expressed for one another felt so real and genuine it was hard to find any fault in them for it.

"I know it's different." Asia continued. "I know it is. But Aika...not since the first time I ever prayed to God have I felt this much...joy in my life. I always dreamed that Jon and I would be together forever, just the two of us. But now? Now I can't imagine life without the other girls. Because I understand now, Rias, Koneko...and even Akeno too, they're not just Jon's Treasures, they're my Treasures too."

"Treasures?" She asked curiously. "Is that like...your Kink Title or something?"

Asia smiled and shook her head. "It's not important. All that matters is that I'm happy. We're all happy." She smiled at Koneko lovingly. "Tonight, I'm going to do everything I can to make her happy too. Because more than any of us, I feel like Koneko has lived for too long not knowing that she is surrounded by people who love her."

Aika wanted to ask more. This was all so terribly fascinating to her. A small glimpse into some fantasy world which, in all honesty, sounded like something the Perverted Duo had concocted in their minds. And yet that fantasy was Jon's reality. What was it about him that drew these women to his side like bees to honey? Was Jon even human?

Moreso than that, was Jon even mortal?

To the former, Aika highly doubted it. No human could amass a harem of this size comfortably. Not the way Jon did. There was no jealousy or bickering amongst the girls. None that she could see anyway. Everything seemed to work perfectly in balance when it came to the Occult Research Club. Something like this would not be possible for a human. Not on this level. She was all but certain of it.

As to whether or not Jon was even mortal. She was beginning to have her doubts about that as well. If her own experiences in paranormal investigation had taught her anything it was that even the Supernatural have their limits in what they could accomplish. Yet something about Jonathan Hyodo just felt so...limitless. She began to suspect fairly early on that Jon may not be human.

But now? Now she was beginning to suspect that he may in fact be some sort of God.

Aika had to know more. She just had to. There was a whole other world that was just out of the scope of her vision and the more she dove down this rabbit hole the more she could almost...feel it. For lack of a better word. Matsuda and Motohama just saw this as a game. An elaborate excuse to perve on a couple of hot babes for awhile and figure out Jon's big secret regarding women. But for her? This went so much more beyond that. The ORC, Jon's personal harem, Asia's words, it was all connected by something that ran far far deeper than just sexual exploration.

She wasn't playing around anymore. Tonight, she would do whatever it took to learn more about the truth of Jon and the ORC. Even if it killed her.


	23. Chapter 23

**::Author's Note::**

**Man it's good to be back! After months of me basically flipping open my laptop, pulling up a mostly blank document and just staring at it, finally I'm back in the swing of things.**

**So I wanted to go over some of the updates I made to the first two arcs for anyone who might be interested in rereading them or rereading parts of them. I'm placing them here as opposed to in the Arcs these updates belong to so as not to spoil anything for new readers.**

**Arc One: Rise of a Hunter: This one has by far undergone the most change of the two Arcs I updated. First of all you'll find two brand new fully fleshed out Lemon scenes in the Arc now. One with Yuma and another with Asia. Also, I've really worked to make adjustments so that Jon's personality and strength shines through. He doesn't make careless mistakes the way he used to, (No more forgetting to bring backup ammo) and he's not a doormat anymore. His relationship with Rias is far more icy to begin with and he's not nearly as quick to trust her. In addition, I've also fleshed out his relationship with Asia a bit more and how it starts. As well as changed the lore a bit regarding Fallen Angels.**

**Arc Two: Ashes of the Phoenix: I didn't make as many changes story wise to this one as I did to Arc One. There are two fully fleshed out Lemon Scenes, one with Asia and another with Rias. Aside from that, I made some improvements in the dialogue and added a new component to the final confrontation that I believe will help to balance out the power levels. (Or at least make the imbalance between Salazar's peerage and the other Peerages more readily apparent.)**

**This is a Lime and Lemon Heavy Chapter, I'll admit. But the end sets up for a surprise I've got planned going into the next chapter. I don't want to spoil too much, so instead I'm just gonna present to you Chapter 23 and call it a day.**

**::End Note::**

Aika left with Matsuda and Motohama to get drinks for the group while Koneko and Jon returned to Asia. Koneko immediately went to go dance with the blonde beauty, leaving Jon to watch while his two treasures entertained him with a gorgeous little sideshow. Kani was just as intimate with her treatment of Asia as she had been with him, if not more so. Asia was still nowhere near as experienced or confident a dancer as Koneko was, but the Rook patiently and gently guided her through each song whilst also guiding Asia's hands to explore her body, in a manner similar to how she had done with Jon. He was tempted to listen in on their conversation, but decided against it. If his Treasures desired him to know what they said to each other in confidence, then they would tell him himself.

When the song was over, Koneko and Asia peered into each other's eyes and...overcome with the emotions each had held in their heart for the other for so long, shared their first kiss. It was all too reminiscent of the first kiss Jon shared with Asia. She was taken aback by her partner's boldness, wide eyed at the sudden sensation of her lips pressed against hers, before slowly surrendering and melting into the passionate embrace.

Truly, Koneko was in shock at Asia's boldness. As was Jon for that matter. To think that she would be the one to steal a kiss from the ORC's Rook. And without so much as flinching, either. Asia never failed to surprise with what she was capable of. That much was apparent.

And dear God was it turning him on.

Looking at the way Koneko behaved from a distance, Jon could almost feel something primal in her. Like a feral animal she kept hidden beneath that wall of indifference. Yet with his Asia, Koneko was as gentle and soft as a Kitten.

Soft as a kitten...for some reason that, more than anything else, really resonated with him. His Treasures came back shortly before Aika, Matsuda, and Motohama returned with their drinks.

"I hope everyone's okay with vodka, that's all they had left." Aika commented while passing out red solo cups to everyone.

"Works for me." Jon downed half his cup in one gulp.

Once the drinks had been passed out Aika checked her phone.

"Oh shit! I forgot I've got some friends from the Photography Club meeting me. I'll be back a little later." She waved at them and blew Asia a kiss before making good on her exit.

"We're gonna go scope out the action." Matsuda insisted.

"Yeah, we'll catch ya later Bro." Motohama waved at him.

As the trio left, Jon, Asia, and Koneko proceeded to rip off the microphones attached to the bottoms of their cups and smash them on the ground, chuckling amongst each other at the halfhearted attempt by Aika and the Perverted Duo to spy on them.

"Honestly, it's like they're not even trying anymore." Jon teased jokingly. "This is easily their most half assed attempt yet."

"And they've been at this with you two for weeks?" Koneko snickered in amusement. "How annoying."

Asia giggled. "Oh, they're just curious. If things get out of control, we'll let Rias take care of it."

As the three of them chatted and enjoyed their mixed drinks, Jon felt his mind slipping towards dark thoughts again. He couldn't help but worry over his other Treasures, Rias and Akeno. How were they holding up? What information had Sona and Tsubaki managed to pull from Valper's servers?

"How are you holding up?"

Jon turned to see Asia smiling up at him.

"I should be asking you that. You sure all this raw emotion isn't too much for you?"

She shook her head. "I can control it, remember? Plus I took some herbal tea to help relax before I came. I'm fine, I promise."

"You're the one who looks constipated." Koneko commented bluntly, eyeing up Jon with an impatient glare.

He frowned. "Ah hell, maybe I just can't get the Lab out of my head."

They both groaned wearily at him.

"Look, I'm sorry alright?" He insisted with an annoyed tone. "It's just hard to relax knowing some crazy shit is about to go down."

"You mean it hasn't already?" Koneko pointed to the crowd of students. "Worrying and fretting over the future is pointless when it's already been decided. Rias and Koneko are taking care of this as we speak. Sona and Tsubaki are researching our findings in the biology department. Meanwhile, you're supposed to be focused on us."

He smiled apologetically and nodded. "I'm still here. I promise."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm holding you to that promise. You and I have spent enough energy worrying about Kokabiel."

Asia nodded in agreement. "Let it go, Jon. Just for tonight. Please?"

Before he could speak, a familiar Boston accent caught his attention.

"Well look what the cat dragged in. Glad you finally decided to join the party, Hyodo."

Jon grinned at the approaching Sammy while snickering at his choice of costume. While Jon's Master was clearly a broken record, it appeared that Sona enjoyed a little more variety as the Sitri Pawn was currently rocking the _Sexy Fireman _getup. Although his attention was quickly pulled away from him and focused on the two gorgeous young things whose hips he had firmly in each arm. Momo and Ruruko were wearing matching angel costumes, complete with halo. Their breasts had been hoisted up to the point of nearly bursting out of the feathery corset they were each wearing, and they'd both put on wigs to match each other. One could almost mistake them for sisters.

No doubt they'd bonded with each other in much the same way Asia had bonded with Koneko.

"You look like hammered shit, Sammy." Jon commented while knocking fists with the Sitri Pawn.

"It's Halloween baby!" He shouted boisterously, clearly intoxicated. "Now's the time to let loose and let the Devil run free!"

"I love your costume, Asia." Momo commented.

"And Koneko, yours is amazing too." Ruruko added.

"Awww, thanks!" Asia blushed. "You girls look amazing. I love the matching outfits."

Koneko smiled and nodded in agreement.

"I see you and Firecracker are getting along nicely." Sammy grinned at Jon while motioning to Koneko. "She finally warmed up to ya, did she?"

She folded her arms and frowned in annoyance. "For all the good it did me. He won't stop thinking about the damn Lab."

Sammy glared at Jon incredulously before shaking his head. "Nah nah nah, fuck that shit. You need to relax, Man. Show these girls a good time."

"It ain't for lack of trying." Jon insisted. "If I could worry less, I would."

"I know what your problem is." He pointed at him accusingly. "You, my friend, have not had nearly enough to drink."

"Yeah, getting drunks not exactly easy for me anymore."

As if having just been offered a challenge, Sammy whispered into Momo's ear. She giggled at him before nodding her head and walking up to Jon.

"Here, add this to your drink." She pulled out a pez dispenser and dropped what appeared to be, to Jon at least, an ecstasy tablet into his drink.

"Uhhh, Sammy?" He peered down at the drink in confusion. "Why did your Treasure just drop a Molly into my drink? You know human drugs don't work on us."

"Oh relax, Hyodo. It ain't that." Sammy assured. "It's some sort of alchemy thing Tsubaki came up with. I'm telling ya, it works wonders on taking the edge off."

"Unless you're human, of course. In which case this stuff will kill you stone dead." Momo giggled mischievously before adding a tablet to Koneko and Asia's drinks as well. "Just remember to pour out whatever you don't drink so there are no accidents."

All three of them eyed their drinks warily.

"You sure about this? I do actually wanna remember the fun I'm supposed to be having."

"Would you just shut up and drink, already?" Sammy insisted vehemently. "Trust me, it's just what you need to get ya mind off all the bullshit and start focusing on what matters. Those two lovely numbers you got nestled up next to ya."

"You're sure this will help?" Koneko asked.

"Don't worry, Sweety." Momo assured, a mischievous finger pressed up to her full lips. "It's just what your man needs, trust me."

"Both of you drink. Now." Koneko ordered.

"Yeah I'm still not so sure that's a good ide-"

Before Jon could protest further Koneko proceeded to tip his cup up to his lips. He downed a healthy portion of his remaining drink before staring down at the cup.

"Why does it taste like robitussin?"

"Asia?" Koneko lifted her cup up to her lips.

Though she looked reluctant at first Asia eventually smiled and nodded before tilting her glass up to her lips. Koneko was shortly behind her and the three of them finished their drinks.

"Well? What do ya think?" Sammy asked insistently.

Jon shrugged. "I don't get the appeal honestly, it's not really-"

And then it hit him. It took a few moments for these little fuckers to kick in but the moment they did, pow! Tingling all over his body, a warmth building in his chest, everything just started to feel lighter. The crowds had gotten softer and his vision narrowed. All other senses were going numb.

He could really see it then. Koneko and Asia's auras wafting off of them like ambrosia. It was beyond intoxicating.

"W...wow." Asia's face had heated up the moment it hit her. She was almost panting. "This...is starting to make me feel funny."

"It's like I'm going into heat…" Koneko was panting as well.

Sammy snickered at all three of them. "Well? What do we think?"

He never got his answer. At that moment all the girls seemed to be able to notice was Jon. They were staring at their Dragon hungrily. Primal desire behind both their eyes.

"I'd say that did the trick, Sammy." Ruruko giggled.

Asia and Koneko took Jon by the hand and lead him out to the dance floor.

"Hey! I want yous three in bed no earlier than Four AM." The Sitri pawn laughed at his own joke. He was still riding high on his own euphoric wave at that moment.

"Mmm, sounds like someone's ready for another dose." Momo took another pill from her pez dispenser and placed it on her breast. Sammy proceeded to lick it off her while his Treasure laughed hysterically.

"Come on, Momo. Let's join them." Ruruko insisted.

* * *

Whatever was in that pill, Jon wanted seconds. He wasn't drunk or even high, this feeling was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. It was like his senses had been heightened and numbed all at the same time. On the one hand, he didn't have a clue what was going on around him. But on the other, Asia and Koneko were glowing. Their skin felt softer, the scent coming off of them even more potent. It was like the world and all its troubles had deadened to him completely and now he could only see the two of them.

Whatever effect it was having on Jon, it appeared to be different for his Treasures. Asia was making some of the lewdest faces imaginable at him, having completely lost herself to the effects of the drug pumping through her system.

Koneko looked almost feral. Her pupils had dilated into catlike vertical slits and her breath was hot and heavy in the evening air.

They were dancing together. With Koneko in front, Asia in the back, and Jon in the middle. Occasionally they would turn around and Jon would press himself up against the opposite beauty, any form or style to their movements having been lost as they surrendered to their passions and their auras blended together.

"Oh Jon...I…" Asia's breath hitched as he moved his hands up to cup her breasts. She panted for him, her tongue dangling loosely out of her mouth and her cheeks burning like fire.

"So hot…" Koneko panted, her cheeks ablaze as well. "I...I need to get closer." She insisted.

"Me too." Asia nodded in agreement and the two ladies pulled Jon away from the crowd.

As a new song began to play the three of them found a corner away from everyone else. The girls practically shoved Jon down onto the sofa built into the wall before each mounted a leg. They then proceeded to pull their tops down and expose their already stiff nipples to the cold night air.

Both girls gave in to the rhythm of the music and treated Jon to an impromptu lap dance. They played off each other, grinding on his lap while posing and preening for him like two feral cats in heat, while exploring each others bodies as he sat mesmerized by their radiance.

Without warning, Koneko slid off his lap and took a seat next to him, her body pressed up firmly against his and her breath hot in his ear as she undid his pants. The feeling of her hand wrapping around his meaty cock and beginning to stroke was indescribable.

"Kani…" He growled in pleasure.

She shushed him. "Don't watch me. Watch her."

Jon's gaze shifted to Asia as she proceeded to pull her nurse costume completely off her body. Leaving her panties and stockings as the sole coverings on her skin. Normally Asia would never consider doing something like this in public, but if the stuff Sammy gave them was having the same effect on her it did on him, she probably wasn't even aware of the other people in the building right now.

His Blond Beauty began to dance while Koneko stroked him. Asia's style of movement had drastically changed over the past two years. She looked almost like a ballerina when she moved. A sexy, half naked ballerina, and yet despite her shameless nudity she still looked so damn elegant. Almost like a nymph given human form.

Her spirit had changed too. Where once it was solid gold, now he could see traces of pink mixed in as well. His Treasure had developed a playful side.

Koneko brought his attention back to her by removing her hand from his cock and turning his head. She then kissed him fiercely, her tongue dancing with his.

"You taste so...sweet." She moaned. Her eyes looked so big and so beautiful in that moment. While they kissed, Asia straddled his lap and placed her hands on his shoulders before beginning to gyrate her hips to the music. She slowly lowered herself down onto his shaft and began grinding against it with the lips of her glistening folds. Once Koneko had had her turn, she kissed him fiercely next while the Rook proceeded to lap at his neck and nibble on his ear.

"What are we doing?" Asia moaned in heated passion while grinding her labia on his shaft. "I...I can't control myself."

"Me neither." Koneko whispered, her voice dripping with desire. "Asia...Jon...I...I want it. I'm ready."

Both Jon and Asia looked at each other for confirmation before nodding. She quickly stuffed him back into his pants while he hoisted both girls up in the air like they weighed nothing. With his Treasures in each arm, Jon proceeded to walk out of the Student Center and back to the ORC Headquarters. From across the room, Sammy watched as Jon disappeared, drink in hand, relaxing back in his seat while Ruruko and Momo knelt on the floor in front of him, each taking it in turns to lick up the length of his fully erect shaft as they too surrendered to the drug's potency.

"Now that's more like it, Mr. Hyodo." He chuckled in amusement before taking another swig of his drink and leaning his head back. Riding a wave of utter bliss.

Unbeknownst to either parties, Aika, Matsuda, and Motohama had retreated to a nearby bathroom where they had set up their laptop.

"Did we get all that?" Aika insisted.

Motohama nodded, a prideful smirk on his face. "Yep, after all our botched attempts it finally worked. Asia was so busy looking at Jon she didn't notice when you slipped a wire on her costume."

Aika smirked pridefully and adjusted her glasses. "The fake wires on the bottoms of the cup were the icing on the cake. They thought they had us beat, but this time we got them."

"Too bad Nurse Bombshell took her costume off." Matsuda commented. "It would have been awesome to hear more."

Aika sighed in disgust with her palm to her face. "We got plenty from what we heard."

"Speaking of which, what was all that about Jon and Asia not being human?" Motohama asked skeptically. "You think they were playing a bit for Halloween?"

"No." She insisted. "This confirms what I had suspected for so long. Jon, Rias, and the other members of the ORC, they're all beings from the Underworld. Living amongst humankind." Her skin turned white as a ghost as she began to bemoan her plight. "And now they've roped my precious Asia into their nefarious schemes."

"Oh come on." Matsuda laughed. "There's no proof of that. They were probably just roleplaying. Some of that freaky Spawn of the Underworld shit."

"Since it's Halloween I bet they're all planning a big sex orgy at the headquarters." Motohama began to weep crocodile tears. "What I wouldn't give just to watch!"

Aika's eyebrow twitched in anger. She took a roll of rolled up paper towels and swatted them both over the head with it. "Would you two can it? This is so much bigger than some pointless costume orgy!"

"It's not that we don't believe you." Motohama whined while rubbing his wounded scalp. "I just think we need some sort of proof before we go making wild accusations like that."

After hearing his words she thought for a moment. "Did you hear what Koneko said? About something going down in the Microbiology Department?"

"Yeah?" Matsuda answered warily. "But that shits locked down tighter than Asia is right now, Bra. Ain't no way we're getting in."

She snickered pridefully. "You leave getting inside to me, Boys. I'll secure us an entrypoint."

"But what about the party?" Matsuda protested.

Aika grinned while adjusting her glasses. "You know...there's a chance we may find some secret love pheromones or something in their. Who knows? Maybe the key to Jon's success with the ladies is in that lab?" She lied.

Both men stood up straight and saluted.

"Your wish is our command, Captain!"

* * *

Koneko and Asia both fell backwards onto Rias's bed. Jon was on top of both before either girl could move as the three of them began a furious makeout session, sweat dripping off their bodies and their hearts pounding in their chest. The drug they'd been given had moved past the tingling hypersensitivity phase into a boiling fiery passion phase. They each needed the other. Badly.

Jon finally pulled away from Koneko's lips and stared down at the Rook who gazed back up at him with nervous, heated eyes. His nostrils flared smoke as he proceeded to slide her dripping wet panties down and spread her legs.

Koneko took Asia's hand in hers and squeezed it tight. The Bishop responded by wrapping her body around Koneko's lovingly, a look of pure lust and pure love on her face. The drug seemed to be hitting her hardest of all.

"I...I need you to go very slowly." His Kani insisted in between heated pants. "I'm very small down there." She explained while motioning to her glistening pussy. "I'll adjust to your size eventually, but if you move too fast it could really hurt me."

He nodded in understanding though his heart was still thudding in his chest like a wardrum. "I'm gonna go as gently as I possibly can."

"And I'll be right here." Asia added while clutching her hand to her breasts. "Feel my heartbeat. It will help take your mind off of it."

Koneko bit down on her lower lip and nodded. "Okay...do it."

Jon brought the head of his member to her opening and Koneko squeezed Asia's hand tighter. She protected herself with magic so as not to let the nervous Rook crush her palm. The more Jon looked at this the more physics did not appear to be on his side. Koneko was just way too small for him to fit without tearing something.

"I'm beginning to have reservations." He admitted.

"It'll be okay." Koneko assured. "Just go slow."

He nodded before reluctantly pressing himself against her opening. Just like she said she would, Koneko began to stretch around his length as he took her in. During this time Koneko did not make so much as a sound. Not one peep as he slowly entered her. She simply shut her eyes, bit her lip, and took it as best she could.

"That's it." Asia cooed lovingly into her ear. "I'm right here, Love. Keep focusing on the beating of my heart."

The feeling was indescribable. Jon wasn't sure if it was the drug or Koneko's size or both, but the sensation of her wall around his thick shaft was unlike anything he had ever felt before. Though he wasn't aware of it, this euphoric sensation was causing him to move faster.

"Jon...Jon wait!" Asia panicked.

Too late, Jon inadvertently shoved himself almost halfway down Koneko's stretched out pussy. The Rook proceeded to arch her back, curl her toes, and mewl loudly as her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

"What is it?! Koneko are you okay?!"

Jon was about to pull out when she reached up and grabbed his waist, stopping him in his tracks.

"Th...that…" Her voice trembled as she spoke.

"Are you okay?" He insisted worriedly.

"That felt...so fucking good!" She groaned in ecstasy. "I thought it was supposed to hurt like crazy the first time."

Asia gave her a bewildered look. "You mean it doesn't? I thought I was going to die the first time Jon did that to me."

"Maybe it's the drug?" Jon offered.

A thought occurred to Koneko which she kept entirely to herself. "Yeah...maybe."

"So...are you good for me to continue?" He asked.

She suddenly peered up at him with determined insistent eyes. "Slam it in me."

Asia's jaw hit the floor. "Wh...what?!"

"I don't think that's a good idea." Jon insisted. "Kani, I could seriously hurt you."

"If if feels anything like what you just did it won't." She assured, a hint of desperation in her voice. "I want this to be our moment Jon. Not one of pain, but one of pure bliss as you take my first time. It felt incredible for me, and I'm sure this will feel even better for you."

He frowned at her but, after a moment, finally relented. "Alright...get ready."

She gripped Asia's hand tight again. The Bishop's heart was pounding even faster than before.

"Okay...do it."

As she commanded, Jon proceeded to thrust himself hard all the way down to the hilt. What followed was one of the most pleasurable feelings of his entire adult life. Meanwhile, Koneko's back curled into a U and her tongue left her mouth as she proceeded to go wide eyed and scream.

The next thing she knew she was cumming. Cumming hard against his shaft as her walls continued to tighten and pump around him. Her tiny body convulsed at the sensation and Asia's face became even more heated at just the sight of it.

"Fuck!"

Jon pulled out. Unable to take it anymore he proceeded to blast Koneko with rivets of his hot seed that coated his Treasure from head to toe. The initial shock of the sudden shower surprised her, but she soon calmed back down, her breaths heavy as her legs continued to spasm.

Asia giggled and licked a spot of cum off Koneko's cheek. "You did it, my Love. How did it feel?"

"I'm…" She swallowed. "...I'm gonna need a minute. That didn't feel anything like what I thought it would."

"You're bleeding." Asia observed. "Not badly, but your hymen definitely broke." She placed her hand delicately upon Koneko's heat and used her healing magic to soothe the wound. "Strange that you didn't seem to feel it. I'm a little jealous if I'm honest." She admitted while sticking her tongue out in a silly manner.

Koneko practically purred at Asia's touch. "Th...thank you."

After healing the affected area she kissed Koneko's cheek sweetly and whispered. "Are you ready to continue? I promise he's nowhere near spent."

Koneko blushed fiercely and nodded, spreading her legs even wider. "I am...do that to me again, Jon."

He grinned at her, his fangs protruding from his lips. "As you wish."

Koneko and Asia proceeded to makeout with each other as Jon thrust himself deep into his tight little Treasures belly. She shut her eyes tight and moaned fiercely into the kiss while he proceeded to pump his length in and out of her.

It became too much and Koneko pulled away, laying flat on her back with her mouth hanging open as her whole body rocked in rhythm with his thrusts.

"Now...how does that feel?" Asia whispered sultrily into Koneko's ear.

"It's...I can't…" Her eyes were rolling into the back of her head again.

Asia giggled and slowly lowered her hand down to her own slick heat. She began to play with herself as she spoke, moaning alongside Koneko albeit far more subdued.

"That's your Dragon's length you feel." She spoke in heated pants. "I'm so happy you've finally felt what I feel every time our Dragon takes me. It's pure joy, isn't it."

Koneko didn't respond. She couldn't. Her cries of pleasure were becoming louder and she was gripping the mattress for dear life. There was no telling how many times she had cum in the short span of time Jon had been fucking her.

"I want us to share this feeling together forever, Koneko." Asia moaned, feeling her own small climax fastly approaching. "Because I love you, Koneko. I love you as much as I love Jon and Rias. I want us all to be together, sharing our love for one another, always and forever."

"Asia!" Koneko wailed as tears fell freely down her face. "Asia, I love you! You've been so kind to me and such a good friend and I love you so much! I….I….ahhhhhhhh!"

Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head as Jon reared his head back and shouted, cumming deep inside her and causing her belly to bulge with the force. Her whole body seized and her eyes crossed. Asia was not far behind either of them, shutting her eyes and crying out in pleasure as she proceeded to squirt all over her hand.

They all collapsed. The room having been raised in temperature and the windows having fogged over. All from their body heat alone. Jon slid his seed stained cock out Koneko. What little didn't immediately come spurting out of her like cream slowly dribbled out onto the mattress. Koneko was not present. She was miles away on a cloud somewhere as the high of what she just experienced washed over her being.

Asia hugged her love tightly to her chest while she slowly came back down to Earth. Happy tears had formed in her eyes as the emotions she felt for Koneko spilled over.

After a few more shakey breathes, Koneko kissed Asia once again before nuzzling into her chest.

"Asia…" She purred.

The Blonde Beauty stroked her hair gently. "Now it's his turn. Tell him how you feel, my Love."

Koneko peered up at Jon nervously, dark thoughts welling up to her mind again. She need only look at Asia's radiant smile, however, before the dark thoughts instantly vanished. Koneko slowly sat up and peered at Jon with vulnerable, glassy eyes.

"I...I love you, Jon. It still scares me to admit that. But it's true. I love you and Asia more than anything. And I…" Tears streamed down her face. "I want us to be together forever!"

He smiled lovingly at her and kissed his precious Treasure deeply. "I love you too, Kani. So long as you will allow me, I will always be here to protect both you...and your smile."

Koneko sighed contently. Though doubt still weighed heavily on her mind, taking this leap, letting these feelings she'd been keeping bottled up go, was such a relief to her. With her world having finally stopped spinning, Koneko collapsed back into Asia's waiting arms, who giggled in delight as she nestled up beside her.

"Goodness you're sticky." She teased lightheartedly.

Koneko groaned in annoyance. "Blame Fire Hose over here." She commented bluntly, having finally seemed to return to normal.

Jon chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry about that."

"Guys...I'm not sure what was in that pill Momo gave me." Asia began to lightly pant again as her face heated up once more. "But I just can't seem to calm down. Smelling Jon's scent on Koneko is too much."

A wicked gleam shown in Koneko's eye. She shot Asia a toothy grin, a single fang protruding from her lip. Without a word, she rolled on top of her and pressed their bodies together in a sixty nine position. Asia squeaked in surprise.

"K...Koneko…" She spoke indignantly. "What are you-hyah!"

Her eyes went wide as Koneko proceeded to begin lapping at Asia's clit like a kitten with a bowl of milk. She swirled her tongue lovingly around the swollen dot before using her hands to spread her folds nice and wide.

"Well, Jon? Are you going to just sit there staring off into space or are you gonna help me give the Princess here her royal treatment?"

Asia blushed fiercely upon being called a princess. She bit her lower lip and shut her eyes tight as Koneko continued to lap at her heat. Jon proceeded to bring the head of his erect member to Asia's entrance when Koneko stopped him.

"Wait." She insisted before bringing the head of his cock up to her. "This bits mine."

What she did next came as such a surprise he almost fell off the bed. Koneko wrapped the head of his cock around her lips and took the entirety of his length down her throat. No gag reflex, no resistance, just a constant back and forth rhythm along his length. She did all this while circling Asia's clit with her finger, driving the poor girl mad with pleasure.

Considering she had no experience with this sort of thing, the fact that Koneko was giving Akeno a run for her money in the head department was so jarring to him that he already felt another orgasm swiftly building.

"Jesus fuck…" He growled as Koneko continued to suck on him determinedly, staring up with her cat like eyes while she took his full length down her throat. "...Kani...you're gonna...this is...dammit!"

He swore loudly as another wave hit him. Jon pumped his thick seed down her throat which she swallowed as best she could. Though most of it inevitably came bursting out her lips to coat his shaft. She proceeded to clean his cock thoroughly with her tongue before swirling his seed in her mouth and swallowing.

"Does he normally taste like whipped cream?" She asked Asia curiously while fingering her.

"N...no…" Asia squirmed and let out another indignant moan. "He usually tastes really salty!"

Koneko frowned in disappointment. "That one must be the drug then. Damn." She shrugged and continued to play with her pussy like a pet with a toy. "Okay, go ahead Jon."

"W...wait!" Asia panicked. "I'm so sensitive down there right now, if you put it in I'll-"

Her words cut off as Jon pushed himself all the way to the hilt into Asia's swollen flower. No words escaped, not even sounds. She was paralyzed in place by the cluster of nerves her lovers were hitting so liberally.

Now Koneko was snickering at Asia. "Well well, Jon. Looks like we've left her speechless."

"So we have." He added playfully.

She cast her feline gaze up at him. "Ravage her the way you did me. Become an animal and take us both."

He cocked a brow at her curiously. "What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

"Just do it." Koneko insisted, a playful look in her eyes. "Otherwise I'll start biting."

That look in her eyes. It reminded Jon of a cat wanting to play wrestle. Koneko clearly had some sort of primal side to her, though only time would tell as to what the full extent of that primal side turned out to be.

"Suit yourself." He proceeded to spread Asia's legs wide and ram his meaty length into her repeatedly.

She immediately responded to his movements with a loud moan as her eyes began to roll into the back of her head. Asia's mind went blank as Jon fucked her mercilessly and Koneko lapped at her clit.

"I can't! I can't!" Asia shook her head repeatedly from side to side. "It's too much!"

She reared back and her eyes nearly bulged out of her head as she came hard. Asia panted and huffed while her mind swirled. She went cross eyed and her tongue protruded out her gaping mouth in an indignant manner.

"I think she's liking it." Koneko grinned back at her before spinning around and grinding her heat against Asia's. She moaned along with the completely lost Bishop before lowering her head and sucking on one of her breasts.

As if having been jolted awake, Asia's eyes got even wider. "Kyah! Wait! Wait! They're super sensitive!"

Koneko took that as an invitation and proceeded to pull on Asia's other nipple while lapping and sucking on the first.

"Do it, Asia." Koneko encouraged. "Cum with Jon and me. We'll all cum together."

"Fuck!" Jon growled as he neared his climax.

"P...please...I'm…" She went cross eyed again as her whole higher brain function shut down. "I...can't…." With a few convulsions she lurched up and screamed.

"Hyaaaaaaaah!"

Asia squirted all over both of them, her eyes crossed and her tongue sticking out. Koneko was next, crying out in pure bliss while Jon swore loudly and came deep inside Asia with one final pump.

All three of them collapsed, their bodies drenched in sweat from the exertion.

"W...wow." Koneko finally managed to pant out. "I think that was your biggest one yet, Asia...Asia?"

Nobody home. The poor girl's brain was permanently fried and she still had that ridiculous look on her face.

"You know if you keep crossing your eyes like that it'll become perma-"

She squeaked indignantly as Jon suddenly hoisted her up off the ground and spread her legs as wide as they would go. Her back hit his abdominal muscles while he gripped her thighs in both meaty arms.

"J..Jon! What are you-Unyah!"

Without any warning or preparation whatsoever he slammed his full length as deep as it would go. The way she was stretched out it felt as if he had just swirled up her insides. Her whole body convulsed from the shock but he didn't even give her time to breath, let alone think, before repeatedly bouncing her up and down along his shaft again and again.

How the hell was he still going?

"Jon!" She shouted hysterically. "What are you doing?! This position, I can't-" Her words wouldn't come. He kept hitting...something every time he thrust into her and it was building up to a sensation her body was in no way equipped to handle yet.

"I ain't stopping till you're making the same face she is right now." He growled like a beast possessed. Smoke flared from his nostrils as he worked his Treasure like a well oiled piston. His ab muscles burning like fire as he slammed into her faster still.

"B-But! This! I can't! It's not! I'm...I'm...I'm…" Nothing but incoherent nonsense. Her brain was shutting down same as Asia's. Jon bit her on her ear and she was gone. Her eyes crossed and her tongue sticking out exactly like the Bishop's.

Yet still he did not relent. Jon bit down on her neck and electricity jolted through her body. Koneko melted with reckless abandon, completely giving in to her primal urges.

"Unyah! Nee! N...Ny...Nya...Nya...Nyaaaaaaaan!"

She came. Spraying Asia in a manner similar to how she had done to her. Koneko fell off Jon next to Asia, her face contorted into that same look pure ecstasy that hers was in.

"Fuuuuuuuck!" Jon roared before showering them both in his seed. Both ladies readily accepted his hot sticky rain. Too numb to do anything but lay their with their mouths open.

As Jon slowly came back down to planet Earth from the cloud he had soared off to, he looked down at his two panting ladies and chuckled as their chests heaved up and down forcefully. Each of them now coated in his white.

"Okay…" He gasped, his breath slowly returning to normal. "...seriously. If you two keep making that face I'm gonna think you just had a stroke."

No response.

"Girls?" Now he looked worried. "Is something wrong? I didn't...what the fuuuu…"

His vision swam and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Jon's last conscious thought was that of collapsing onto his face in the middle of both his Treasures before all faded to black.

* * *

Tsubaki was still working tirelessly on her research when Sona came to check on her again. They were almost done decrypting most of Valper's software and she wanted to make sure her Vice President was doing okay.

"You know, as flattered as I am to have you constantly worrying about me Ms. President, you do have your own health to consider." Tsubaki smiled upon hearing Sona enter the lab for the second time that night.

Her Kingpiece chuckled at her. "Well what can I say? I feel a little bit guilty you had to miss the festivities this year."

She shrugged indifferently. "It's not like I particularly care for such events. I find research far more stimulating than wild partying."

Sona nodded in understanding before removing her glasses and sauntering over to a nearby cabinet. She grabbed a vial from the top shelf and placed a single pill in her hand before returning the container to its proper place.

"Still, I know you were looking forward to spending this Halloween with Sammy."

Tsubaki blushed, a small embarrassed frown forming on her features. "He has Momo and Ruruki to take care of him tonight. I'll find time later."

"Indeed." The President took her pill in hand and walked up behind Tsubaki before gently caressing her neck with the back of her hand. The Vice President responded almost immediately. Gasping silently before shutting her eyes and leaning into the touch.

"And who has been taking care of 'you' hmm?" She asked in a suggestive tone.

"Sona…" Tsubaki was about to protest but found herself cut off by the President spinning her chair around and placing a finger against her lips.

"Come now. It's Halloween." Sona insisted. "The one night a year where our indulgent desires are socially acceptable."

"Yes but-"

"No buts." She interjected before straddling Tsubaki's lap. "Everyone else on campus is enjoying each other's company. And you've been working hard these past few weeks. It's high time someone looked after my Queen."

Their lips connected. As Sona tenderly kissed Tsubaki the two of them began unbuttoning each other's blouses. Their bras pressed against one another as they began attacking each other's lips a little more forcefully. Sona pulled away and kissed up Tsubaki's neck, who responded with small erotic breaths of air. The President then placed the tablet against her tongue and pressed her lips to Tsubaki's once more. As they kissed for a second time, she slid her tongue into her mouth, passing the drug along in the process.

Tsubaki immediately pulled back. "Wait. What was that?"

Sona blinked at her in confusion. "It's just a Loa Tablet. Nothing major. Just twenty five milligrams."

"But…" She shook her head. "No, hold on. I thought I gave those to Sammy."

"Apparently not." Sona observed, now sounding a little worried. "I found them in the cabinet where they always are."

As if not quite believing her, Tsubaki proceeded to stand up and rebutton her blouse, much to the annoyance of her President. She walked briskly over to the cabinet and searched the top shelf. Sure enough, the tablets were still there.

"So then what did he…" Before she could finish her thought, an empty shelf caught her eye. Almost immediately, she flared in anger. "Oh that….bloody idiot!"

"What's wrong?" Sona asked as she proceeded to button up her top.

"He took the wrong vial." She pointed to the empty space on the shelf, her voice equal parts disappointed and pissed off. "He was only supposed to grab the twenty five milligram tablets. He's got the two hundred and fifty milligram dose."

"Oh dear sweet Satan…" Sona placed her hands up to her face, a full blown migraine already having set in.

"I don't need to remind you, Ms. President, that the difference between twenty five milligrams of Loa Dust and two hundred and fifty is one will help take the edge off and get you in the mood, and the other is what we would use if we ever needed to tranquilize a Gryphon." She insisted, impressing the urgency of the situation on the President. "We need to deal with this before he sends half our Peerage into drug induced catatonia."

"I understand." Sona assured. "Come. We'll handle this quickly but discreetly."

In their haste to scurry out the door and get a handle on the crisis that had just presented itself neither one of them had bothered to lock the door.

Unfortunately for both Sona and Tsubaki, it was as they were leaving that three intruders made their move and entered the lab.

"Alright, we're in." Aika declared triumphantly.

"Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit!" Matsuda exclaimed excitedly. "We just totally saw the President and the Vice President of the Honor's Committee make out in front of us."

"I am so totally gonna fantasize about that in the shower later." Motohama drooled.

"Would you two knuckleheads keep it down?" Aika shushed them both insistently. "We're trying to be sneaky, remember?"

"Right...sorry."

"So what is it we're looking for exactly?"

"How should I know?" Aika huffed angrily.

"This whole thing was your idea!" Matsuda insisted.

"Just look around the room for anything that stands out." She ordered.

They began scoping the Laboratory for anything that might be useful to their investigation. Motohama was slightly out of breath from the exertion and his breathing was becoming increasingly louder as a result.

Aika looked up from the drawer she was inspecting and glared at him. "You know...you're the only person I know who snores when he's awake." She reprimanded harshly.

"Well excuse me." He raised his hands up defensively, sounding slightly offended.

"Hey guys! Come take a look at this!" Matsuda waved them over to a nitrogen cooler that contained the glass vial labeled _Sample 2._

"That's some freaky deeky mad science shit if I've ever seen it." He observed while opening the freezer and taking out the vial.

"What are you doing?!" Aika whispered frantically.

He shrugged, vial in hand. "What's it look like? Gathering evidence."

"Have you never been in a lab before? You don't just pick up a test tube without gloves!" She insisted vehemently. "Especially one that's glowing!"

He waved her off dismissively. "You worry too much, Bra. I'll bet you guys anything this is Jon's super secret pheromone power!"

"Oh man, I bet you're right!" Motohama cheered excitedly. "Harem Heaven, here we come!"

She groaned in weary exasperation. "I was making that up!"

"Well jokes on you, because I found the real deal, Baby." He boasted while trying to twist off the cap. "Now how do I get this damn thing off?"

"Maybe there's a button." Motohama offered before taking the vial from him.

"Are you two insane?!" She quickly tried to take the vial away from them. "Put that away before you give us all ebola!"

"Hey careful!"

Motohama accidentally pressed a button on the top of the vial. A metal spraying apparatus rose up from the cap of the vial and sprayed a cloud of green smoke in all directions. Aika, Matsuda, and Motohama all proceeded to choke and cough on the gas before slowly becoming dizzy.

"Guys...I don't feel so…"

They collapsed one by one onto the floor. The vial, meanwhile, rolled harmlessly out of Motohama's hand and resealed itself.

From outside the lab, Sona and Tsubaki observed as the three nosey humans fell unconscious.

"So what do you think?" Sona asked while adjusting her glasses.

"I'm not sure what it is you hope to gain from this." Tsubaki spoke in earnest. "Other than potentially contaminating my only sample of that specimen."

She grinned wickedly. "You said you needed test subjects. And those three just happened to volunteer."

"Wouldn't it be easier to just erase their memory?" Tsubaki insisted wearily. "I've lost track of how many times those two in particular have caused us trouble. And the girl hasn't faired much better since she arrived."

"We'll consider this their disciplinary action." Sona decided. "They want to know about us so badly the least they can do is help with your research."

"And if it kills them or spreads to the other students?" Tsubaki asked questioningly.

She shrugged apathetically. "Then we will deal with it. I believe the potential data you can receive from our three little Guinea Pigs outweighs any potential outbreak."

Tsubaki sighed and shook her head in disbelief. "If you say so."

"Now in all seriousness." Sona insisted. "We really should take those Loa Tablets away from my Pawn."

"What about them?" She pointed with her thumb to the three comatose students.

"Is there any chance they'll wake up in the next hour?"

"By the way that one is drooling, I highly doubt it."

Sona nodded agreeably. "Then I say just leave them there."

Sona and Tsubaki walked away, leaving Aika, Matsuda, and Motohama alone on the lab floor as their veins began to glow.


	24. Chapter 24

**::Author's Note::**

**Just a quick note this time. I'm about to take this story in a direction that I hadn't previously considered before. When I mentioned I was having writer's block and it was stopping me from continuing the Devil's Colt series, THIS was the spark of inspiration that made me jump back into it. I understood where I had taken the story and the general direction it was going. And I know how it's supposed to end. The problem I was having was getting from Point A to Point B. I was missing my bridge.**

**Ladies and Gentleman, I have found my bridge.**

**I'm very interested in feedback for this chapter and the next one in particular because I get the distinct feeling a lot of you are immediately going to pick up on what I'm doing here. I always include references to other media in my work and love it when my readers are able to spot them. Well...this one isn't so much a reference as it is a full blown crossover. (Though I'm still considering this to be a purely Highschool DxD Fanfiction.)**

**I'll leave it to you to figure out what I mean by this. For now, here is Chapter 24.**

**::End Note::**

Jon should have never taken those damn tablets from Sammy. Even after waking up, his sense of equilibrium was so out of whack that standing or even just sitting up was completely out of the question. The tingly phase and burning hormones phase were both over. This was an entirely new phase.

The cerebral palsy phase.

If Asia and Koneko were still with him he couldn't tell. Everything was just a blur of motion and sound.

"Jon...Jon listen to me." He heard a familiar voice call out.

"Who's there?" He grumbled in his half conscious stupor.

"You're still not fully recovered yet." The calm, nurturing voice spoke to him. "But once you're awake, I need you to come to the Chapter Room and speak to me."

"What?" He slurred incoherently.

"I've placed some burning incense in the room that should help you recover, but in the meantime, just sleep."

"But…"

"Sleep Jon." The voice insisted in a motherly tone.

"I…" He began to doze off.

"Sleep…"

His eyes shut closed and all went black once more.

* * *

Aika slowly rose up out of her bed in a daze. She stretched her back and yawned sleepily, blinking a few times as her brain raced to catch up with her body. She was in her dorm room, judging by all the photos hanging on the walls. All was as it should be.

Except...no it wasn't. The last thing she remembered was scoping out the Microbiology lab with Matsuda and Motohama. Then they were gassed by something and she blacked out. As she recollected the events of the previous night, it slowly dawned on her that someone had taken her back to her room.

Aika threw off the covers and quickly ran to the mirror. She was intact, and seemed to be in reasonable health more or less. After breathing a sigh of relief she went to her desk and grabbed her phone. She quickly punched in Motohama's number and hit the call button.

"Come on. Come on. Come on." She chanted antsily while waiting for him to pick up.

"Hello?" She heard a groggy male voice come through the speaker. He must have just gotten up, same as her.

"Motohama!" Aika breathed a sigh of relief. "Is Matsuda with you?"

"No?" He responded in a weirded out tone. "We don't actually live together, you know."

"Listen, what all do you remember from last night?"

"Uhhh…" He took a moment to think about it. "I remember us going to the party with Jon, then some weird dream about us sneaking into the Microbiology lab."

"It wasn't a dream!" She insisted excitedly. "All of that really happened."

"Wait, for real?" He sounded surprised. "I thought someone had slipped something into my drink!"

"Look, when can you meet me?" She quickly changed the subject. "We need to wake up Matsuda and discuss everything we found."

"I'll let mom know I'm going out." He responded. "We can meet up at Matsuda's place."

She nodded in agreement. "I'll see you there." After hanging up the phone, Aika grabbed her bag and glasses before heading to the door.

* * *

Aika quickly made her way off campus to Matsuda's apartment. Once she arrived at her destination she ascended the stairs to Matsuda's floor. There, Motohama had been waiting patiently for her to arrive.

"Good you're here. Listen, something's not…"

She stopped upon getting close enough to see him. From a distance she knew it was Motohama but up close he looked...different. The first noticeable change being that he wasn't wearing his glasses. But aside from that, his skin looked healthier. His acne was gone and he'd seemingly tanned over night.

"So...what do you think?" He asked while slicking back his hair and grinning at her.

"You look completely different." She commented, still trying to get a handle on this.

"It's crazy, isn't it?" He responded excitedly. "I've been wearing glasses since I was seven! What was in that vial we tried to steal?"

Something else she noticed as they talked. His voice had gotten deeper. Over the phone she attributed it to a bad connection but hearing him now she could tell his hyponasality was gone, as if someone had gone in and done major surgery on his sinuses overnight. Aika decided to place it to the back of her mind for now and get to the bottom of all this.

"Come on, let's go wake up Matsuda." She insisted before waving for him to follow.

They made their way to Matsuda's front door and knocked.

"Matsuda! You awake? It's Aika." She knocked again, a little more forcefully this time.

The knob turned and the door slowly opened up.

"What's your damage, Bra?" Matsuda groaned, still half asleep. "It's like...seven in the morning."

Aika and Motohama both reeled back in shock upon seeing their buddy Matsuda. Out of all three of them, he had changed the most.

"Uhhh...dude?" Motohama shakily pointed at him. "Your head…"

"Huh?" Matsuda blinked in confusion. "What about it?"

"You have hair!" Aika exclaimed before pointing at the thick locks of dark brown hair he had seemingly grown overnight.

"What?" He gave her a disbelieving look. "Is this some kind of joke? I think I would know if I had magically grown...hair...over…"

His hand slid up his face to graze the fresh locks of hair on his scalp as he spoke. Matsuda's mouth fell open and his skin paled. He ran his hands all over his scalp to make sure he was really touching what it felt like he was touching. Matsuda then ran from his front entrance to the bathroom and flipped on the light before gazing at the mirror.

A sharp, hysterical scream resounded throughout the apartment. Aika and Motohama both looked at each other in disbelief. This day had just gotten even stranger.

* * *

Matsuda was in high spirits as the three of them walked down the streets of Kuoh that day. He hadn't stopped running his hands through his hair since they left his apartment.

"Man, this is so dope!" He exclaimed, giddy as all get out. "I haven't been able to grow my hair out since I was a teenager!"

"Would you stop playing with it like that? It's creepy." Aika insisted. "Motohama, talk some sense into him please?"

"The sidewalks in this district are so much dirtier than I thought." Motohama was looking at the ground. "I've spotted at least two hundred and thirty four pieces of chewed up gum on the ground since we left Matsuda's place."

Aika gave him a weird look. "And you know that, how?"

He shrugged. "Just an observation." Motohama then leaned in close to her, as if inspecting something. "Did you know you blink an awful lot? Like...you've blinked twenty two times since we started talking."

"Stop staring at me like that!" She smacked him across the face.

"Ow! What was that for?" He whined indignantly.

"Dude! Check out these guns!" Matsuda rolled up his sleeve and flexed his bicep. He'd gained at least twenty pounds of solid muscle almost overnight. "Can you believe it?! We really hit the motherload with that pimp potion."

"Look, would you stop calling it that? We don't know for sure what it really was."

"What else could it be?" He challenged while placing his hands behind his head in a relaxed state. "I'm telling you, this is the key to Jon's success with the ladies."

"Man...there are a lot of police cars zooming around the city today." Matsuda cupped an ear to the air. "At least twenty are coming this way. Maybe there was a robbery."

Aika groaned. "Look, I don't know what the heck has gotten into you two, but you need to chill out. We have no idea what it was we were exposed to. There could be side effects."

"You're just jealous because you're the only one who didn't get any cool powers." Matsuda retorted.

"We need to be serious about this!" She was turning red. "Whatever was in that vial, it wasn't like anything normal science can produce. Not if what we've seen is any indication. The media needs to know about this. About the ORC."

Matsuda stopped walking.

"Why?"

She narrowed her eyes at him squirrely. "What do you mean, why?"

He shrugged. "Why do we have to tell anyone?"

"Because the world needs to know that something crazy is happening at Kuoh! Something supernatural!"

"But if we go stirring up trouble, then whoever is behind all this might come looking for us." Motohama observed. "We could lose all we've gained."

"Yeah! No way in hell I'm giving up this new bod of mine." Matsuda insisted. "This is our chance for a new lease on life."

She stared at them incredulously. "So what? Now that you have your new bodies you're just gonna walk away from this?"

At that moment, twenty squad cars came zooming by them.

"Called it." Motohama bragged.

"Look, I have no idea what was in that vial or why it was there, and frankly I don't care to know." Matsuda insisted. "All I know is that I'm gonna be rolling in the panties with these rippling pecks of mine."

Aika shook her head in disgust, her mouth agape. "Unbelievable. You really don't think about anything other than sex, do you?"

"There are seven ambulances coming this way." Motohama spoke up while squinting down the road. "Must have been some casualties."

"You know…" Matsuda glared at Aika angrily. "...all this time you've been dragging us around campus looking for your dumb paranormal mumbo jumbo but you never really seemed to care about what we wanted. All you've done is order us around and I'm getting kinda tired of it." He folded his arms. "You want to know what I think? I think this whole thing was just an excuse for you to drive a wedge between Asia and her club."

She was completely taken aback. "Wh...what did you just say?!"

"Just admit it." Motohama added. "We both know you're in love with her. Hell, half the school probably knows you've got a crush. Why can't you just accept Asia doesn't like you that way and move on?"

That was it. They had officially pushed the wrong button.

"You know what? You're right." She growled back at him venomously. "I don't care about what you two want. And do you know why? Because what you two want is PATHETIC!"

Seven ambulances came zooming past them, sirens blaring. Once they passed, she continued.

"Honestly, why Jon wastes his time with you two is beyond me. In all the time I've known you you've proven to be nothing but a couple of shallow, self absorbed, entitled little man children who have no business going anywhere NEAR a woman. Yet, all you ever talk about is figuring out Jon's 'secret' and building your own personal fantasy harem like you're both undiscovered Gods among men."

The two of them were too stunned to talk, so Aika continued to do it for them.

"But the thing that pisses me off the most about you." She spoke through clenched teeth. "You have the nerve to feel sorry for yourselves like getting rejected is the woman's fault, not yours. All while whining and begging for your Lord and Savior Jonathan Hyodo to show you the way. You really want to know what Jon's secret is, that badly? It's not his looks, or his body, or his accent, or any of that superfluous bullshit. The reason Jon is popular with women is because he's a provider. He doesn't waste his life away playing video games nine hours a day or jerking off to hentai. Jon has talent. He has drive. And on top of that, he has the willpower to achieve his goals. THAT'S what makes him so popular with girls."

They both slowly began to deflate as she continued to dig into them.

"So what do you two bring to the table exactly? What makes you worthy of a girl as wonderful as Asia or as motivated as Rias? Women like that are the way they are because they work at it harder than anyone else. Asia isn't just a kind person, she actively works every day to show people how much she cares. And Rias? She probably moisturizes her face for at least an hour every night to get a complexion like that, and I guarantee you'll never see her eating anything heavier than a salad on any given day. She's going to be a world leader ten years from now. Or the CEO of a powerful company. What will you two be doing?"

Her words cut them both deep.

"Now do you get it? It doesn't matter how good looking you become or what crazy powers you get. No woman will date you because at the end of the day you're both still perverts who have absolutely nothing to offer us."

A cold silence permeated the air. As it slowly dawned on Aika what she just did, her expression turned to one of woeful regret.

"Guys...I'm sorry, I don't know what-"

"I'm outta here." Matsuda turned in one direction and left.

"Yeah...me too." Motohama turned in the other direction and left as well.

She sighed, placing her head in her palm and shaking it from side to side. "Too far, Aika. Way too far."

Truthfully, she didn't hate those idiots. As much as they got on her last nerve, they were still good guys at their hearts. She'd seen enough to know that much at least. Hanging out with them hadn't been as miserable as she was letting on and they actually had a lot in common. It was just so frustrating how objectifying they could be towards women. But she shouldn't have snapped at them like that. Matsuda and Motohama had just hit a particularly raw nerve and she wasn't thinking.

As Aika thought how best to make it up to the guys, she began to notice just how deathly quiet the city had gotten.

* * *

Matsuda walked down the back streets of the Jyongden district, his hands in his pockets and a heavy gloom hanging over his head. He couldn't get what Aika had said out of his mind. 'Nothing to offer'. That's really what she told them. He'd always suspected that was what was going through most ladies minds whenever he tried to talk to them, but it still hurt hearing it out loud like that.

But what hurt even more was that she was right. What DID he have to offer women exactly? Aside from his wicked Call of Duty skills, anyway. He wasn't like Jon, as much as he wished he could be. And nothing was going to change that. Talent? Drive? Willpower? He had none of those things.

He used to...but not anymore.

As he continued to sulk, old memories came bubbling back to the surface. Matsuda caught sight of a back alley thrift store and walked inside. Nostalgia having driven him to search for something. After looking around the small shop, something caught his eye that made him smile. He pulled a wooden bat from one of the bargain bins and inspected it.

"It's four hundred yen if you're interested."

Matsuda turned, a young lady with orange brown hair and reddish brown eyes was smiling at him with her arms folded behind her back in a playful manner. She giggled quietly upon meeting his gaze. Her healthy breasts pressed out towards him.

Okay, that was going to take some getting used to. Matsuda was used to most pretty girls looking at him like something they had just picked off their shoe.

Must...resist urge...to stare at...gigantic boobies!

He forced back the naughty thoughts and smiled at her.

"I...uhhh…"

She frowned. "Is everything okay?"

Dammit, he was blowing this! He just needed to say something that wasn't related to her body in any way. Anything would do!

And then a lightbulb went off.

"Seriously? This is only four hundred yen?" He inspected the bat more thoroughly, putting a real good eye on it now. "You do know what you have here, right?"

She quirked her head at him curiously. "I thought it was just a bat."

"Just a bat?" He repeated in disbelief while holding up the proverbial wooden stick. "This is a Vintage Louiseville Slugger. The same kind of bat used by the late great Joe Dimagio. One of the greatest Hitters of all time."

"Really? How do you know?"

"Look here." He pointed to the engravings on the bat's surface. "See that mark? That's how you know it's authentic."

"Wow, I had no idea." She marveled. By the way she was looking at him, it seemed she was far less interested in the bat than she was in...something else. "So...how much do you think a bat like this is worth?"

"For one in this condition? I'd pay at least thirty thousand yen for it."

She gave him a playful smile. "Well in that case, it's thirty thousand yen."

He guffawed at her, causing her to snicker in amusement.

"My, but you do have a discerning eye, young man." An elderly Japanese man approached them. "Most youngsters these days can't appreciate the classics."

"Hey Grandpa, did you know this bat is worth a lot more than we were offering for it?" His Granddaughter mentioned excitedly.

He nodded. "Truthfully, I wasn't sure what to do with it or I'd have charged more. Most customers these days are only interested in bats used by the Japanese Players."

Matsuda shook his head insistently. "A true fan of the sport should be able to appreciate its full history. Baseball may be popular in Japan, but it started in America." He held the bat up. "This bats an important part of history."

"You must be a player yourself." The old man deduced.

He nodded enthusiastically. "I am! Or, I mean…" His expression darkened somewhat. "...I was."

The elderly shopkeeper seemed to consider him in a different light. "I tell you what. Take the bat. No charge."

"Wh…" Matsuda stared at the man in disbelief. "...are you serious, Gramps?"

"You can appreciate that bat better than most." The Shopkeeper observed. "I'd go so far as to say that I believe you were destined to have it."

"Thank you!" He bowed respectfully.

The Shopkeeper nodded and returned to the cash register, leaving Matsuda alone to marvel at his newly acquired piece of history.

"Something I have to offer…" He mumbled to himself, deep in thought.

"There's a batting cage not far from here." The girl suddenly spoke up.

Matsuda looked up to see she was still smiling at him, only now she was twirling a strand of hair through her finger and blushing. Was she seriously still talking to him?

"Okay." He bowed gratefully to her. "Thanks."

He was about to leave when a thought occurred to him. Maybe it was the hair or the muscles that was giving Matsuda this sudden surge of confidence...no, it was the bat. He was all but certain of it. Holding that slugger in his hands was more empowering than any crazy science goo could ever be.

He turned back around. "So...I was thinking…" Matsuda scratched the back of his head, a light blush creeping on his cheeks. "If you're interested, it'd be pretty rad if you-"

"I'd love to come watch!" She beamed at him happily.

He was elated. "Great! Ummm...I don't know if I ever caught your name."

She giggled sweetly. "Oops, how silly of me." The girl bowed politely before introducing herself. "I'm Rei Miyamota, it's nice to meet you."

"Matsuda Komuro." He bowed. "Nice to meet you too."

* * *

Motohama had a lot on his mind as he wandered around the underground mall of the Jyongan District. Aika's words aside, he just needed some space to get a better idea of where his head was at. The world seemed so much more...vivid than he remembered.

There were so many sights, sounds, colors, things he never noticed before. How long had he been staring at women's breasts that so much of life had passed him by? Aika's words had really struck a chord with him. Not necessarily because they hurt his feelings, but because they really started to make him think.

"What have I been doing with my life up until now?"

He had always sort of known he'd been living a shallow life. But for whatever reason, he was okay with that. His eyes had been permanently glued to the bodies of gorgeous women for as long as he could remember. Whatever was in that vial, it seemed to have set him free.

He wasn't just aware of breasts. He was aware of everything. The city was calling to him. Demanding his attention as loudly as the perfectly sculpted ass of the Captain of the Kendo team once did. But what was he to do with this newfound sense of self awareness? What was his true calling?

"So anyway, I start telling this creep if he doesn't back up I'll have Daddy send security on his ass."

A sharp feminine voice caught his attention. Up above him on the second floor, a girl with pink hair tied into two twin tails and dressed in a classy expensive skirt and white blouse was speaking on her phone. Motohama recognized the voice almost instantly.

It was Saya Takaga. A freshman at Kuoh Academy. The daughter of an influential politician and absolute genius. Bust size 36. Waist 23. Hips 34.

At least, that's how he used to see her.

Truthfully, Motohama was finding it difficult to focus on anything other than her voice. That obnoxious, condescending, tone combined with those cold hard eyes. He used to think she was one of the hottest girls in the freshman class. Now he just found her obnoxious.

How long had he been blinded by her physical attractiveness? Yesterday, his eyes would have been permanently locked to her massive bouncy chest and revealingly short skirt. But there was so much more going on around her that was just as captivating. For instance, their were two men hanging up a storefront sign that had to weigh at least five hundred pounds.

Using a length of rope that was clearly not up to code. A length of rope that looked ready to give way at any moment. Time slowed around him as he calculated the estimated amount of time before the rope snapped and the sign dropped and deduced that it would do so roughly around the same time that she was directly under it.

The alarms in his head began to blare. Danger! There wasn't time to warn her, and she was completely oblivious to the disastrous fate that was about to befall her. He needed to act! Matsuda scanned the surrounding area. Aside from the sign, what else was there? Scaffolding to the right caught his eye. Three metal bars balanced precariously against it. Directly next to it? A wooden plank resting against a drum, weighed down by a brick. Beyond that? A stack of folded umbrellas stuffed to capacity in a metal can.

Motohama had the trajectory, angle of ascent, and velocity that he needed. Now all that was required was an appropriately weighted projectile. He quickly scanned around his environment in search of something he could use. A child off in the distance was playing with his pet labrador. In his hands…

Chewed up tennis ball! Go! Go! Go!

He sprung into action. Dashing to the tennis ball, snatching it from the extremely confused boy's hands, calculating his trajectory, and throwing. The ball hit one of the metal poles and knocked it over onto the wooden plank, which launched the brick into the air, which then knocked down the barrel of umbrellas. Thereby blocking off Saya from her route of death.

The line snapped and the sign dropped, scaring the living daylights out of Saya and sending her stumbling backwards towards the railing.

"Uh oh…" Motohama willed his limbs to move as she slipped over the bannister and began to plummet to the ground below, screaming in indignant terror all the way down. Time appeared to be moving in slow motion around Motohama as he sprinted to her. In that moment of exhilaration, her skirt flew up. Showing him everything and leaving Motohama momentarily stunned.

Just enough to where when he finally did manage to get under her, his intended catch turned into a faceplant as she landed directly on Motohama and knocked him to the ground. Though he successfully broke her fall, she was now sitting on his face.

"Almost...had it…" He grumbled in pain, her cotton white panties still planted firmly on his face.

As she slowly came to her senses and looked around, the presence of someone directly under her became glaringly apparent. Her face lit up like a thermometer and she practically launched off him like a rocket.

"What the hell are you doing you Perv?!" She shouted in flustered anger at the man whose face she had been oblviously sitting on not but a moment ago. "Do you have any idea who I am?!"

"Saya Takaga. Of the prestigious Takaga family." Motohama stated while slowly sitting up from the ground. He was still a little loopy and wasn't quite there mentally just yet. "You're in my Advanced Trigonometry class." He stared up at her, still seeing double. "Did you know your butt looks like two pringles hugging?"

She let out an appalled gasp before bringing her hand up over her head and slapping the ever loving daylights out of him. Motohama's head went spinning and he collapsed to the floor again, seeing stars for the second time.

During this unfortunate misunderstanding, a crowd had drawn around them.

"Did you see that?" One person mumbled.

"That boy just saved her life." Another lady marveled.

"Why'd she slap him like that?"

"Doesn't seem very grateful to me."

As the crowd murmured amongst each other and pointed, Saya slowly began to look around and take stock of everything that had happened. From the sign falling down, to Motohama's apparent rescue as she fell. Her face turned red and she scowled angrily, a slight quiver in her body. Motohama sat back up once again, groaning in pain as he rubbed his aching cheek.

"You get...one free meal." She silently growled.

He quirked his head at her in confusion. "Huh?"

"One meal!" She insisted snappishly. "My treat...then we're even."

* * *

Matsuda was really beginning to have second thoughts about this. It had been years since he hit a baseball. To say that he was out of form was an understatement, even if he did have more muscle now than back when he first played.

Not only that, he still had yet to fully test how much stronger he actually was. For all he knew this beefy bod he had just been gifted could very well just be for show.

But man...when he got a look at Rei as they walked together, any reservations he may have had instantly went out the window. She was so gorgeous in her knee high skirt and silky white top. And as much as he was sweating bullets, seeing the radiant smile on her face was enough for him to cast all doubts aside and go balls to the wall. Literally.

"I'll warn you, I'm out of practice." He cautioned her.

She smiled, nodding in understanding. "It's okay. I'm sure you'll do just fine. You look like you've got a lot of natural talent."

Great...the pressure was really on now. This girl was expecting a show and if he didn't deliver he was certain his chances of going any further with her would plummet. If he didn't pull this off, his momentum stopped here.

Finally, they made it to the batting cage. This was it. Time to nut up or shut up.

"I'll be right over here!" Rei declared excitedly, a bright smile on her face as she eagerly anticipated the beginning of his hitting streak from outside the cage.

Matsuda gulped back his remaining fears and entered the batting area. Once inside, he flipped a switch that started up the machine before stepping up to the base.

For a moment...it was like he had been taken back there. Back to highschool, back on the field, back on that first base among the cheering crowds chanting his name. A wave of nostalgia hit him as he tapped the bat against his sneaker.

For that one brief moment, the Wonderkid of Fujimi Highschool was back.

Matsuda raised his bat and took his stance. The ball came soaring out of the launcher directly towards him. He took his swing…

...and completely wiffed. The ball zoomed straight past his bat and hit the back of the cage.

Strike one.

"Just...just need to warm up a bit." He chuckled nervously.

She nodded in understanding and continued to watch.

He readied his bat again. The ball shot from the launcher and he swung. Again his bat connected with nothing.

Strike two.

Rei's smile faded slightly. She turned her head away and cleared her throat as an awkward tension filled the air.

Okay...no more screwing around. Matsuda choked up on the bat, gripped it tighter, and focused. Rei peered at him with curious intrigue as a steely look formed in his eyes.

The ball launched again and he swung.

Crack went the bat as he made solid contact. The sound was glorious to his ears, an incredible reminder of his past. He could almost hear the crowd burst into applause as his ball went soaring into the net at the far end of the cage.

Rei beamed with excitement and bounced in the air, clapping her hands energetically for him. It felt incredible. A surge of adrenaline rushed through him as he choked up on the bat again. Another ball launched towards him and he cracked off another massive hit. This one blasted straight through the net and kept flying.

With each ball he hit, more and more holes were riddled into the net. Rei continued to watch on in amazement, her features elated by the incredible display. Matsuda's confidence surged and he cracked one of his old post homerun grins at her, making Rei blush in the process.

It had been years since he got a girl to do that.

She gasped and pointed. "Look out!"

"Huh?" He looked back at the machine just in time to see a baseball come flying straight at his face. The projectile beaned him right in the left eye and knocked him flat on his back. Rei quickly rushed into the cage and shut the machine off before kneeling down to check on him.

"Are you okay?"

Matsuda peered up into her gorgeous eyes as she stared down at him in concern. The sunlight danced off her features, causing her to almost sparkle.

Maybe he got hit harder than he thought.

* * *

Rei wanted to get some ice on Matsuda's eye, but the swelling went down before she got the chance. Whatever was in that vial, it wasn't just his looks or his strength that had been affected. Apparently he was healing faster now too.

Regardless, that was the furthest thing from his mind at that moment. Right now, he was more concerned with the fact that he was actually spending time with a girl. Not just any girl either. Rei was so unbelievably nice and charming in addition to being insanely pretty.

As they walked together, she suddenly turned and smiled. "Hey…I wanted to say thank you for letting me come watch you practice. I haven't had fun like that in awhile."

"Really?" Matsuda chuckled nervously. "I figured a girl like you might have better ways to spend your time than bumming around with a guy like me." He played his words off as a joke, but truthfully he was genuinely questioning her interest in him.

Her smile seemed to glower somewhat. "You'd be surprised. Truth be told, I don't have a whole lot of friends."

Matsuda had to stop himself from laughing. That was a joke right? A girl like this didn't just have friends. She had a boyfriend, a backup boyfriend, and three dudes stuck in the friendzone on standby. Girls like her weren't just popular, they could get whatever they wanted...right?

Yet the look in her eyes was so unbelievably sad. How could someone be smiling and yet still look so depressed? Rather than comment, he decided to leave it be for the moment.

"I mean...you have your Grandpa right?" He offered encouragingly. "He seems like a pretty cool dude."

She nodded, her brightness slowly returning. "My parents died when I was very little. It's just been me and him for as long as I can remember. He's a good man. A bit stern, but fair."

He chuckled. "Yeah. My old man's like that too. Both my parents are." His smile faltered somewhat. "In all honesty...I haven't spoken with them in awhile."

"They must be very traditional." She surmised.

He shook his head. "No…" Matsuda sighed glumly. "I think they're just stern because they worry about their kid."

She quirked her head at him. "Why do they worry?"

He stopped walking. "They probably worry their son is turning into a degenerate."

She frowned at him, after a moment however, she smiled again and stood in front of Matsuda, her arms crossed behind her back.

"So...I was giving it some thought and…" She blushed deeply. "I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime."

He was stunned. Matsuda felt like pinching himself just to check and make sure this was actually happening. Rei was so beautiful and so kind. A girl like her would normally never give him the time of day.

"I…" Sweat began to form on his brow. "...that would be-"

He stopped. Out of the corner of his eye, something caught his attention. A figure off in the distance, shambling towards them with an unsteady gait.

"Wh...what's wrong?" She turned around to see what he was staring at.

It was a man. Drunk by the looks of things. And yet...something about him made their blood run cold. He didn't just look intoxicated, he looked ill.

Deathly ill.

A pair of police officers happened to be passing by and saw the man. After quietly speaking amongst each other, one of them approached the man cautiously.

"Sir, are you alright?" The officer kept his hand securely on his nightstick.

The man turned and began lumbering towards him. Their were dark circles under his eyes and his skin was so pale it was almost blue.

"Sir, please step back." The Officer commanded before drawing his nightstick.

He ignored him, reaching out with his boney hands to grab at the officer.

"I said get back!" The Officer shouted before swinging at the man's ribcage. His weapon hit the assailant with an ugly pop as several ribs cracked.

And yet he was less than bothered. The man lurched forward, grabbed him by the arm, and sank his teeth into the Officer's arm. The policeman shouted in pain and gripped his wounded limb as blood gushed from his wrist. The second Officer drew his gun and fired three rounds into the assailants chest. Much to his horror, the man did not stop. He didn't even seem phased by the bullets.

"Stay away!" The Officer shouted in panic before firing a round that went straight through the assailant's head. Finally, the deathly pale man collapsed to the ground.

Whereupon he immediately began to dissolve into a puddle of brown liquid.

The Officer was more concerned with his partner. Who by this point had collapsed to the ground and turned the same color as the assailant. He quickly rushed over to him to check his status.

"Taizo! Taizo are you okay?!" He asked in a panicked voice. After not getting an answer the Officer quickly got on his radio and called for dispatch. "Dispatch this is Officer 1148. I'm at East Jyongan with an Officer down and shots fired. I repeat. Officer down and shots fired. We need-"

He dropped his radio as fear completely took over his senses. His partner slowly lurched up and turned his head towards him.

His eyes looked exactly the same as that man's did.

The second Officer shrieked in unbridled agony as his partner proceeded to sink his teeth into his neck. From off in the distance, Matsuda and Rei both watched this. Paralyzed to the spot in both fear and shock.

"Wh...what's going on?" Rei trembled in apprehension. "Why did that Policeman do that?"

"I don't know." Matsuda shook his head as adrenaline began to surge throughout his body. "But I don't think I want to stick around and find out."

Now running on instincts he didn't know he possessed, Matsuda grabbed Rei by the hand and took off in the direction away from the grisly scene. He came to a dead stop, however, upon rounding a corner and coming face to face with no less than six shambling bodies feeding on the corpse of and elderly woman.

Rei let loose a blood curdling scream and the six figures immediately turned their heads towards them.

"This way!" He tugged on her arm towards a back alley and the two broke into a full sprint. The shambling figures picked up pursuit and gave chase after them.

"They're right on us!" She shouted in fear.

"Don't look back!" He insisted, trying to put on a brave face despite the terror in his heart. "Just keep running!"

They came to a stop yet again as more shambling figures appeared in the alley in front of them.

"What do we do?!" Rei panicked.

He cursed, gripping his bat and holding it in front of him like a weapon. "Hate to say it but we're sandwiched alright."

She looked around for a moment before spotting another alley blocked off by a ten foot high fence. Rei quickly tapped on his shoulder and pointed. "There!"

"Huh?" He gave her a confused look as she proceeded to sprint towards what he thought was a dead end. "Wait! But what about the fence?!"

Rei proceeded to perform a cartwheel that transitioned into a back handspring. She quickly gained moment with each flip before launching herself up and over the fence, just barely clearing it in the process.

For a moment, Matsuda forgot about the shambling figures entirely and just gawked at her.

"Come on!" She insisted vehemently from the other side of the fence.

Remembering where he was and what was going on, Matsuda sprinted towards the fence, the figures behind him picking up pursuit. With all the strength he could muster in his leg muscles Matsuda proceeded to leap into the air intent on latching onto the fence and climbing over.

Instead, what he did was jump completely over the ten foot high fence, clearing it entirely before landing on his feet. Upon making contact with the ground, he froze in place to ponder on whether that really just happened or not.

"How did you do that?" She asked in stunned bewilderment.

After taking a moment to process that yes, that did indeed just happen, he scratched the back of his head awkwardly and chuckled. "Well...you know. A balanced diet and plenty of squats."

She shook her head in disbelief. "I do squats on an almost daily basis and I'm pretty sure I can't do that."

Their conversation was cut short by the sound of a dozen bodies slamming against the chain link fence. Matsuda and Rei both jumped instinctively before cautiously backing away from the snarling mass of flesh and teeth.

"How long do you think that fence will hold?" She asked nervously.

"Not nearly long enough. Let's get going."

They darted down the alley, making their way back to thrift shop.

"So seriously? What the heck was wrong with them? They didn't even look human anymore."

"Beats the hell out of me." Matsuda insisted. "We need to warn your Grandfather and call the police."

They quickly ran back to the thrift store and located Rei's Grandfather who was still manning the cash register.

"Back already?" He asked his Granddaughter curiously. "You know if you want to take the rest of the day off Rei you can."

"Grandpa!" She quickly ran up to the register and slammed her hands down on the counter. "We need to leave, now!"

"What do you mean?" He peered at her searchingly. "Is everything alright."

"Something's going on." Matsuda explained urgently. "We're not sure exactly what but there are a bunch of psychos going around eating people."

He cast his gaze from Rei to Matsuda and then back to Rei again. "You're sure of this, Rei?"

"I'm sure!" She insisted vehemently, a desperate look in her eyes. "Matsuda and I barely got away. Please, Granddaddy we need to leave and call the police. It's not safe here."

He raised a hand in the air reassuringly and nodded. "Alright, my Child, alright. Just give me a moment to close up the shop."

Matsuda peeked his head outside the store and blanched. "Uhhh, hate to break it to ya, Gramps. But there may not be time for that."

A horde of dozens of shambling figures came charging towards the door. Matsuda slammed it shut and braced with all his strength as the horde threatened to spill into the store.

"Keys! Now!"

Rei dashed behind the counter and grabbed the keys for the front door. She quickly tossed it to him and he proceeded to lock the door before backing away. The glass window of the storefront broke and multiple deathly pale arms began reaching through the metal bars as the entire storefront began to buckle.

"What in God's name?" The Elderly store owner turned pale at the sight.

"Everyone upstairs!" Rei waved for them to follow.

Matsuda helped the elderly man up the stairs while Rei locked and deadbolted the door.

"No way that will hold them." Matsuda declared before going to a nearby bookcase and knocking it over in front of the doorway. With that out of the way, he could finally take stock of where they were.

It was an apartment above the store. If he had to guess, this was where Rei and her Grandfather lived.

"Think we're safe?" She asked nervously.

"At least for now."

"Rei, what is going on?" Her Grandfather asked worriedly. "Who were those people outside?"

"We don't know Granddaddy. Honestly, we're not even sure they're still people anymore."

"They just started attacking without warning." Matsuda explained. "One of them bit a cop and that cop then proceeded to bite his partner. It was so fucked!"

"We barely got out with our lives." Rei's heart was beating at a mile a minute. "If Matsuda hadn't been there I'd be...I'd be…"

"It's alright, Dear." Her Grandfather wrapped her up in a warm hug. "You're safe now. That's all that matters." He then turned to Matsuda and bowed in respect. "It would seem I owe you for saving my Granddaughter. Thank you, my Boy."

"Ehh…" He flushed in embarrassment. "...no problem Gramps. I'm just glad I was there to help."

"I don't believe we were ever properly introduced. I am Obito Mitsuka." He formally spoke.

"So what do we do now?" Rei asked expectantly. "There's no telling how long the storefront will hold."

"We need to call the police." Matsuda insisted. "They need to know what's going on."

"I'm on it!" Rei went to go find a phone while Matsuda followed Obito into the living room. There they both sat down and turned on the TV.

Only static. Obito tried flipping through every channel but nothing was coming through.

"That's impossible…" A horrible pit began to form in Matsuda's stomach. "Every station?"

Meanwhile, Rei stood in the hall with a phone up to her ear. Anxiously waiting for someone to pick up.

_"I'm sorry. But we are currently experiencing an abnormally high call volume. Please stay on the line and one of our operators will be with you as soon as…"_

"No way…" Her heart sank into her stomach. "One Ten is busy."

Obito considered all this grave information and sighed in grimm understanding. "In other words, it's not just here. It's all over the city."

Matsuda sank into the couch, completely numb to everything. "So what do we do?"

Obito flipped off the TV and stood up, a resolute look in his wise old eyes. "We cannot remain here. For the time being, we must find a way out of this ourselves."

* * *

Rei ran around the apartment gathering supplies and stuffing them into her old bookbag. She grabbed all the medicine in the bathroom as well as any food she could find in the kitchen that wouldn't perish before packing it up and slinging it over her shoulder.

Meanwhile, Matsuda helped Obito locate some weapons for himself and Rei. The Elderly Man eventually settled on a barely used snow shovel he had tucked away in his closet as well as a mop handle with a pointy screw on the end for Rei. Not exactly ideal, but it was the best they had.

As Matsuda grabbed the long mop handle, Obito suddenly stopped him with a hand on the shoulder. He turned around to see the old man offering him the Slugger in his free hand.

"Don't forget this." He insisted.

Matsuda took the bat gratefully and nodded. "Thanks, Gramps."

"Listen…" Obito spoke severely. "...I barely know you. And yet despite you being a complete stranger to our family, you've done more for my Granddaughter than anyone has done for either of us in the past two years. So should the worst happen, I want you to make me a promise. No matter what, protect her for me. Protect Rei at all costs. Can you do that?"

Matsuda's mouth hung open in shock. At first he didn't know what to say. No one had ever entrusted him with something like this before. Yet by the desperate look in the old man's eyes, it was clear he was serious.

A fire lit under his ass.

"You have my word, Sir." He assured with confidence. "Your Granddaughter won't come to harm with me."

At that moment, Rei returned. Supplies in hand. "Okay! I think that's everything. Are we ready to go?"

Matsuda nodded. "I think so. But how the heck are we supposed to get out of here?"

"We'll head up to the roof." Obito explained. "From there, we'll head from building to building and then use a fire escape once we reach the main road."

With their plan established, the group made their way towards the roof and into whatever perils awaited them.

* * *

Motohama had just finished scarfing down his third plate of fried rice and was now ready to enter a food coma. As he leaned back in the plastic seat of the Mall's food court, he breathed a content sigh before patting his belly.

"Are you done?" The disgusted voice sitting opposite of him asked impatiently.

He looked up from his food coma to see a very angry looking Saya glaring at him with her arms folded and her leg crossed over the other.

"I guess?"

After a moment, she sighed despondently. "Honestly. To think that I, a member of the prestigious Takaga family, would become indebted to one of the biggest perverts at Kuoh. Unthinkable."

Motohama frowned woefully, his eyes cast towards the ground. "I guess my reputation precedes me."

"Of course it does!" She shot at him snarkily. "Everyone knows who you are Motohama Hirano! Your name is plastered on every warning poster in every female dorm on campus. You and that pervert friend of yours both. You two are easily the most despised men on campus by the whole female population."

He remained silent, bowing his head in shame. "If that's how you feel...why buy me lunch?"

She scoffed at him dismissively before turning her nose up in the air. "Because a Lady of the Takaga family always pays her debts. No matter who they might be to."

He perked back up again. "Really? Gee, that's awfully noble of you."

Saya glared at him hatefully. "Like I care what a pervert like you thinks. It it were up to me I'd have you and your friend thrown in prison for your lecherous behavior."

Motohama lowered his head yet again and sank into his seat. For a moment it looked like he might start crying.

The moment Saya noticed this she sighed and shut her eyes in weary resignation. She knew she had a bit of a sharp tongue but this time it looked like she may have gone a little bit overboard. "Look, don't cry, okay? I didn't mean it. And besides, this whole thing was pointless if I end up hurting your feelings anyway."

"It's okay…" He sniffed. Motohama wiped his cheek and looked back up at her, his eyes heavy with guilt. "...I'd probably deserve it. For some of the things I've done."

She frowned at him curiously as he continued.

"Honestly, I know I've lived a shallow life. From the moment I hit puberty I only ever saw women as a series of measurements." He turned his head away. "But lately? I'm beginning to realize there's more to life than a woman's body. I've been so obsessed with this one thing for so long, I feel like I've missed out on everything else life has to offer me."

After listening to him speak, an annoyed sneer formed on her features as she crossed her arms again. "Honestly, the way you talk about a woman's body. It's just stupid. I mean...not only is it perverse. But you miss out on all the best parts."

Now he was the one staring at her curiously.

"You men put way too much time and energy into glorifying what is essentially just fat and muscle tissue." She continued. "You honestly think I care how big my breasts are? Please! My boobs are nothing compared to the size of my brain."

"And that's really saying something." Motohama spoke up excitedly. "Considering your boobs are so…" He stopped upon seeing the sour look she was giving him and laughed nervously. "I mean…" He sighed morosely. "I do appreciate your genius."

"Then let it inspire you to better yourself." She insisted sharply. "Don't just pine after girls like a little lost puppy dog. Fix yourself before you worry about anything else."

He narrowed his eyes at her curiously. "So why tell me all this?"

"Because." She stuck her nose in the air again. "You're stupid."

He groaned dejectedly.

"But…" She continued. "...you're at least aware enough to know you're stupid. So maybe with my help you'll be a little less stupid." She glared at him. "Do you get it, Stupid?"

"I...guess?" He was utterly confused. Was Saya trying to be nice to him? If so she was failing miserably.

"And besides…" She suddenly got quieter as a light blush set on her cheeks. "...you may be a Stupid Pervert, but you did save my life. I consider that worth something. At least enough to help you out."

He beamed at her happily. "So how do I fix myself?"

"You need to find your passion. Your drive." She explained like a Professor teaching a student. "The thing that motivates you that's not breasts."

"My drive?" He slumped again as his features darkened. "I've...never really thought about that before."

"Hmph!" She turned away in a snooty manner. "Doesn't surprise me. But worry not. I'm a genius. I can help."

"Really?!"

Saya nodded, now observing him more considerably. "We just need to figure out what makes you tick. What inspires you. And most importantly of all, what you're good at. With these things in mind…" She grinned at him.

"...we will discover your calling."

At that moment, the mall's PA system came on.

"Attention all customers and staff, this is an emergency announcement." The person on the PA system sounded incredibly alarmed. "The mall is closing due to a citywide state of emergency. In a calm and orderly fashion, please make your way to the nearest exits. I repeat, a citywide state of emergency is in effect. Please head for the nearest available exit in a calm-"

His words were cut off by feedback. As if he had just dropped the microphone he was speaking into. A harrowing silence fell over the mall and Motohama's Danger signals flared. He quickly tapped on Saya's shoulder who shot him an angry look.

"What are you doin-"

He shushed her sternly before pointing to the floor. "We have to go. Follow me."

"Why? What's-"

What followed was nothing short of horrifying. The man on the PA system began shrieking in horrified agony as the entirety of the mall was subjected to the tortured sounds of him being eaten alive.

Saya turned green. "Wh...what is that?"

"Get down and follow me." Motohama insisted before pulling her down to the floor next to him and crawling under a table.

As the sounds of his dying screams finally ebbed, the entirety of the mall began to break down into pandemonium. All sense of order and reason devolved as panic sank in and the building was plunged into chaos. Every man, woman, and child ran screaming for their lives to the exits. Trampling over each other, shoving people out of the way, and in some cases, outright attacking and killing one another just to get to the door quicker.

Meanwhile, Motohama and Saya made their way from table to table. Crawling across the floor and avoiding most of the chaos.

"What the hell is going on?" Saya asked while trying to avoid the sticky spots on the floor. "What was that gruesome noise over the PA?"

"I don't know." Motohama was laser focused on moving as far away from the mob as possible. "But we need to keep moving. Follow me and don't stray behind."

"Shouldn't we be going the other way?" She insisted. "The exits back there."

"Trust me, you do not want any part of what's going on over there right now."

She scowled at him in annoyance. "Why?"

At that moment a woman fell in front of them and was trampled to death by hundreds of stampeding feet. Saya gasped at the gruesome sight, covering her mouth and turning white.

"That's why. Mob mentality is a dangerous thing. Whatever emergency we're under right now. I promise it's not half as dangerous as being in the middle of that crowd."

She gulped nervously. "So what do we do?"

"The main entrance and all emergency exits are going to be so congested that any chance of getting through them safely is close to nill. So our best bet is to find the maintenance department and use their entrance."

She quirked a brow at him as they continued to move. "How are you so calm about this? And here I always thought you were a coward."

Truthfully, he had no idea why he wasn't freaking out right now. Normally in a situation like this one he'd be curling up in the fetal position and pissing his own pants. Yet now it was like his brain was telling him he had no reason to be afraid.

For within his mind lay the key to their survival.

* * *

Matsuda and Motohama weren't answering their cellphones. Something that frustrated the hell out of Aika. How was she supposed to apologize to those stubborn nitwits if they wouldn't even answer her calls?

"Oh forget it." She groaned in frustration before putting her phone away and collapsing back onto the park bench.

She'd come to the city park in hopes of convincing the boys to meet her there so that she might make amends in person. But of course that didn't pan out the way she had hoped. And now she was just sitting there on this bench, alone, pissed off, and feeling all sorts of guilty.

She sighed in a melancholy tone. "What should I do now?"

As she sat on that park bench, moping over her currently plight, Aika noticed something that gave her pause. Or rather...it was what she didn't notice that had her so worried.

There were no animals in the park that day. No birds chirping, no squirrels running around, there didn't even appear to be any insects nearby. It was as if they had all just scampered off and gone somewhere else.

More unsettling than that, however, was the fact that she appeared to be completely alone in the park. Despite the fact that it was 2:00 PM on a Saturday, there didn't appear to be anyone there but her.

"Something's not right…" Aika slowly stood up from her seat and looked around. She could see people off in the distance, seemingly wandering around aimlessly in no particular direction. Something about the way they were walking was terribly unnerving. None of them seemed to be going anywhere in particular. If anything, it looked like they were looking for something.

Or rather...someone.

Okay, now she was starting to get frightened. Something was very clearly wrong here. Those people were not behaving normally. And furthermore, this hideous feeling she had deep in her gut would not go away. Aika pulled out her phone and tried dialing Matsuda one more time.

"Come on...please pick up. Please." She begged.

"_I'm sorry, but service in this area is temporarily unavailable." _Came an automated voice message she had never heard before.

"What?" She looked down at her phone again and then held it back up to her ear.

"_Your city is currently in the midst of a Class IV Supernatural Crisis. For more information, please press one. For help and directories, please press two."_

Confused, but otherwise curious, Aika pressed one.

"_Due to the overwhelming presence of Deadly Supernatural phenomena, your city has been Quarantined under the jurisdiction of this cities primary benefactors. During this time, no phone calls or communications may be sent anywhere within or outside the perimeter that has been established. All communications including phones, radio, wifi, and other devices, have been temporarily disabled. Once all Paranormal and Supernatural phenomena have been reduced to acceptable levels, the quarantine shall lift and the cities functionality restored to normal. If you have any further questions, please press two for help and directories."_

She immediately pressed two on her phone.

"_It is our duty to inform you that no help is coming and you are directed to run. If you value your life then run human, run while you still can. And pray to whatever God you believe might be listening that you make it out of this alive. From the Offices of the Gremory Clan, we hope you have a nice day."_

Abject terror gripped Aika's heart as she dropped the phone on the ground. A bright light off in the distance caught her attention and she squinted at what appeared to be a focused beam of energy coming up from the ground and shooting high into the sky. The beam of light spread out and began to envelope the entire city like a dome, forming a barrier of unknown energy around its circumference.

Upon closer inspection, she noted the beam of light was coming from Kuoh.

The figures off in the distance were no longer shambling around aimlessly. They were staring at her now. Dread seized her being as they each one by one began running towards her. Coming from all directions, nothing but those same, pale, dead faces sprinting straight for her.

Aika ran. Ran as fast as her legs could carry her. All she wanted was to know the truth.

Now...she wished to God she'd just kept her curiosity to herself.


	25. Chapter 25

**::Author's Note::**

**So funny story time! Somebody pointed out in the comments section that Kani (the nickname Jon gives Koneko) means Crab in Japanese. Not only did I not know this, I didn't even know what Koneko meant in Japanese until I looked it up.**

**When I originally set out to come up with a cute nickname for Koneko, I considered having Jon just refer to her as Kitten. My girlfriend suggested I take it a step farther and look up the Japanese word for Kitten and have Jon call her that instead.**

**Lo and fucking behold…**

**We got a pretty good laugh out of that one. Long story short, I settled on Kani as a shorthand abbreviation of Koneko, once again ignorant of what Kani meant in Japanese. So what I'm trying to say here is, I name failed twice. Yay me.**

**Also, huge announcement to all my readers. Please take a moment to check the About Author section on my account to learn about how you can help support my writing. I'll be continuing this series regardless of whether or not you decide to support me or not, but I just wanted to make you aware of it being an option. I'm trying to break out into potentially doing this full time, and the support you guys have been giving is great. I'd love a chance to provide brand new content for brand new series, take reader requests, do commissioned work, as well as connect with you guys and answers questions. If that's something you might be interested in, check out my bio for more information.**

**Okay, enough shameless self promotion, here is Chapter 25.**

**::End Note::**

Matsuda, Rei, and Obito made their way to the roof of their building and began the slow, methodical process of hopping to each adjacent building and running across. Fortunately the gaps between most of them were no more than a foot across so hopping between them proved a relatively easy task.

Unfortunately, due to their elderly group member, the process was slowed down significantly.

"We need to keep moving." Matsuda insisted urgently.

"We're coming." Rei assured while helping her winded Grandfather cross another gap.

The group reached a fire escape and climbed down onto a lower rooftop. Their progress was stopped, however, by the presence of a group of those shambling...things as they lurched into their path.

"Both of you stay back!" Matsuda ordered. He choked up on his bat and readied it as one of the shambling figures came lurching towards him.

A wicked grin crossed his lips. Matsuda was used to hitting a lot smaller targets than this.

With all his strength, Matsuda swung the bat and smashed the creature in the side. He heard bone crunch and ribs shatter as the creature's side was caved in and it went flying to the ground.

"Woah...he's so strong." Rei marveled.

Much to their dismay, as well as horror, the creature was not dead. Rather, it began a slow deliberate crawl towards him despite its injuries.

"Wh...what?!"

More shambling bodies joined the fray. As Matsuda began fending them off with his bat, one broke from the main pack and lurched towards Rei and Obito.

Obito gasped upon seeing the figure. "That's Mr. Morgisawa. What happened to him?"

Upon hearing the old man speak, Mr. Morgisawa turned his grey head towards the sound of their voices and lurched forward. A chilling snarl emanated from the back of his throat as he proceeded to charge directly towards Rei. She squealed in fright and brought her broom handle up to defend herself.

"Get away from me!" She screamed.

"Rei, stab him!" Her Grandfather ordered.

She struggled against the creature's strength, letting out a panicked scream as he threatened to overtake her.

"You can do it! Don't hold anything back!"

Just as it looked like Matsuda would have to intervene, her eyes grew sharp and her entire personality seemed to change as she proceeded to shake the creature off and perform a back somersault, kicking him in the jaw in the process.

"Don't fuck with me! I'm a nationally ranked gymnast!" She roared before charging and slamming her mop handle deep into its chest, impaling it on the end of the stick.

"Fuck yeah! Nice one Rei!" Matsuda cheered as he clashed with another grey skinned monster.

It was too early to celebrate. For as soon as she finished stabbing the thing that used to be Mr. Morgisawa, it began to move again. She soon lost her balance and was slammed into a nearby air conditioning unit. Acting fast, Rei grabbed the pole and began a desperate struggle to keep him at bay.

"That's insane! I stabbed him in his heart so why is he still moving?!" She shouted half in fear and half in frustration.

"Rei!" Her Grandfather dropped his snow shovel and pulled Mr. Morgisawa off of her. "Pull out the handle and stab him again!"

Obito struggled to keep the monster in his grip as Rei proceeded to stab him again. And then again after that. Yet no matter how many times she stabbed the thing it simply refused to go down.

"Jesus Christ! Why won't he just die already?!" She yelled in frustration.

Matsuda knocked another creature to the ground only for it to lurch right back up, its cold, dead eyes still fixed on him.

And that's when he figured it out.

"Oh God…" Matsuda's skin turned pale as he suddenly realized what they were up against. "...I knew it...these people are all dead! They're dead but still moving! These things are fucking ZOMBIES!"

Her eyes went wide with terror. "But...but that's insane! That's just crazy! Zombies aren't real! They're just not!"

"Rei! I can't-agggggh!"

Obito shouted in pain as his grip on the creature gave out. Mr. Morgisawa turned his head ninety degrees with an ugly snap…

...and sank his teeth deep into Obito's arm.

"Grandpa!" Rei shouted hysterically before dropping her mop handle and trying desperately to dislodge the zombie's mandible from her Grandfather's arm. "Matsuda, help him!" She cried desperately, panicked tears streaming down her face. "Do something! Please, do something!"

With a beastial shout Matsuda's adrenaline surged and he smashed through the remaining zombies around him before charging the one who had hold of Obito's arm. With a well placed swing he pulverized Mr. Morgisawa's head, turning it to paste upon the ground. The headless corpse collapsed before dissolving into a puddle of brown liquid.

"Are you okay, Granddaddy?" Rei asked him as she tended to his wound. Her voice was still shaken but she was trying hard to compose herself.

"He...he just bit me. I'll be fine." Her Grandfather collapsed to a knee, clutching at the wounded limb.

Rei dropped down and pulled out her old school backpack. After digging around in it she pulled out some gauze and alcohol before proceeding to disinfect and bandage the wound as best she could. During which time, Matsuda finished mopping up the rest of the zombies on the roof, aiming for their heads and smashing in each one with a single swing of his bat. He took a few deep breaths as the chaos of the situation finally ebbed away. The adrenaline began to wear off and he quickly ran over to check on Rei's Grandfather alongside her.

"How's he doing?"

"Something's not right." She admitted worriedly. "He's starting to change color."

A femine scream caught their attention. Matsuda and Rei both ran over to the edge of the roof and gazed down at the alley below them. A girl who looked to be no older than Rei was on her back, screaming hysterically as one of the living dead pinned her down.

"Stop it! STOP IT! YAAAAAH!" Her eyes bulged as the zombie bit into her neck and blood burst from the gaping wound. Five more zombies descended upon her and began ripping her to pieces as they feasted on her flesh and entrails.

Matsuda and Rei both turned their heads away, resisting the urge to puke.

"We could handle a few of those things." He swallowed back the bile in his throat. "But not that many."

"The roof…" Obito's words came out as a shallow whisper. "...we...can barricade ourselves in...and wait for help."

"Grandpa!" Rei quickly ran back to his side and helped him up.

The group proceeded to climb back up the fire escape, albeit far more slowly than before. With Matsuda and Rei both helping their increasingly more feeble elder up the stairs. As they looked out over the city, they began to scan the surrounding streets as well as the buildings and streets beyond.

It was so much worse than they'd feared. The city was in shambles. Alarms were blaring off in the distance, masses of the undead now lumbered about the streets, looking for fresh victims to slaughter.

"Look at that!"

A bright beam of light loomed off in the distance. Up above, a barrier of strange energy enveloped the entirety of Kuoh like a dome.

"What in the world is it?" Rei marveled at the massive field of energy. "Some sort of forcefield?"

"That's impossible…" Matsuda shook his head in denial of what he was seeing. "...I mean...Sci-Fi shit like that doesn't exist, right?"

"We thought zombies didn't exist either…" Rei looked about ready to pass out. "...and yet we were wrong about that too. What in the world happened? Everything was fine just a minute ago."

A large gust of wind nearly knocked them all off their feet. Up in the sky above, a fleet of helicopters soared over the rooftops to parts unknown.

"Are those Blackhawks?" Matsuda asked in bewilderment.

"No…" Obito wheezed painfully. "...I've never seen helicopters like that before."

It was true these didn't look like ordinary military craft. For one, they were coated in blood red paint, and appeared to carry far more ordinance than a normal blackhawk would be able to safely attach to its loadout. These things looked vicious. Deadly.

"But where did they come from?" Matsuda wondered suspiciously. "There's no military base in this city."

"Over here!" Rei cried desperately while waving her hands at the helicopters. "Help!"

"Don't bother." Her Grandfather coughed violently. "Whatever those Helicopters are doing, they must have some kind of special mission. They're not here to save us...just look."

Below them, the city was in ruin. Men, women, and children were torn apart and eaten. Friend turned against friend in a desperate bid to survive. In the buildings around them, several citizens jumped from their windows or from the roofs to avoid being taken by the ever growing zombie horde.

"This can't be real…" Rei shook her head in denial while her skin turned pale at the grisly sight. "Zombies don't really exist, do they? That's just stuff you see in movies and video games."

"This isn't a video game." Matsuda gripped his bat as his whole body trembled. "These things are real. The dead are rising. They bite people...and then those people come back as one of them." He stared down at his bat, now caked in the blood of the zombies he had destroyed. "Smashing their heads in is the only way to get rid of them."

A door burst open behind them and several zombies came running in their direction.

"There are too many of them!" Rei readied her mop handle.

"Quick! Let's get to the power transformer and block the stairs." Matsuda pointed at the nearby gated off transformer.

While he provided cover and smashed in the heads of every zombie that tried to reach them, Rei helped her Grandfather up the stairs to the power transformer. Once there, they shut the metal gate and jammed the lock with the snow shovel.

Rei helped her Grandfather down into a seated position with his back resting against the gate. From the view of the gated in power transformer, the three of them could see even clearer than before the level of devastation that had been wrought upon the city of Kuoh.

It was burning. The whole city was burning.

"Why…" Rei's voice quivered as she spoke. "...why is this happening?"

"There has to be a reason." Matsuda assured. "I mean...shit like this doesn't just pop up out of thin air, right? Maybe if we can figure out what's causing it, we can stop it. Or at the very least, protect ourselves."

Obito began violently coughing again. After several painful hacks he vomited blood into his hand.

"Grandpa!" Rei darted over to him and checked on his injury. "What's wrong with you? Matsuda, something's not right! Granddaddy is…"

She stopped talking. Matsuda's expression was grave. By the look in his eyes, it was clear he knew something that she didn't. Rei looked back at her Grandfather, whose breathing had devolved into shallow labored gasps. He was barely conscious anymore. Slowly, it began to dawn on her.

"Why…" She was in shock. "...why does it look so horrible...he only got bitten a little."

"So it is...just like the movies…" Obito rattled, blood dribbling from his mouth and nose. "They bite you...and that's it."

"That can't be true!" She began to break down, tears streaming down her face as she tried so hard to deny what was clearly happening right in front of her. "Those are just movies! I disinfected the wound! You're not going to turn into one of those things! You're just not!"

"Matsuda…" Obito raised his head as best he could and peered at him desperately. "Please...you must...help me."

"Help...with what, Gramps?" Matsuda spoke in a low, numb tone.

"You need to do it." He pointed to his temple. "Bash my head in. Just like the others. It's the only way…"

Rei covered her mouth and shook her head vehemently, a horrified look in her eyes. "What are you saying? Granddaddy what are you-"

"I don't want to become one of them!" He shouted in pain. "I don't want to hurt anyone! Least of all you!"

Obito bent over and vomited a massive clot of blood.

"Granddaddy!" Rei wailed hysterically. She had no idea what to do. She had no Earthly idea how to fix this.

"Remember...your promise, Matsuda." Obito choked out as he lay there dying. "Protect her...please…"

His final breaths left his lungs and his eyes shut. Panic seized Rei as she tried desperately to rouse him.

"Granddaddy? Granddaddy! Granddaddy, please!" She shook him violently, desperately trying to make him open his eyes again. "Please don't do this! Let me help you! No, you can't! You can't DIE!"

She collapsed onto his chest and wept. Matsuda's heart had effectively shattered for her. This poor girl had just lost the only family she had.

Unfortunately, he still had a job he had to do. Matsuda gripped his bat and approached.

"Rei...get away from him."

Rei turned her head back to him. Her cheeks were raw from crying. When it dawned on her what he was going to do, she quickly covered her Grandfather with her body. "NO! You can't do that! He's not turning! He's not turning into one of them! He's going to be fine!"

"Get away from him." He warned gravely.

The figure beneath her began to stir.

"Granddaddy?" A small smattering of hope lept into her voice. "Matsuda, look! He's getting up! He's getting...better…"

Her voice trailed off as the figure lurched up from the ground and slowly began to stand up.

"Granddaddy?" She asked quietly, fear returning to her voice. "What's the matter?"

A low growl emanated from the back of his throat. That wasn't her Grandfather.

"No…" The color drained from her face. "...no it can't be. It's not true."

Matsuda grabbed Rei and pulled her back. Panic returned to her senses as she tried to break away from his grip. "No! NO! It's not happening! It's not!"

"It is…" He spoke painfully to her. "...Rei, I'm sorry. You know what I have to do."

"Matsuda please…" Fresh tears streamed down her face as she gazed up at him pleadingly. "...please don't do this."

"Look away." He cautioned before choking up on his bat again.

"Wh...why?" Panic seized her yet again. "Matsuda what are you going to-"

"LOOK AWAY!" He shoved her to the ground and charged. With a pained scream he swung the bat with all his might and splattered Obito's brains across the concrete.

"NOOOOOO!"

Obito's headless body collapsed to the ground before dissolving same as the others. A grave silence filled the air as Rei sat on her knees, completely numb to everything around her.

"Why?" She finally asked, her voice barely a horse whisper. "Why did you do it?"

"He would have bitten you." Matsuda calmly explained, his voice, much like his spirit, completely dead.

Her despair quickly boiled into anger. "I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask for you to save me!"

"I made a promise to your Gramps." Pain welled up in his heart and tears began to stream down his face. "I swore I'd protect you no matter what! Even from him!"

"He was the only thing I had left!" She cried in anger. "You should have let me die with him!"

Now Matsuda was the one getting angry. "Is that really what you think he would have wanted?! For you to die on some random ass rooftop?! Just another corpse wandering the city?!"

"I should never have talked to you. It was a mistake even letting you in our store." She growled spitefully. "Had you not been there...I could have saved him. We could have evacuated sooner. This is all your fault...you've ruined EVERYTHING!"

His angry glare turned to one of genuine hurt, followed by cold indifference. Without saying a word, Matsuda turned and headed for the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" She asked angrily.

"You obviously don't want me around." He explained indifferently. "So I'm going to go down there and smash those zombies for you. While I've got them distracted, you can make a break for it."

"What?" She gave him a disbelieving look. "Why would you-"

"I've been nothing but a screwup my whole life." He explained, pain in his voice. "Your Gramps was the first person to ever entrust me with something this important. I'm not going to let him down." He cast two tear stained eyes back at her. "I'm going to protect you with my life. Even if it means dying."

"W...what are you talking about?" She quickly got up and ran over to him, anger now replaced with concern. "You can't take on that many of them by yourself."

He didn't answer her. Matsuda checked his bat and stared up at the gate. Intent on leaping over and drawing the zombie horde away.

"Hey wait…" She smiled nervously, her eyes welling up again. "...Matsuda don't joke around like that. It's not funny."

He prepared to leap into the air. Fear overrode her senses and she quickly ran over and grabbed his arm. "No! STOP IT!"

Matsuda slowly turned around as Rei proceeded to sob on his arm, gripping him tight.

"I'm sorry!" She gasped in between sobs. "I didn't mean it! I really didn't mean it!"

He clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white.

"So please…" She shut her eyes tight and gripped him harder. "...please stay with me. Don't leave me too!"

Matsuda dropped the bat and hugged her tight. She immediately wrapped her trembling arms around his torso and buried her face in his chest, quietly weeping for her lost Grandfather.

It was the first time he'd ever held a girl this way. Only now...he wished to God he didn't have to.

* * *

"Move it, Bitch! Out of my way!"

A man grabbed the woman running in front of him and tossed her to the ground, leaving her to be consumed by the horde chasing after them. As the mall devolved into pandemonium and the living dead consumed all in their path, Motohama and Saya continued their stealthy approach to the Maintenance Exit.

Saya ducked out from behind the corner of a wall and peered at the gruesome scene. Several members of the horde had stopped to feast on the carcasses that had been left in their wake.

"Why are they eating people?" She pondered aloud in disgust. "This is just sick."

A few yards away, a boy who looked to be no older than fourteen wandered into the horde, clutching his bleeding neck.

"This isn't happening…" He chuckled unstabily, his mind clearly broken. "...it can't be real. Can it, Mommy?"

He stared up at the cold dead eyes of his former mother before collapsing to his knees. The creature that was once his mother descended upon him before sinking her jaws into his neck.

"Oh God…" Saya clutched two hands to her mouth and dry heaved. "...I'm gonna throw up."

"Puke on your own time." Motohama insisted before grabbing her by the hand and running. They'd been ducking in and out of convenience stores, avoiding most of the Horde as they slowly made their way up to the surface.

"Are you sure this is the best idea?" Saya asked doubtfully. "How do you know the Maintenance Exit won't be just as congested?"

"And what exactly was your brilliant plan?" He challenged, a hint of annoyance in his voice as he continued scanning for all the best hiding spots and openings to move through.

She huffed in annoyance. "Obviously we should be calling the Police right now."

"Look around Saya, do you really think the Police can do anything about this?"

"Then…then I'll call Daddy!" She insisted defiantly.

Motohama rolled his eyes, ducking into a window display, bypassing the women's lingerie store. "Oh please, what the heck is he gonna do about this? Throw money at the zombies?"

She flared. "Wh...where do you get off talking to me that way?! Don't you know I'm...I'm…"

He stopped moving, causing her voice to trail off. "Let me ask you a question, Saya." Motohama slowly turned and glared back at her severely. "Do you want to die? Or do you want to live?"

"W...what the hell kind of question is that?" She asked, slightly stunned by his sudden boldness. "Of course I do!"

"Then stick with me." He insisted, an heir of confidence in his voice that was non-existent not but a few minutes ago.

Now that she was looking at him, like...REALLY looking at him, she began to notice a few things that didn't add up. Where was this geek's glasses? There was no way a commoner like him could afford cataract surgery, or did he just get contacts? Furthermore, did his complexion clear up?

"This is stupid!" She whipped out her phone and began punching in a number. "My Father can get me out of this. Just you watch." Her heart sank, however, upon seeing her bars. "Wh...what? No service? But that's impossible!"

"Saya, just stop for a minute and think." Motohama insisted. "If you just pay attention to the environment it's all here. Look at how serious this is. How much damage is being done. You really think no one has tried calling the police? Or getting help from outside sources? And yet we have yet to hear a single siren or recieve any kind of emergency broadcast warning on our phones."

She blanched as the true gravity of the situation began to set in. "So...this is really happening. We're really getting attacked by zombies?"

He nodded. "There are over two hundred and thirty thousand people living in the city of Kuoh. If this is happening all over the City, what do you think that means?"

"I...I don't…"

"It's going to be absolute chaos out there. Any sense of order or structure is going to disappear and until the Government or whoever can get a handle on the situation, the citizens are going to be for the most part on their own." He insisted. "Which means if we have any chance of surviving, we need to lay low and keep our heads down. If we're gonna make it out of this mess, we're gonna have to look after ourselves."

Saya remained silent. All this was a lot for her to process all at once.

"You're the straight A student here." Motohama quipped. "If you want me to respect that big brain of yours, then I suggest you start using it."

The sound of zombies growling behind them brought the conversation to an end. Motohama grabbed Taya by the arm and ran. There would be time for her to bitch at him later. Right now, he needed to focus on getting them both out of their alive.

* * *

Aika wasn't sure where exactly she was anymore. This was supposed to be the city of Kuoh. Not a fucking George A. Romero movie. Why were there zombies all over the city? And furthermore, why wasn't anyone doing anything about it? As she ran through the back streets of the Jyongan district, having just narrowly avoided the horde of zombies out at the park, she desperately tried to get some handle on what exactly was going on.

"Dammit, this is a disaster." She quickly ducked behind a bin as a horde of zombies chased some panicked citizens. "You kill one and then five more just take their place. I can't get in contact with the police or the fire department. What the hell is going on?"

One of the zombies saw her and turned to give chase. Aika gasped and quickly began running in the opposite direction. She tripped over a plastic bottle and hit the ground, cursing to herself.

"Dammit! Great time for your inner clutz to come out." She growled before turning around and backing away from the encroaching zombie.

As the undead lurched toward her she began to tremble in fear.

"Stay back!" She commanded with as much force as she could muster.

It continued to advance and she continued to back away.

"I said get away!"

Aika raised a hand out in front of her…

...and blasted it with a ball blue light. The Zombie's head turned to dust and it collapsed to the ground, dissolving into nothing.

"Wh...what the…" She stared at her hand as if it were now alien to her. Magical sparks danced off her fingers and around her palm. "Did I just…"

Another zombie growled at her off in the distance and began to charge. Aika quickly stood up and pushed her hand out in front of her the way she did before, hitting the zombie with another bolt of magic that went straight through its chest. It continued to advance despite the burning blue hole in its chest so she aimed again, hitting the thing in the head.

She looked down at her hands again and grinned.

"So...no powers huh, Matsuda?" She snickered victoriously.

"Stay back!"

The sound of a man's voice caught her ears. Aika quickly ran towards its direction, rounding a corner to find a highschool student who looked to be about sixteen or seventeen being backed into a corner by a group of six zombies. She looked down at her hands again then back at the beleaguered highschooler with a newfound sense of determination. Aika had studied all sorts of textbooks on the practice of Magic and Witchcraft. And while each varied greatly in terms of the form and style, the basic principle was always the same.

Just picture a thought in your minds eye and make it come true.

Aika channeled her newfound power into the palms of her hands and released the spell, barraging them with a blast of blue magical missiles. Reducing all of them to ash.

"Ha ha! Yes!" She jumped for joy. "Freaking kick ass!"

The teenager who had been cowering in the corner a moment ago slowly opened his eyes and stood up. "Y...you saved me?"

She stood proudly and pointed to herself, a wicked grin on her face. "Sure did! The name is Aika Kiryu. Paranormal Investigator extraordinaire."

He blinked up at her in confusion before laughing nervously. "W...wow. You certainly are something else. What was that you just did to them?"

"Why...that was my patented Super Aika Magic Missle attack!" She declared boisterously, having just come up with the idea right there on the spot. "Guaranteed to reduce any zombie to ash in a matter of seconds! Mwa ha ha ha!"

"Huh?" He scratched his head curiously. "But...magic's not real. Right?"

"Of course it is!" She insisted indignantly. "You mean to tell me you can believe the living dead are walking around the streets and a giant forcefield can cover the sky but a little magic is where you draw the line?!"

After a moment of thought, he shrugged his shoulders and chuckled. "Well...I guess you have a point." He smiled at her and bowed respectfully. "My name is Ishi Kazu. Thank you for saving me."

She smiled back at him, pride welling in her heart. Screw that creepy message on her phone. If help wasn't coming, then she was going to be the one providing the help.

"No problem kid." Aika took a moment to inspect her surroundings. Aside from those zombies, this area of the city was for the most part clear. "Do you have any family or loved ones we need to worry about?"

He turned his head away and bit his lower lip thoughtfully before meeting her gaze again and smiling. "Well...no, not really. All my family lives in Nagano. I'm just here studying on a scholarship."

She grinned at him determinedly and adjusted her spectacles. "Well alright then. In that case, there's a couple of bozos I need to rescue. If you wanna see your family again, I suggest you follow me."

"O...Okay. Thank you." He bowed again. "Should I...should I find a weapon or…"

She looked around for a moment, contemplating what he might use to defend himself with. "Hmmm." A rusty old pipe caught her eyes. Aika calmly walked up to it and picked the pipe up in her hands, inspecting it thoroughly.

An idea formed.

Aika channeled her magic into the pipe, blasting away the rust and reinforcing its structure.

"Woah…" Ishi marveled at her. "...you weren't kidding. You really DO have magic!"

She snickered pridefully again. "Told ya. Now come on."

Aika tossed him his pipe and the duo made their way towards the sound of shuffling feet.

* * *

Motohama and Saya quickly dashed into one the Mall's maintenance rooms before shutting and locking the door. They had successfully gotten out of the bulk of the chaos and found the exit. Unfortunately that was when they ran into a bit of a snag. The exit was blocked off by about a dozen zombies, not including the ones that had already been chasing them.

Upon entering the maintenance room and looking around at all the building supplies and tools, Saya growled in frustration. "Oh great! You lead us to a dead end, Stupid!"

"Would you calm down? This is a good thing." Motohama insisted as he began inspecting what all they had available.

"Don't tell me to calm down, Stupid!" She shot back angrily, her face turning red. "God, I can't believe I followed you. You are so unbelievably STUPID!"

At that moment a horde of zombies slammed against the door, nearly making her jump out of her skin.

"You don't get it, do you?" He tried not to sound nearly as agitated as he felt while sorting through saws, hammers, and drills. "It was inevitable we'd have to figure out a way to defend ourselves."

"Defend ourselves from that? Are you insane?" She was starting to get frightened now. It didn't look like that door was gonna hold.

"Just shut up for one second and let me think!" He snapped at her. Something caught his eye and he immediately brightened up. Motohama picked up a nail gun resting in one of the tool drawers and inspected it. A wicked grin covered his lips. "Excellent, it's one of the old high velocity directed tools. Gas powered, and the safety shouldn't be that hard to remove." He began digging around in the cabinet. "I just need some tools."

"I thought those things were banned by JISHA." She commented warily. "What the hell is one of them doing here?"

Motohama shook his head. "Not all of them. Japan's been producing high velocity gas powered nail guns long after they were banned in the United States." As he explained it to her, Motohama worked on rigging the nailgun. His heart was beating madly out of his chest, not because of anxiety, but because of adrenaline. This rush of exhilaration was far and away better than any one of his peeping sessions he had ever partaken in. "This model in particular is often used by certain Yakuza clans for low profile assassinations. As it so happens…"

He raised his head up at her with a look in his eye that sent an absolute shiver down her spine.

"..I know exactly how to do it."

What was with that look in his eyes? It was...so intense. Not only that, it was a little scary. The worst expression Saya had ever seen this creep make before was that lecherous O face he'd pop whenever he was spying on the girl's locker room. But this? This was something else entirely.

If she could give it a name, she'd call it bloodlust.

There was a secret about Motohama that virtually no one knew. Not even Matsuda or Jon. A dark, hidden truth about himself that he kept buried deep in the back of his mind. The one thing in his life that was his ultimate obsession. His ultimate fetish. Beyond breasts, beyond video games, beyond anime.

Motohama was completely and totally obsessed with guns.

There were gun magazines stashed away in hidden locations among his vast porn collections. His videocase was loaded with as many war and action movies as there were Hentai DVDs. And tucked away under his bed was an AR-15 Replica Airsoft Gun. It was his greatest passion, his obsession even.

But it wasn't just guns he was obsessed with. It was the act of shooting a gun into a living target that really did it for him. In many ways, it truly was his ultimate fetish. Though not sexual in nature, the feeling of empowerment that came with watching his enemies fall whenever he pulled the trigger of a gun in a video game, brought such a rush to his senses, and was something he secretly desired to emulate in real life. But he possessed neither the eyesight nor the physique to make it as a soldier, nor did he possess the grades to become a Police Officer, so there were never really that many options for him.

And besides, health problems and lack of stamina aside, these thoughts used to terrify him. Motohama wasn't a killer! He certainly wasn't a fighter. Even the girls at Kuoh scared the hell out of him when they got pissed off enough. Which was why, of all his sick and twisted little fantasies, this was the only one he absolutely refused to divulge to anyone. Even his best friend Matsuda. After all, who wants to hang out with a Gun Obsessed Psycho? If he had told anyone about this, he was certain he'd end up on some sort of watchlist somewhere. And that idea alone scared him most of all. So he kept it buried, indulged in his secret obsession while no one else was around by watching old police videos of armed assailants getting gunned down by cops. Or warzone clips of Armed Forces shooting at terrorist insurgents. Motohama had made it a point to tell himself a long time ago that he would never let this aspect of him spill out into the real world, lest he be permanently branded by society as a potential public safety hazard and ostracized by the very few people in his life who still accepted him. So he kept his obsessions focused purely on breasts and the female body.

But now his anxiety and reservations were gone. Any trace of fear or hint of weakness had been artificially ripped from his mind. His sight and senses were sharper than ever. And most importantly of all, the dead were now roaming the streets searching for human flesh. If there was ever a more perfect time to indulge in his darkest desires, it was now.

"Modifications are done…" His breath was quivering in excitement. "...we have an extra tank...and extra nail clips…we're all set." He growled.

"Why are you so calm and collected?!" Saya was starting to panic. "They're gonna bust through the door any second!"

He raised the nailgun in the air as if it were a handgun, completely ignoring her. "Weighs around four kilograms. About as heavy as an old assault rifle, so I can't stabilize my aim this way. I need to attach a sight to it."

"Hey you! Are you listening to me?!"

Motohama quickly looked around the room, a saw, some wooden planks, a pencil, duct tape. He chuckled in a dark sadistic tone. Everything he needed was there.

The door began to give way. It wouldn't be long before they got in.

"M...Motohama?" Saya took a step back as her voice quivered in fear.

What followed was a flurry of sawing, screwdriving, and duct taping. In the span of about half a minute, Motohama cut down several pieces of wood and screwed them in place with an electric drill, creating a makeshift stock. He then duct taped it onto the nailgun along with a pencil to create a sight for the improvised weapon.

At that moment, the door broke down and zombies came flooding in. Saya screamed at the top of her lungs as they threatened to overtake her.

"MOTOHAMA!"

A six and a half inch nail went soaring through the air past her head before lodging itself firmly in the eye socket of a charging zombie. This was followed by six more, each in the eyes of the adjacent zombies behind the first one. With each nail lodged in an eye, more and more of the zombie horde fell until they were nothing but a pile of slowly dissolving corpses.

Saya watched from behind his shoulder as each zombie fell. She couldn't help but marvel at Motohama's absurd precision. Considering he wasn't even using a real gun, his aim was flawless.

"So that drill and those extra nails? Would you mind throwing them in a bag for me or something?" He casually requested while gleefully mowing down the zombies ranks.

She frowned at him sourly. "Excuse me?! What makes you think you can order me around like a common servant?!"

He turned back and glared at her, a psychotic look in his eyes. She gasped in surprise and took a step back, only for his expression to immediately soften into one of polite friendliness. "Please and thank you?"

She gave him the weirdest look imaginable before groaning in weary resignation. "Ugggh, fine I'll do it."

While Saya gathered supplies and placed them in a nearby dufflebag, Motohama finished mopping up the encroaching zombies.

"I'm out! Toss me another clip!" He ordered.

She huffed in frustration before tossing him another clip of nails which he then caught without even looking. Going a step further, he reloaded his nail gun and combat rolled into the hallway, displaying agility and reflexes that were once completely foreign to him. Whereupon Motohama wiped out the remaining undead blocking their way.

This was certainly a new feeling for Saya. At least regarding this pervert. The way he took charge, handled the problem, and did so without so much as breaking a sweat. She wasn't just impressed.

Daresay...she was a little turned on.

She smirked at him while leaning against the doorway. Considering Motohama now in a completely different light. "Well you're certainly on the ball all of a sudden. Something click with you, or what?"

He snickered devilishly. "You know...that conversation we just had? About finding my calling?"

Motohama turned back to her, that same evil gleam in his eyes and dangerous smile on his lips.

"Well...I think we can officially stop looking."

* * *

Matsuda didn't want to admit it, but with Obito gone, it was a lot easier getting Rei out of danger. With no one else to slow them down, getting his ward off the roof was as easy as hopping over the fence with his superhuman legs and jumping from chimney to chimney while he carried her in his arms.

Still...he wouldn't wish what Rei was going through on anyone. Least of all her.

"So tell me again, where did you get these crazy powers from?" Rei asked while doing her best to hold onto him and carry their weapons as well.

"Would you believe me if I said Kuoh Academy's Microbiology Lab?"

At first she thought he was joking, when she realized he was being serious Rei looked all the more confused. "So...what the hell were you guys working on up there? I thought Kuoh was mostly a Liberal Arts Campus."

"I thought so too." He commented wryly. "But...lately I'm beginning to realize there's a lot more to that place than they let on."

They both stared off in the distance at the massive beam of energy being projected from Kuoh.

"A lot more…"

His legs were beginning to burn, so Matsuda found a safe place to land in one of the alleys and let her down.

"You sure you're cool with this?" He asked sincerely.

She nodded assuredly. "I should be okay now. We can walk from here."

Rei offered him the bat she'd been holding onto and their hands connected. For a moment, the two simply stared into each other's eyes before Matsuda finally took his weapon from her grasp and slung it over his shoulder.

"Let's go."

She turned her head away and silently nodded, her cheeks breaking out into a noticeable blush.

Matsuda and Rei proceeded to make their way down the alley, fending off any zombies that got in their path. After traveling for a few yards, however, she stopped.

"Where are we running to?"

He thought for a moment before pointing at the beam of light. "The way I see it, that big ass beam's gotta mean something, am I right? My gut tells me whatever is projecting THAT thing should also have the resources to help us."

"So...you want to go to Kuoh?" She asked curiously.

Matsuda nodded. "Normally it would be about a thirty minute walk from here. But given how crazy the city is right now, I don't think we can afford to risk taking any busy roads. We'll need to stick to the back streets and avoid the larger hordes if we can."

"I agree. And this way we can try to find more supplies and meet up with people who haven't turned yet." She added encouragingly.

He smirked confidently. "Work together and get someplace safe. Sounds like a plan to me."

Her smile returned. "Oh! We should probably also try to find your parents while we're at it."

Matsuda shook his head assuredly. "Waste of time. Both my parents are out of town for the weekend." He turned and kept walking. "Besides, they get on my nerves."

She giggled at him sweetly before following behind. "Well they're your parents. That kind of comes with the job."

He was lying. The truth was, both of them were still very much in the city. And frankly, he was terrified that they might already be dead. That didn't change the fact that their was very little he could do about it. Even if he could somehow miraculously find them in all this chaos, their house was about two and a half miles in the opposite direction of where they needed to go. During which time they would have to travel through some of the most densely populated sections of the city. No, there was no way he was going to put Rei through that. He'd only succeed in getting them both killed.

Matsuda's gut was telling him they needed to get to Kuoh. And since gaining these new abilities, his gut had yet to steer him wrong. He would just have to hope and pray that his parents found some way to make it out of this mess alive and do his best not to upset or worry Rei any more than she already was. That girl had enough to deal with grieving for her lost Grandfather without adding on worrying about his folks to her list of problems.

Right now, her safety was all he cared about. He made a promise, and he was going to keep it.

* * *

*Splat!* Went the wet rag against the zombie's head. Motohama had several questions as he watched Saya dip wet hand towels she had stolen from one of the department stores into a bucket of water only to throw them at the heads of passing zombies. Chiefly of which being, had she completely lost her fucking mind?

"What the hell are you doing?" He asked sharply while all his danger signals started going on red alert. They'd ducked behind a bush out on the street shortly after making it out of the mall, and now Saya was doing this for whatever insane reason.

"Just be quiet." She whispered in an annoyed tone before dipping another towel and throwing. This time, she aimed for the sidewalk next to the zombie she had just beaned in the head. While it didn't seem to react to the first throw, it immediately reacted to the second.

That piqued his interest. They were alerted primarily to sound, it seemed.

"Do you see that? They don't even react when something hits their bodies, the big dumbasses. Their sense of touch is completely dead. Their vision must not be great either or they wouldn't keep tripping over curbs and running into walls"

"Well what about smell?" He offered.

"I'm sure we'll have plenty of chances to test that theory too." She assured. "In the meantime, we should try to locate suitable transport and get the hell out of here."

"Our best bet will be to get to Kuoh." Motohama observed while shouldering his makeshift weapon.

She glared up at him in annoyance. "Why the hell should we go to the school? What possible use could that be?"

He shrugged. "You saw that bright light same as me. Come on, whatever's making that is not natural. At the very least, we may figure out what's behind all this if we go there."

"For all we know that crazy thing is what's causing all this." She insisted vehemently. "Going to Kuoh is a completely stupid idea."

"I doubt heavily that that thing is what's causing the outbreak. Furthermore, I think whatever or whoever is creating it can help us."

She quirked a brow at him in confusion. "How do you figure that?"

"Well for one, that crazy dome didn't appear until AFTER the zombie horde started rising." He explained. "And two, it's obviously sustained by something insanely powerful considering the amount of energy that would be required to make a beam of that magnitude, no matter the particle it's composed of."

Saya narrowed her eyes at him, she didn't like not being the only smart one. "Okay...but how does this help us?"

"From this we can deduce two things." He continued. "One, whatever is creating that beam of light is most likely doing so to contain the outbreak and run damage control. And two, if they have the resources to create that giant thing, they probably also have the resources to help us."

"And you really think that's our best bet?" She insisted, still unsure.

"I think it's our only bet." He spoke honestly. "We have no Earthly idea where these things came from or how to effectively fight them, but as it stands right now, it seems like the only people who are doing anything about it are all at Kuoh. So right now, that's where we want to be."

She grumbled at him in reluctant acceptance. "You know...for someone so stupid...you're...surprisingly not stupid."

Now he was the one giving her a look. "That...sentence made absolutely no sense."

"Sh...shut up!" She blushed fiercely. "It's not like I actually think you're as smart as me or anything…"

He merely rolled his eyes at that. "Look, regardless, we're going to need allies if we hope to make it." Motohama then sighed worriedly.

"I just really hope my friends are okay."

* * *

Ishi Kazu successfully managed to bash in the head of yet another zombie as he and Aika made their escape down one of Kuoh's many alleyways. He was getting better at this, but still had the curious habit of apologizing profusely to every undead he managed to kill.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Aika asked insistently. "You know these people are all dead, right?"

"I...I know." He stuttered nervously. "It's still strange doing this to them. I don't want to hurt anyone."

"You're not, trust me." She assured. "I'm no expert, but I can tell you, if I turned into one of these things, I'd want someone to put me down as quickly as possible."

He considered her words for a moment. "So then...what we're doing is an act of kindness?"

She smirked at him and nodded. "Yep. It's not murder. It's mercy."

Ishi smiled approvingly and held up his metal pipe. "In that case, let's go mercy those zombies by that trash can over there."

She chuckled at him in amusement. "Lead the way, Scotty."

They continued to clear out every zombie along their path. During which time, Aika felt she was really starting to get a better grip on her magic powers. As smoothly as things were going, however, the more she used the more she began to notice something was off. She was starting to get light headed, and every now and then, spots would appear in front of her eyes.

"Hey...you alright? You're looking kind of pale." Ishi commented worriedly.

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine." She assured while wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. "Let's just...try to take it a little slower okay?"

He nodded. "Sure thing." After scanning around the area, he noticed a zombie all by its lonesome near the window of an outlet store. "There's another one. Don't worry, I've got this."

"Wait…" Before she could caution him further the eager young teenager was already off. He quickly ran up to the zombie and knocked it over the head with his lead pipe before driving the end of it into his skull. As the zombie collapsed, he turned around and gave Aika the thumbs up. She smiled at him and returned the gesture…

...only to watch in horror as the zombie he had downed not but a moment ago stood back up.

"Ishi, lookout!"

He turned around and blanched as the zombie proceeded to grab him. He dropped the pipe and began a furious struggled to maintain his balance and throw the undead off. Its head began to vibrate before bursting from its body, upon which a fleshy tendril with a boney scythe on the end of it protruded from the neck stump.

"Oh shit! Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!" He panicked.

Aika tried to summon her magic but it wasn't working. The more she tried the more her head started to spin. Finally she managed to summon the willpower to cast a single bolt of arcane energy at the creature, blasting one of its arms off and dislodging Ishi from its grasp. A sharp pain radiated through Aika's skull and she collapsed to a knee, blood dripping from her nose.

Just when it seemed like everything would be okay, the fleshy tendril brought its scythe down into Ishi's neck and the boy fell to the ground.

"Ishi!" Aika reached out for him but her head was still swimming. The boy laid there bleeding from his neck as the headless zombie prepared for another swing.

A hail of gunfire punctuated the air and the fleshy tendril was torn to shreds. The remains of the zombie fell and slowly dissolved on the ground.

Aika turned towards the direction of the gunfire. Off in the distance, a woman with blue hair in a skintight battlesuit lowered her SMG.

"Irina, over here! We've got some survivors!" The woman with the SMG called behind her.

A woman with brown hair tied into two long twintails ran up next to her and scoped out the situation. She grimaced upon seeing Ishi laying on the ground.

"You see to her." The blue haired woman pointed towards Aika. "I'll see to him."

She nodded and made her way over to Aika, who was still having trouble standing up. "It's okay. Try not to move too quickly."

"Wh...who are you?" She asked while wiping her nose clean.

"My name is Irina Shidou." She introduced. "Was that you we felt casting magic?"

"Y...yes." She replied sheepishly."That was me."

Irina considered her more carefully for a moment. "Strange...you don't look like a Witch. Where did you get these powers from?"

"I...I don't…"

She shook her head. "No biggie." Irina reached into her utility belt and pulled out a small bar wrapped in aluminum before offering it to her. "Here, use this."

Aika took the bar and unwrapped it before peering back up at Irina curiously. "Chocolate?"

"Just trust me, it'll help." She assured.

Aika bit into the chocolate bar and chewed. Sure enough, her vision became clear and her head stopped hurting before she even finished the bite.

"W...woah. I feel so much better." She marveled after finishing the bite and taking another.

Irina nodded approvingly. "Chocolate releases endorphins in the brain. If you use too much magic, a rush of that particular neurotransmitter can get you back on your feet. You may want to take it easy on the spellcasting for awhile though."

Aika slowly got back to her feet, peering at the woman more searchingly now. "I remember you...you were that girl talking with Jon on the Quad."

Irina gasped in surprise. "Wait...you know Jon?"

Before she could answer, Aika caught sight of Ishi still bleeding on the ground. Dread gripped her heart and she dropped the chocolate bar before rushing over to his side. "Ishi! Ishi, are you okay?!"

"H...hey...Aika…" He smiled up at her as best he could. His skin was turning white and he had lost a significant amount of blood. "Guess I screwed that one up, didn't I."

She shook her head vehemently, worried tears starting to form in her eyes. "You did great, Kid. Don't sell yourself short."

The blue haired woman kneeling next to him placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's...Ishi, correct?"

He coughed painfully. "Y...yes."

"My name is Xenovia Quarta." She introduced in a gentle understanding tone. "You did a great job helping these poor souls find peace. You should be proud of yourself."

He coughed up more blood. Aika turned her head away.

"You do understand what happens once you've been infected, right?" Xenovia asked with that same calm, understanding voice. "If you don't want to become one of those things, I'll end your life as painlessly as possible."

Ishi smiled up at her politely. "I would appreciate that...thank you."

"Ishi, no!" Aika interjected. "You can't quit! What about your family?!"

"My family is dead." He cast his smile to Aika next as tears welled up in his eyes. "The only reason I'm alive is because the zombies who broke into our home were too busy eating them."

She placed two hands up to her gaping mouth and shook her head in abject horror.

"Forgive me for lying to you. But you said if I wanted to see my family again, that I should follow you." He continued, that same sad smile on his face. "And you were right. Thank you, Aika. For letting me make a difference before I returned to them."

"I can't…" Aika turned away and went to a corner. "I can't do this…"

Irina knelt down next to Xenovia and nodded to her partner. Xenovia then pulled out her SMG and placed it against Ishi's head.

"As brave in death, as you were in life." She quietly commented before pulling the trigger.

A single round punctuated the air and Ishi's brains coated the pavement. Aika was in shambles, hunched over in the corner, repeatedly shaking her head over and over again, her whole body trembling.

"We should give him last rights." Irina insisted. "He deserves that much at least."

"You do it." Xenovia stood up, a dispassionate look in her eyes. "I'll take care of her."

Irina frowned at her as she walked away before pulling out her cross and placing it against his forehead. "Go forth, Christian soul, from this world in the name of God the almighty Father, who created you…"

While Irina gave him last rites, Xenovia knelt down next to Aika and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry Kid…" Aika quietly wept. "I'm so...so sorry."

"There's no need to be this hard on yourself." She tried to be reassuring.

"Why is this happening?" She asked miserably. "What did any of us do to deserve this?"

Xenovia frowned softly. "There's nothing that justifies this. Nothing."

Aika sniffed and wiped her face before casting her glassed over eyes back at Irina, who was still performing last rites. "Are you two like...Priests or something?"

She cast her gaze away, her expression darkening. "Something like that."

"Then tell me...why would God let something like this happen to so many innocent people?"

Xenovia shook her head, her eyes shut. "I don't know…" She sighed in a melancholy tone.

"I'm having a hard time understanding God right now."


	26. Chapter 26

Aika followed Irina and Xenovia as they made their way deeper into the city. From what they explained to her, they were both something called Holy Sword Users, a special breed of Warrior who used Psionic Energy and Holy Weaponry to fight Supernatural beings as ordained by the Vatican. They were in the midst of transporting whatever was in that case that Xenovia had slung across her back out of the city when the outbreak hit. Since then, they'd been fighting to help as many people as they could.

She would have been lying to herself if she didn't admit that her inner Occult Nerd was extremely happy right now. As it was, she was trying really hard not to fangirl over the fact that she was grouped up with two real life monster hunters.

Or rather...that's how it would have been had she not kept being constantly reminded of poor Ishi. She let her cockiness get the better of her and as a result, he paid the ultimate price. It was going to take some time for her to fully come to terms with that. But in the meantime, she was determined to find her friends and not let the same thing happen to them.

"So you're a friend of Jon's?" Irina questioned after clearing out another mob of zombies.

"We go to school together." Aika explained, just doing her best to keep up with their brisk pace. "I'm more interested in how you two know him." A thought occurred to her. "Wait a minute...don't tell me he's a Holy Sword Whatever too?"

"Holy Sword User." Xenovia corrected. "And no, he's not a member of our Order. At least...not anymore."

"But he was a member at one time?" Aika marveled excitedly. "I so freaking knew it! I knew there was something up with him!"

Irina frowned solemnly and cast her gaze to the floor. "Now's really not the best time to get into it. We should stay focused on getting to safety."

"About that." Aika's demeanor changed. "I was wondering if we could look for some of my friends first."

"Aika, I really hate to tell you this but the odds of them still being alive are slim to none." Xenovia spoke patiently but insistently.

"That may not be true!" She responded imploringly. "The three of us were exposed to something. We have no idea what, but it's the reason I can suddenly perform magic. They gained powers too, so it's more likely they're still alive, same as me."

Irina and Xenovia both stopped and looked at each other questioningly, as if silently asking if they really wanted to get involved in this.

"You said you were trying to save people, right?" Aika challenged before sighing. "Look...these two guys can be idiots sometimes but they're good people. They definitely don't deserve to get torn apart by zombies."

After a moment of thought, they both nodded at each other in confirmation.

"Alright, we'll help." Irina spoke up, a smile forming on her face.

"But we can't promise we'll find them." Xenovia insisted.

Aika beamed happily. "Thank you! They couldn't have gone far from the Jyongen District. We had just separated when the outbreak hit."

Irina nodded in understanding. "Alright, in that case we'll begin searching near the Mall and work our way around the square."

"Just be careful not to get grabbed while you're still recovering your magic energy." Xenovia warned. "These things are quicker than they appear and once they grab you it can be difficult to get free."

"I understand." Aika assured. "But...quick question. Once we do find our friends, what's the plan? Are we gonna try to get out of the city or…?"

Xenovia shook her head. "That's not possible at the moment, I fear." She pointed up towards the sky. "I assume you're already aware of that?"

"Yes?"

"It's a barrier of magical energy. The scope of which goes beyond any power you can find on Earth." Irina explained, her eyes cast angrily towards the dome of energy. "It's meant to keep anything from leaving the city."

"As quarantine?"

"As insurance." Xenovia spoke up glumly. "That barrier isn't just there to keep the zombies in. It's meant to ensure no one can spread word of what's going to the outside world."

"Is that the reason our phones haven't been working either?"

Irina nodded. "This entire city is on lockdown. And the ones who put up that barrier won't take it down until they're absolutely certain this outbreak has been eradicated."

"So...they're the ones behind all this?"

"Well...no." Irina admitted. "The ones who started this outbreak and the ones trying to contain it are two completely different entities."

"But make no mistake." Xenovia warned severely. "Neither one of them cares about the human lives at stake here."

Aika frowned worriedly at that. What on Earth was Jon involved with? And how did the ORC tie into all this.

"It's not really important right now." Irina insisted. "We need to focus on finding your friends and getting to safety."

"But where are we going to go? Where's a safe place to hide?"

"We have an idea." Xenovia spoke up.

Irina scowled angrily and turned away. "Your idea, you mean."

Her partner turned towards her, a weary look in her eyes. "Irina...you know it's the only option."

"I'm not going back there!" She insisted hatefully. "I won't give him the satisfaction of seeing me come crawling back for help."

"You need to swallow that stubborn pride of yours and admit we don't have a choice. Once the contagion spreads far enough, the Fallen Ones will begin the next stage of their attack. When that happens, they WILL come looking for us."

She remained silent, still quietly stewing in her own bitterness.

"If we have any hopes of making it out of this alive, then we must strike a deal with them. It's the only way we can keep the Fallen Ones from claiming the Holy Swords."

"Since when do you approve of making deals with Devils, Xenovia?"

Aika gasped. Did she just say...Devils?

Xenovia's eyes grew cold. "Since I learned that everything I once stood for is based on a lie. We may not approve of their methods, but as it stands, they're the only ones doing anything about this outbreak. What was it you once said to me? The enemy of my enemy is my friend?"

"I won't do it." Irina insisted stubbornly. "I won't go back to Kuoh."

Aika felt her reality start to fracture at the seams. "Hold on...are you saying that Kuoh is run by Devils?"

Irina and Xenovia both turned and stared at Aika nervously.

"As in...Devils plural?" She asked, still not quite sure she fully believed what she was hearing.

"I know this is a lot to take in." Xenovia spoke assuringly. "But we really need to focus on the task at hand. Once we find your friends, we will make our way to Kuoh, and strike a deal with the powers that be in exchange for your safety."

"We don't even know that they'll listen to us." Irina spoke up insistently. "What makes you so sure they'll want to strike a deal?"

"Because…" Xenovia patted the case on her back. "...we have something they want."

Irina went wide eyed. "Tell me you're not suggesting what I think you are."

She shook her head vehemently. "No, I'm not saying we give them the Holy Swords. I'm saying we let them keep the swords safely out of the Fallen's hands. Under our watchful eye of course."

"That's way too risky." Irina clearly did not like this idea one bit. "They'll destroy them."

"If we reason with Rias Gremory, I'm certain it won't come to that. She may be a Devil but she's reasonable enough not to turn away a potential resource. And besides…" Xenovia clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "...as much as it pains me to admit it. I'd rather see the swords destroyed than end up in the hands of the Fallen. After what I saw that they plan to do with them, we CANNOT afford to take that chance."

"Guys...if I can just speak up here." Aika timidly chimed in.

They both turned and looked at her.

"None of this matters until we find my friends." She insisted. "Why don't we focus on that problem before we worry about anything else?"

Xenovia and Irina both glared at each other before quietly nodding their heads. It was then they heard the sound of compressed air popping off and two voices shouting.

"Is that...a nail gun I'm hearing?" Irina asked in confusion.

Motohama continued to pop off shots with his nail gun as more zombies approached them from all sides of the Jyongan Square. Everything was going just fine until Saya started shouting at him again. Her loud mouth ranting managed to attract what had to be every zombie in a thirty yard radius to them and now the duo had been effectively pinned into a corner.

"Dammit, I'm running low on ammo!" Motohama growled as he continued to pop off shots in all directions. "What are you just standing around for, Saya?! Help me fight off these things!"

"You stupid idiot! That's your job, not mine!" She yelled back at him, equal parts angry and terrified.

"Saya, we are literally going to die here if you don't knock it off with that prissy rich girl nonsense and start fighting! I can't keep this up forever!"

"I never should have followed you!" She shrieked. "Useless, stupid idiot! You're supposed to be-"

"Look out!"

His warning came too late and a zombie descended upon her. Saya let loose a blood curdling scream that could be heard blocks away.

Off in the distance, Matsuda and Rei perked up their ears.

"Did you hear that?" She asked nervously.

"Yeah." Matsuda readied his bat. "Let's go!"

They sprinted towards the sound of screaming. On the other side of the Square, Irina, Xenovia, and Aika all made their way towards the noise as well. Both groups converged and gazed off in the distance to see Motohama desperately fending off a horde of zombies. One of them had made it past him and had Saya backed into a corner.

"We've got to help them!" Matsuda charged, swinging his bat at everything between him and Motohama.

"Irina!" Xenovia drew her SMG and called for her partner.

"Right!" She drew her Excalibur Mimic and the duo proceeded to charge with Aika following closely behind.

As the two groups converged on Motohama's position he turned and fired at the zombie who had Saya cornered.

Nothing but air, he was completely out of ammo.

"Saya!"

"Get away!" She backed as far into the corner as she could go, abject terror in her eyes. "Get back! Stay back!"

The Zombie lurched forward to grab her. Running purely on instinct Saya grabbed the first thing her hand touched in the duffle bag and jammed it in the zombies forehead as it came down on her.

"GET AWAY!"

The electric drill in her hand powered on and embedded itself in the zombie's forehead. As it bored into its brain, blood splattered all over Saya. The horrified girl tried desperately to hide her face from the blood and brain matter soaking her clothes as she slowly began to slip into a full blown panic attack.

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! SOMEONE PLEASE!" She shrieked desperately.

Motohama rushed to her and grabbed the zombie, using all his strength to pull the now destroyed creature off the poor girl before it began to disintegrate into nothing. As he did this, Irina, Xenovia, Matsuda, and Rei finished mopping up the rest of the horde and quickly rejoined with them.

The Perverted Trio had been reunited at last.

"All clear." Irina declared.

"Motohama!" Aika rushed to her friend, who was busy tending to Saya.

"Aika?" Matsuda asked before running over and joining his friends.

Motohama didn't respond, all his attention was focused on calming down Saya. Who at that moment was in a state of shock and breathing far too fast.

"Saya...Saya listen to me." He tried to be as gentle as possible. "You need to slow your breathing down. At this rate you're gonna make yourself pass ou-"

"SHUT UP!" She shrieked at him before backing away and getting back to her feet. "What gives you the right to boss me around, Motohama! You're just a nobody! A pervert! A loser!"

"Wait...is that Saya Takaga?" Matsuda asked curiously.

Aika nodded. "I think it is."

"You know her?" Rei asked Matsuda.

He nodded. "We go to Kuoh together. But what's that spoiled daddy's girl doing out here with Motohama?"

"It's a long story." He insisted before turning his attention back to her. "Saya, you're in shock. You need to calm down otherwise there's a chance you could-"

"DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE I'M STUPID!" Her eyes were wild, unhinged. Like something inside her had completely snapped. "I'M SMARTER THAN ALL OF YOU COMBINED!"

"She's lost it." Irina murmured, her hand cautiously going to her revolver strapped to her side. "At this rate, she's liable to draw more of the infected to us."

"W...wait! You're not gonna shoot her, are you?" Rei quickly got in front of her.

"No. But if necessary, I will knock her unconscious. We can't take any risks and she's painting a giant target on our back."

"Any of you come near me and so help me God I'll fucking-"

Her back hit the wall. Saya slowly turned around and peered into the reflective paneling that composed the Mall's exterior. What she saw staring back at her made her entire reality come crashing down around her.

"Look at me…" She was covered in blood and brain matter. Her face, her clothes, her hair, there wasn't a spot on the normally pristine princess that wasn't coated in coagulated gore. "Look at all these blood stains. The cleaners bill for this is going to be...is going to be…"

Rei gingerly walked up to Saya and placed a hand on her shoulder. She offered the shellshocked girl a compassionate smile.

"It's okay. You're going to be alright."

She'd never met this girl before. She didn't even know her name. Yet as the trauma of her ordeal slowly caught up to her, Saya wrapped herself around her and hugged her tight all the same. Slowly, she began to break down. Crying like a frightened child clinging to her mother while slowly sinking to the ground alongside Rei. While Saya cried, the others stood in stoic silence, each of them with the same forlorn expressions on their face. The emotions she displayed expressing the turmoil they all felt in their hearts.

This was a nightmare. An honest to God nightmare.

After they managed to get Saya to calm down, the group all made appropriate introductions with one another and discussed where they went from there. They were all in agreement about what needed to happen next.

Their destination was Kuoh. For better or worse, they were heading for that bright beacon of light in the darkness.

Well...almost everyone was onboard. Irina was still vehemently against returning to the place where the man she was trying so hard to completely cut out of her life was located. Not to mention, she hated the idea of taking the Holy Swords to that place. After everything they had gone through just to retrieve them, this seemed like the worst possible idea.

But majority vote ruled against her. And barring striking out on her own, there really weren't any other options available for her. So she begrudgingly followed along, reminding herself that innocent lives were at stake.

After walking for a few blocks, the group raided a nearby pharmacy for supplies. Food, medicine, anything they thought they might need. There was no telling how long it would take them to get there, nor did they want to risk being unprepared should things turn south.

Saya took some time to wash up as best she could in the bathroom and get the blood off her skin and hair. It the end there was only so much she could do, but it was better than nothing.

Feeling a bit worried, Motohama decided to go check on her. He knocked on the door to the women's room and called for her.

"Hey...Saya? I swear I'm not perving or anything. I'm just wondering if you're doing okay." He called to her before peeking his head around the door.

His breath stopped as she proceed to put on a pair of slim fitting spectacles and peer at him curiously. He was entranced. With that one little act, it was like her whole aesthetic had completely changed. Like all this time she was missing something, only to find it here and now.

Never in his life had he seen such a beautiful woman before.

"You...you wear glasses…" He observed in stunned bewilderment.

"Shut up!" She snarled at him before tossing a towel onto his head. "One of my contact lenses fell out when that zombie knocked me to the ground. These were the closest pair I could find that matched my prescription."

He pulled the towel off of his head, his eyes still permanently fixed on her. "You...wear glasses."

She guffawed and her cheeks lit up. Saya slapped him across the cheek to knock him out of his stupor.

"Who do you think you're staring at, Perv?!" As angry as she sounded, there was no denying the redness in her cheeks.

"N...no!" He shook his head vehemently, having finally sobered up. "It's just...I think I finally see it now."

She quirked a brow at him impatiently. "See what?"

"How beautiful you really are." He explained. "At first I couldn't tell, your eyes were so cold and hard...but now...it's like your eyes are the only thing mine care to see."

She made a small indignant noise before heating up like a thermometer. With a menacing growl she proceeded to knock him over the head with her fist.

"S...ST...STUPID!"

While she stormed off in a flustered huff, he happily melted into a puddle of catatonic goo on the floor. For the first time in his life, Motohama had been exposed to a woman who made his heart stir as opposed to his pants.

"She wears glasses…" He repeated again, his heart thudding madly in his chest.

After they successfully resupplied, the group discussed what their next move should be. They were all in agreement of their objective, now it was just a matter of planning the route.

"We'll stick to back streets." Aika declared while drawing on the city map he found. "Assuming we move carefully, it shouldn't take us more than two days to get there by foot."

"Two days?" Matsuda sounded unsure. "Is that really the best we can do, Bra?"

She shrugged. "If you have a better plan, I'm all ears. As it stands, this is the only route we have that keeps us out of the hotspots."

"What if we tried going through the Subways?" He offered.

"Assuming we were lucky enough to not get blocked off by a train, those tunnels are going to be congested with the undead. I all but guarantee it." Aika insisted.

While they discussed strategy, Rei flipped through channels on the TV. They were all static. Not one of them was working.

"Would you give it up?" Saya spoke in an aggravated tone. "Obviously flipping through every channel a hundred times isn't going to make the TV magically start working again."

"You can't blame me for trying." She insisted, slightly off put by Saya's bad attitude. "We have no idea if this is going on outside the city or not."

"It isn't." Xenovia spoke up. "That barrier in the sky all but guarantees it. This epidemic has been effectively isolated to this city alone. It's likely the outside world doesn't even know what's going on."

"But...surely someone knows by now." Rei tried to sound hopeful.

She shook her head. "Trust me, they don't. The last thing the ones who orchestrated the quarantine want is for word to spread of this outbreak."

"But why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Saya spoke up in a snarky, condescending tone. "It's to avoid panic. If word of this spread to the outside world, all of Japan, no all of the world would be thrown on red alert. Countries would start closing down borders, governments would begin pointing fingers at one another looking for an explanation. Mass hysteria could kick in, it would make things a hundred times worse."

"That is...one reason. Yes." Xenovia spoke grimly. "Another is to keep the identities of the ones behind all of this a secret."

They all stared at her in confusion.

"Don't you find it strange that all of this happened in the matter of a few hours? Normally, an epidemic of this size would take days to develop, if not weeks."

Saya nodded in agreement. "It took months before anyone started to notice the SARS outbreak in China. And that was a whole country that was affected."

"Yet in mere hours, over half the cities population was struck with a mutant virus strain that turned them into living dead." Xenovia observed. "The only way that could have happened is if someone dispersed the pathogen into high traffic areas of the city."

Aika lurched up from her spot on the floor and glared at her in disbelief. "Are you telling me this was an act of Bio-Terrorism?"

She shook her head. "I'm afraid what's happening here is so much worse than terrorism. This is the beginning of a full blown invasion."

Aika blanched. "Of Japan?"

"Of the world." She corrected. "Those zombies are just the footsoldiers. Infantryman to swell the frontlines. More will come. Stronger in number and with powers you cannot even begin to fathom." Her voice carried the gravity of her words. "If they should breach through that barrier, nothing will stop them covering this planet in a plague of undeath."

"So what, some psycho nutjobs are gonna take over the world by turning everyone into zombies? That's crazy!" Matsuda insisted.

"It's not just crazy, it's illogical." Saya scoffed. "Corpses, moving or otherwise, make for poor foot soldiers. Their bodies will break down, they'll decompose. Once the heat of summer sets in, their muscles and nervous systems will break down faster than they can infect people."

From the corner of store, Irina laughed. She'd been mostly keeping to herself since they arrived there, leaning against one of the cash register conveyer belts while they talked out their plans.

"What's so funny?!" Saya growled.

"I really hate to break it to you, Sweety. But your medical logic doesn't apply to these things. They weren't born of any natural virus." Irina explained, a smug grin plastered on her face. "What we're dealing with, is Necromancy. Death magic born of the Underworld."

"Death magic." She repeated back to her as if she were a crazy person. "Tell me that's a joke, right?"

"There's no joke here." Irina warned severely. "What Xenovia said is true. These things are just the beginning. The ones behind this, the ones pulling the strings, they are agents of Kane. Apostles of the end times...Fallen Angels."

"F...Fallen Angels?" Rei gulped back her fears.

She nodded. "This is just the beginning. Phase one of the invasion. Once the footsoldiers have established themselves in the city, they'll send in the Special Forces. From their, the Elites. Warriors with wings as black as the night sky will descend upon the city, heralding the end of times for all of humanity."

Saya broke out into a fit of hysterical laughter. Everyone around her frowned in annoyance.

"That is fucking rich." She wiped a mirthful tear from her eye. "Would you seriously listen to yourself? You're talking about Biblical Providence."

"You're saying this is an apocalypse?" Motohama asked nervously.

"I'm saying it's an extermination." She spoke bluntly.

"Hold on, how do you know so much about this shit?" Matsuda asked insistently.

She cast her violet eyes at him, a stern look in her gaze. "Because I've been trained to fight these creatures since I was thirteen years old. As have all the Hunters of the Saintly Knights of Michael."

"That's what Jon used to be, isn't it." He spoke breathlessly. "A Hunter."

Her expression glowered. "In a way he still is...but...he's switched sides."

"You're kidding." Aika glared at her in disbelief. "You can't seriously tell me he's working for these Fallen Angels is he?"

She slowly shook her head, staring off into space. Her partner, meanwhile, frowned at her in concern. "No...no….he's not working for them. He's working for the OTHER team. The ones who erected that barrier. The ones who will do anything to make sure this outbreak is never discovered by humankind. The true Lords of the Underworld."

Aika remembered something she overhead Xenovia and Irina talking about while they were walking together.

"Devils…" Her skin paled. "Jon is working for...Devils." Her mind was reeling. Suddenly it all made sense. The Occult Research Club, the Gremory family, all of it. It was all a front. The University of Kuoh was a Haven for a Devil Family!

"He isn't just working for them…" Irina continued grimly. "...he is ONE of them."

They all went deathly quiet at this grave revelation, save for Saya who scoffed dismissively.

"Yeah, and I'm secretly the Tooth Fairy." She quipped, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "This is crazy! You dumbasses are getting yourselves worked up into hysterics over Antiquated Dogma!'

"You can't deny what you've seen with your own eyes." Aika glared at her coldly. "That barrier over the city. The dead walking the streets. Not to mention my magic."

"All I've seen so far is a severely deadly pathogen and some sort of lightshow in the sky. And as for your magic, I have yet to actually see any of it with my own two eyes. So unless you wanna do a bit of hocus pocus for me right here and now, then really I've only got your word to go on that you're not just a crazy person." She glared at Irina next. "And as for you, you can keep your Scripture, and your holy mumbo jumbo to yourself. I don't believe in angels, or Devils...I don't even believe in God."

"Well that's just fine, Saya." Irina's partner stood up and eyed her coldly. "Because right now, he doesn't believe in you either."

Irina frowned at her. "Xenovia…"

"Whether you like it or not, the five of you are stuck in the middle of a war between two factions that run just about everything there is to run on God's Green Earth. If you have any hope of surviving this Hell come to life. Then you have to pick a side." She cast her gaze specifically at Irina as she spoke this next part. "God has nothing to do with this unholy struggle. And his eyes are not upon those caught in the crossfire."

"Look, seeing as I'm apparently the only voice of reason here." Saya spoke up in that same arrogant tone. "Let me just say right now that every single one of you are complete IDIOTS. There's a perfectly logical, scientific explanation for what is going on, and just because we don't...have the…"

Xenovia slowly began to approach Saya as she talked. The girl started trembling and backing away from the terrifyingly cold glare she was giving off. The Holy Sword User's eyes began to glow and her body became encased in psionic energy before she slammed her fist into the display shelf that Saya was standing next to. Everyone save for Irina jumped in both fear and surprise, Saya worst of all, who collapsed to the ground.

Upon inspecting the damage, it was revealed she had sent the display case flying to the very back of the store, knocking out five additional shelves in the process, as well as completely smashing in the back wall. Leaving a trail of destruction almost forty yards in length.

"Care to explain that one, oh great Voice of Reason?"

By the look on Saya's face, it was clear she wasn't in a position to explain anything right now. Her perception of reality had just been effectively shattered for the second time in less than an hour.

"So…" After shaking off the initial shock of what she just witnessed, Rei timidly spoke up. "You say we have to pick a side...what do you mean by that exactly?"

"I mean that you have to choose between the two forces fighting this war." Xenovia explained bluntly. "And seeing as the Fallen Angels have no use for humans except as walking corpses, that really only leaves you with one option."

"You mean...we have to side with Devils if we hope to survive?" She sounded horrified by the prospect. "Is that really a good idea?"

"Yeah, I mean…" Motohama fidgeted uncomfortably. "I'm not exactly the religious type myself. But wouldn't Devils be considered to be worse than Fallen Angels

After a moment of thought, Xenovia sighed and shook her head. "In this instance, absolutely not. The one leading these Fallen Angels desires nothing from humankind beyond their utter annihilation. The Devil Peerages currently residing at Kuoh, while Prideful, Arrogant, and more than a little Narcissistic, CAN be reasoned with...for the right price."

"Jesus Christ, Xenovia would you listen to yourself?" Irina insisted angrily. "You're asking them to condemn their eternal souls."

"I am asking them to make a choice." She retorted sharply. "The only choice that truly matters in the end. Life...or Death?"

The five of them remained in stunned silence until at last Rei stepped forward.

"I'll do it. I choose life."

"Rei?" Matsuda stared at her in disbelief.

"When I watched as my Grandfather died right in front of me." She bowed her head and trembled at the memory. "I prayed to every God I could think of to please let him live, but none of them answered me. I am DONE praying for miracles. If striking a deal with the Devil means that we get out of this alive, then so be it."

After a moment, he smiled at her and nodded. "If you're doing it, then so am I. I promised your Gramps you'd get out of this alive."

"I'm in too." Motohama spoke up next. "I may not trust Devils necessarily, but I do trust Jon. He's been good to us, and if anyone knows how to fix this mess, it'll be him."

Matsuda knocked fists with Motohama before turning to Aika. "Well, Bra? You in or out?"

She cast her gaze the group squirrely for a moment, as if toying with the idea in her head. Before shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. "Eh, fuck it. I'm in. I mean...I was already going to hell for being a Lesbian, right? What have I got to lose?"

All eyes then turned to Saya who had been quietly moping on the ground.

"What?" She stared up at them angrily. "I still think you're all nuts."

"Come on, Saya." Motohama insisted. "You can't tell me you're still having doubts."

After a moment of stubborn scowling her expression finally softened and she sighed resigningly "Look...I'm not saying I believe any of this nonsense. But…" She stood up and stared at Motohama, a light blush creeping over her cheeks. "...Motohama, I do believe you. I guess...sort of.."

He gawked at her, his face turning red. Aika and Matsuda both cast knowing glances at one another and snickered to themselves.

"You were right." Saya continued, though she didn't sound happy about it. "Kuoh is most likely the safest place in the city right now. So...I'll follow you."

"Saya…"

"D...Don't think it's because I suddenly like you or anything! You're still a loser pervert, as far as I'm concerned." She folded her arms and turned her head away defiantly, hiding her blushing cheeks.

Xenovia smiled at them. "I'm glad to see you're all reasonable about this. Stick together, work as a team, and we may just make it out of this alive."

"Alive…" Irina snarled.

Her partner turned to her and glared coldly.

"What kind of life will they be living after this, hmm?" She challenged. "You make it sound like this little deal they're going to strike is a two way street." Irina turned and addressed them. "She is speaking of something she barely knows anything about. Your souls are not worth whatever deal it is you stand to gain by bargaining with Devils."

"I know more than you do." Xenovia responded, the slightest edge to her voice. "Or have you forgotten I'm still your senior within the Order? I've been at this a lot longer than you have, Irina."

"Just because you've lost sight of your faith, that doesn't give you the right to condemn them as well." Irina seethed through clenched teeth. "You are forcing a change upon them that they cannot possibly be prepared for."

"Do NOT speak to ME about forcing CHANGE!"

All went quiet. They were all stunned by the normally stoic Xenovia's sudden outburst. None more so than Irina. She had never seen her lose her temper quite like that before.

Xenovia took a moment to compose herself and allow the redness in her face to clear before continuing. "Just because you chose to join the Order doesn't mean we all did. Your faith came of your own accord, mine didn't."

Irina shook her head in disgust. "You sound just like him now."

She grinned wickedly at her. "And there it is. The truth. The real reason you fear that School. Not because of Kuoh's Devils...but because of its Dragon."

"Watch it, Xenovia." Irina growled threateningly.

"I was the first to say we shouldn't make deals with the Gremory Peerage." Xenovia pointed to herself, her eyes hard, biting. "YOU were the one who convinced me otherwise. Now suddenly, when the Fallen Ones threaten to consume everything, you're too good for their help?" She chuckled at her and shook her head. "You're a lot of things, Irina. But you're not a hypocrite. I know the real reason you're afraid to go back there."

Irina got directly in her face. "I said...back...off!"

"It must have taken every ounce of strength you had to say no to him once, didn't it?" Xenovia challenged, that twisted smile still plastered on her face. "And if you saw him again, I'd be willing to bet you couldn't do so a second time."

The slap that followed resonated throughout the abandoned store. At first, it was hard to tell who was more surprised. Irina, the one who did the slapping? Or Xenovia, the one who got slapped? Either way, the end result was the same. With a chiding, hateful smirk, Xenovia turned her head…

...and offered the other cheek.

"But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." She spoke with cruel irony.

Irina backed away, no longer recognizing the woman standing in front of her. "Who...are you?"

"Someone who refuses to be a puppet for the Church a moment longer."

"You never intended to return the swords to the Church, did you?" She glared at her hatefully. "You were going to hand them right over to the Devils."

"This is the ONLY way." Xenovia seethed. "I will not dictate a course of action that leads to further bloodshed."

After a moment of silence, Irina's expression turned cold. She turned and headed for the door.

"I'm leaving."

Xenovia's heart sank.

"Irina wait." Aika looked like she wanted to stop her, but Matsuda got in her path, shaking his head insistently.

"There's nothing left for me here." She spoke in a low somber tone. "I won't be party to this sacrilege a moment longer."

"Irina...don't do this." Xenovia insisted. "You can't face what's about to come on your own."

"Through Christ, I can overcome any ordeal." She turned and glared back at Xenovia, clutching her Mother's cross in her hand. "If I am to walk this path alone, then so be it."

Xenovia lowered her head, a pained expression on her face. "Your faith always was stronger than mine."

"I was prepared to say goodbye to Jon." Irina spoke painfully. "I didn't think I would have to say goodbye to you too."

With that, she turned to leave. As Irina reached down to grab the Holy Swords Case however, she heard the sound of an SMG slide cocking back.

"Don't." Xenovia warned, her weapon in hand. "The swords stay here."

Irina clenched her fist inches away from the case. "And suppose I were to take them from you?"

"Don't try it." She insisted almost pleadingly. "You know how this would end."

They couldn't see it, but she was smirking.

"Yes...I do."

Irina left, leaving the case behind as she made for the door. All fell silent once she was gone, until at last Matsuda spoke up.

"So...what's this about Jon being a Dragon?"

The group marched on despite having lost a member. With Irina gone, it was up to Xenovia to lead this group of survivors to Kuoh. With a heavy heart, she guided them through the city, the Holy Relics strapped to her back.

"The sun will be setting soon." Rei commented in a low, placated tone. "Maybe we should consider finding shelter."

"That's actually not a bad idea." Motohama pointed out. "It'll be especially dangerous at night with no power in the city."

"We'll find something." Xenovia assured.

After walking for a bit longer, Aika approached Matsuda and held out her hand. "Hey...let me see your bat."

"Hmm?" He checked his weapon and then looked back at her. "Why?"

"Would you just give it here?" She insisted with a beckoning of her palm.

He reluctantly placed the vintage slugger in her hand. Whereupon she inspected it thoroughly.

"It's already starting to splinter." She commented. "At this rate it'll shatter."

"Well what did you expect? It's wood." Saya commented in a snarky tone.

Aika channeled her magic into the palms of her fingers and reinforced the bat. She then offered it back Matsuda.

"It feels heavier." He commented while running his hand along its smooth surface. "But also...sturdier."

She nodded. "If my little spell worked, that bat should be as hard as steel now."

"Oh, give me a break." Saya rolled her eyes. "You don't honestly expect us to believe that, do you?"

Matsuda glanced over at a nearby brick column. "Only one way to find out."

"You could alert the Horde." Xenovia cautioned.

"It should be fine." He assured while approaching his target. "Those sirens will keep them distracted." He then motioned with his head towards Saya before bringing the bat up over his head. "And if it means shutting her up once and for all that's a chance I'm willing to take."

Saya scoffed at him before adjusting her spectacles. "Not sure what it is you hope to prove. Even if by some miracle she was able to increase the bat's molecular density just by touching it, a normal human could never smash through a brick column with nothing but a steel-"

He swung and the bat passed through the column, knocking brick to the ground and blasting a sizable chunk out of the wall. Saya lept back in surprise, once again her peerless logic proved flawed.

Rei giggled. "I guess it's a good thing then that Matsuda's not an ordinary human." She looked over at Saya. "You know, instead of trying to prove everyone wrong all the time. Maybe you should try focusing on figuring out a way to help out."

She grumbled in protest and followed the group in silence. After a few more minutes of walking, however, she caught sight of something. A deceased cop rested against the wall of the residential district they were traveling through. Motohama appeared to be too busy checking for potential ambush spots to notice, so she ran over to the body instead.

Upon closer inspection she noted that he appeared to have died via self inflicted bullet wound to the cranium. Next to his body, a message had been scrawled out in blood.

"Got bit. Fever hit. Cities gone to shit. May as well quit." She grimaced. "Awfully gruesome for last words." Saya then inspected the corpse itself more thoroughly. "Interesting...so the bodies don't dissolve if the pathogen doesn't have time to properly gestate."

"Saya! Get the lead out!" Matsuda insisted.

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming!" She shouted back in annoyance. Okay, no more stalling. Time to do what she came here to do.

Saya reached for his belt searching for a gun, trying her best not to think about what she was touching.

"Gross gross gross gross gross gross gross gross….." She chanted over and over again as she gingerly picked his sidearm out of its holster and dropped it the moment it was free.

She sighed. "Okay...now for the ammo." Saya relieved him of any extra rounds she could find.

The body suddenly lurched forward.

"WAH!" She jumped back and scooted away.

"Saya!" Motohama was there before anyone could react to what was going on. "You okay?"

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine." She quickly got up and dusted herself off. "Stupid corpse just spooked me."

Motohama looked to see that the Officer was well and truly dead. She must have tugged on the body a little too hard, he surmised.

"So what are you doing looting corpses?" Motohama asked curiously.

She frowned in annoyance before casting her gaze away, her cheeks flaring red with embarrassment.

"Saya?" He asked again.

After grumbling reluctantly she slowly outstretched her palms, offering him the weapon in one hand and all the rounds she could find in the other. She kept her gaze turned away from him as she did so.

"Here…"

He blinked at her in surprise before slowly taking the gun from her outstretched hand. He inspected it carefully, that wicked grin forming on his face again.

"The New Nambu M60." He pulled the slide out and inspected the rounds. "Fitted for the .38 Specials. Not a bad find, Saya."

She frowned deeper and blushed harder. "The ammo is all bloody but it should still work. I figured a real gun would work better for you then that stupid nail gun."

He took the rounds from her and pocketed the gun. "Thanks. This will help a lot."

"I didn't do it for you!" She insisted sharply, her hands crossed in defiance. "I'm just trying to make myself useful is all…"

A couple yards away, Matsuda, Rei, and Aika watched this scene unfold and chuckled quietly amongst each other.

"He sure was quick to get over there when he thought she was in danger." Matsuda pointed out.

"And she sure was quick to go rummaging around a dead body just to get him a gun." Rei pointed out.

"You two thinking what I'm thinking?" Aika grinned mischievously.

"Oh absolutely."

Further down still, Xenovia watched how the five of them interacted with each other. Even amidst all this darkness, they still managed to find some measure of levity.

She couldn't help but smile.

Finding the gun gave Motohama an idea about what to do regarding shelter for the night. Turns out, his uncle's place wasn't terribly far from where they currently were, and it was empty on account of him being out of the Country. As luck would have it, Motohama still had a key.

Unfortunately, due to major roadblocks and a massive horde of zombies, there was no direct route to get there. Which left them with only one option.

Xenovia pried the manhole covering away with her psionic strength before casually tossing it aside. The group stared down at the unappealing route, none of them seemingly thrilled about this development.

"Ugggh." Saya covered her mouth and nose with her hand and turned away. "Disgusting."

"It's either this or the zombies." Xenovia spoke bluntly.

"I'm still debating which is worse." She responded flatly.

"Man...I hate sewer levels." Matsuda groaned.

"Is this really the best option?" Aika whined complacently. "The smell is ungodly."

"Hey, just try to think of this as a close encounter of the turd kind." Motohama joked lightheartedly.

Aika shoved him, rolling her eyes despite the smile on her face.

Xenovia craned her head up towards the clouds. "We're losing daylight. It's now or never."

Matsuda nodded in understanding. "Let's do it."

"I'll go first." She declared before jumping down into the hole and landing gracefully on her feet.

Matsuda climbed down the ladder behind her. "Rei, come down after me. That way if you fall I can catch you."

She blushed fiercely and nodded. "Okay…"

After Rei it was Motohama's turn. As he took his spot on the ladder he turned his head up and looked at Saya. "You coming?"

She folded her arms and glared at him suspiciously. "If you stare up my skirt I will end you, Perv."

Aika rolled her eyes at her. "Would you just go already?"

Saya whined complacently as she took her place on the ladder and descended into the sewers. Followed by Aika who brought up the rear.

Once they successfully made it down, Xenovia tried to switch on her suit light but it wasn't working.

"Damn...batteries out."

"Which kind do you need?" Rei began rummaging through her supply bag. "I've got Double A. Triple A."

"C?" She asked curiously.

Rei frowned. "Literally everything but."

They all collectively groaned.

"I'm sorry, okay?" She pouted indignantly. "Those are really hard to find."

"Don't worry. I've got this." Aika assured. She channeled her magic into her palm and created a small orb of light that floated alongside them.

"Cute." Rei giggled.

"Let's get moving." Xenovia insisted. "The sooner we're back on the surface the better."

"Why?" Matsuda asked nervously. "What's down here?"

She glared down the pitch black tunnel suspiciously. "Just...try not to wander too far from the light."

The trek was arduous and stinky. And while no one was happy about having to journey through the sewers, it was of course Saya who made her protesting the most vocal. Much to the aggravation of her fellow group members.

"I am breathing in this shit air, it's going into my lungs, I am literally full of SHIT." She bemoaned dramatically.

"Hey, Saya?" Aika turned back to her.

"Huh?"

"Shut the fuck up please, before I push you into the drain."

She blanched at the thought. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me, Bitch." Aika narrowed her eyes at her. "It's been almost a day since I've had any coffee and I'm really not in the mood right now."

"Alright you two, that's enough." Rei insisted.

"Hey, she started it!" Saya pointed at her accusingly to which Aika simply blew her a raspberry like a three year old.

Rei sighed wearily. "Unbelievable. Would you two please at least try to act your age?"

"Hmph! I will if she will." Saya folded her arms and turned her head defiantly.

"Look, we're all a little on edge, I get that. We've been through a lot today." Rei was trying to keep herself composed but their constant bickering was really starting to wear thin on her nerves. "But this whole process will go by a lot faster if you just-"

She bumped into Matsuda who had come to a dead stop. Xenovia having raised her hand in the air to signal them to halt.

"What is it?" Motohama asked worriedly.

"Aika, bring your light over here."

"O...okay." She did as asked and guided the light to the section of the tunnel Xenovia was pointing at, illuminating everything around it.

What awaited them in the dark made their stomachs churn.

"Oh nice…" Matsuda commented in disgust before turning his head away.

"Fuck, turn it off would you?" Saya wretched.

The dead body of a sewer worker lay resting against the wall. He was missing his legs and waist and his entrails were spilling out of his torso. Xenovia knelt down next to the body and inspected it thoroughly. Seemingly less than bothered by the stench wafting off of it.

"This body has been decomposing for several days." She observed.

"But…" Rei shook her head. "...no that can't be. The outbreak didn't start until just a few hours ago."

"It wasn't the zombies that did this." Xenovia pointed to the corpse. "See those claw marks along the torso? No human can create wounds like this, undead or otherwise."

A deathly chill ran down their spines.

"This man was killed by something different...something worse."

"So then what the hell are we doing in this sewer?!" Saya began to panic again. "We were better off staying on the street!"

Rei glared at her sharply and pressed a finger up to her lips. "You need to keep your voice down."

"No!" She shouted angrily. "No, I've had enough of this!" Saya wheeled towards Xenovia and pointed at her. "You're supposed to be a Hunter? You're the WORST Hunter I've ever met! I know Housewives with better survival instincts than you do!"

An angry grin crept over Xenovia's lip. "Maybe you would have preferred if Motohama had left you in the mall?"

"At least he didn't lead us down a sewer drain with man eating beasts lurking in the shadows!" She angrily accused. "Honestly, I'm starting to think we were better off following Irina then your Dumbass!"

They didn't even see her move. One minute Xenovia was standing in front of them the next she was in Saya's face, gripping her by the collar of her blouse and hoisting her up in the air.

"If that's your choice then feel free to go back." She spoke in a severe tone. "But if you don't shut your mouth right now, I WILL shut it for you. Do you understand me?"

The petrified girl silently nodded her head before being unceremoniously dropped on the floor.

"Let's move." Xenovia insisted with her usual cold detachment. "Now we've really got to hurry."

As everyone turned to leave, Saya quietly stewed on the ground, her eyes cast bitterly to the floor. She made a slightly startled noise and looked up curiously, however, upon hearing someone approach.

Motohama knelt down and took his jacket off before placing it over her shoulders.

"You're shivering." He smiled sweetly at her. "It'd suck if you got sick now."

Her mouth fell agape and her cheeks flared. He couldn't hear it, but her heart was thudding madly in her chest. When did this loser get to be such a...gentleman?

He offered her a hand up. "Come on. We don't want to fall behind."

She gingerly took his hand and followed with her eyes cast away and her lips in a full pout.

"Thank you…" She quietly murmured.

He shrugged. "Don't mention it. I'm used to the cold anyway."

Saya took a moment to sniff at the fairly worn old jacket, grimacing reflexively. "Ugh...when was the last time you cleaned this thing?"

Motohama chuckled at her in amusement. "Hey, for the record, you stink a hell of a lot more than my jacket does."

She moaned pitifully. "Don't remind me."

They continued their silent march. Now more wary than ever of what may be lurking in the dark.

Several minutes passed and fortune continued to hold. So far nothing had managed to surprise them and they were nearing the end of the tunnel.

"We should be getting close." Xenovia declared.

"Thank God." Saya groaned wearily while clutching Motohama's jacket tighter to her. "I thought we would never get out of here."

During the journey, Rei had kept a near constant grip on Matsuda's arm. Whenever she heard something scary, she'd instinctively clutch him tighter. The atmosphere between them was starting to get tense and he feared if he didn't say something he'd start falling into bad habits and put his foot in his mouth.

"So…" He turned his head away, trying hard not to think about just how heavy her breasts felt on his arm. "...any plans when we get to Kuoh?"

She gave him a curious look before smiling and shaking her head. "No...I figured I'd just stay with you."

"Oh…" He blushed. "I mean...yeah that's cool." His features suddenly brightened. "I can introduce you to Jon. Aside from Matsuda, he's my best friend on campus. And you'll love the members of his club too. Rias and Asia are both super nice. Akeno is one of the politest people you'll ever meet. Kiba, well to be fair, I haven't seen him around in awhile. And Koneko...well, okay, she can actually be pretty mean sometimes, but she's still a cool person."

Rei chuckled at him good spiritedly. "I'm sure I'll like them."

He suddenly frowned, a thought occurring to him. "Actually...on second thought, I'm not sure I'm ready for you to meet him just yet."

She gave him a confused look. "Why not?"

"Because…" He sighed. "...Jon is a way cooler guy than I am. He's got ladies clinging to him left and right and he's way better looking. And apparently he's also a badass Dragon/Devil who hunts monsters for a living." Matsuda drooped shamefully. "I guess I'm just nervous that...when you meet him you won't want to hang out with me anymore."

Rei frowned sourly at him, turning her gaze away in hurt. "Why would you say that?"

Now it was him peering at her curiously.

"You think I care how popular or good looking this guy is? Is that really your opinion of me? That I'm so shallow I'll dump you off for the better model the moment I get the chance?"

She was legitimately angry. Matsuda wasn't sure what to do about this.

"I'm sorry." He insisted vehemently. "Please, don't get mad. I swear I wasn't trying to insult you."

After a moment the angry scowl melted away into a pouty frown. "Honestly it hurts my feelings more than anything. Do you really think I'm that shallow?"

"Of course I don't." He assured.

"Then why would you say that?"

He sighed glumly. "I wanna show you something." Matsuda dug into his pockets and pulled out his wallet. He took out an old photo of him and handed it to her. "Take a look at that picture."

Rei peered down at the complete stranger and then back up at him in confusion. "I don't get it. Is this a distant Cousin of yours or something?"

He smiled sadly. "That's me…before all this started."

Rei gawked at the photo again incredulously. Her gaze shifted from the well groomed man with a full head of hair and strong biceps back down to the skinny bald guy in the photo. There was just no way. They looked absolutely nothing alike.

"Rei…" He looked completely downcast as he admitted his embarrassing secret. "...before our transformations, Motohama and I were the least popular guys on campus. You can ask Saya or Aika about it and they'll tell you. All the women at our school hated us. We were...the school Perverts. The losers…"

She cast her gaze up at him sadly, it broke her heart seeing him like this.

"Jon was the only person who would hang out with us before Aika came along." He smiled at the memories of the three of them hanging out. "He was always so confident and sure about everything. Girls hung on every word that came out of his mouth and there wasn't a guy on campus who wasn't jealous of him. It was like he...projected this aura that was completely impossible to ignore."

"You must admire him a lot." She observed, her voice low.

He nodded. "More than anything, Motohama and I wanted to figure out his secret. We wanted to be just like him so badly we would have done anything to be on the same level as him." Matsuda clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white. "But that was never gonna be possible. Jon's a freaking Dragon. Some Mythical creature with godlike status. He was BORN cool. Everything that's cool about me came out of a bottle."

"Matsuda…"

"How am I supposed to compare to that?" His body began to tremble. It looked like he might break down. "It doesn't matter what I do, I'll always be in Jon's shadow. I'll always be a freaking loser!"

She shut him up with a kiss. Out of nowhere Rei pulled Matsuda to her and pressed her lips firmly to his with her eyes shut. The sheer shock was enough for his brain to completely shut down, but after a moment he finally relaxed into her and shut his eyes as well. He never knew a girl's lips could be this soft. He'd always pictured it in his mind, but never quite like this.

Finally, she pulled away from him and caressed his cheek. Nobody was home. Matsuda's brain had officially left the building.

"I could care less about any of that." She whispered to him, her cheeks flushed from the encounter. "You'll always just be you to me. Whether you look like this, or like the man in that photo."

"Uh huh…" He nodded, having not heard a word she just said.

"So stop comparing yourself to Jon, okay?" She insisted. "You're your own person. And I think that person is wonderful." Rei hugged him tightly to her. "I wouldn't trade this person for anything."

"Uh huh…" He muttered again.

She frowned in annoyance and pulled away. "Are you even listening to me?"

"What?" He finally snapped out of it. "Y...yeah yeah! I am. It's just…" His face turned red again and he turned his head away meekly. "That...that was my first…"

She peered at him questioningly for a moment until it finally dawned on her what he was saying. "That was your first kiss?"

He nodded silently.

Rei giggled, turning her head away and blushing as well. "That...makes me really happy. It was my first kiss too."

His eyes went wide and he stared at her in disbelief. "It was?!"

She nodded, her cheeks still rosey from the thought. "You may not believe me but it's true. You were my first kiss, Matsuda. That's not something Jon can ever say about himself. Only you can."

Okay, now he was trying REALLY hard not to cry. Matsuda hugged her close to him and they embraced once more.

"Rei…" He whispered. "I think I-"

"Hey! Lovebirds!" Aika called back to them. "Don't fall behind!"

They both broke away at the sudden interruption before staring back at each other and chuckling awkwardly.

"We should...get moving."

He nodded. "Yeah...we should."

They both rejoined the group, albeit continuing to keep to the rear. Matsuda took Rei by the hand and she blushed before leaning in close to him.

The tender moment was completely ruined by an inhuman shriek resounding through the corridor.

"Wh...what was that?" Saya asked before quickly hiding behind Motohama.

Xenovia readied her SMG. "I was afraid of this. The sewers have been taken over by mutants."

Aika gulped before slowly backing against the wall. "Did you say...mutants?"

She nodded. "They're abominations created in a lab by the very same virus that produced those zombies. If they manage to wound you, you WILL get infected. Be on your guard."

"So what's our strategy?" Matsuda asked while readying his bat.

Motohama pressed his ear against the stone wall to listen for vibrations. "They're coming from both sides."

Xenovia nodded appreciatively. "In that case, I'll cover the left. You three cover the right." She then turned to Rei and Saya. "These things are beyond what you're capable of handling. So for the time being, just stay between us and keep your head down."

"Right." Rei replied in understanding.

"Don't have to tell me twice." Saya remarked.

"Here they come!" Motohama warned while taking aim.

From both sides, two packs of mutant creatures charged on all fours towards them. Some on the floor, some on the ceiling, and some on the walls. Motohama opened fire with his nail gun while Xenovia unloaded with her SMG. The Mutants on her side began to fall one by one, but the ones on Motohama's side appeared to be relatively unphased.

"Dammit! Their hides are too thick!" He cursed while continuing to unload on the beasts regardless.

Thinking fast, Aika pulled a fresh clip of nails from the supply bag and used her magic on them. "Try these!"

He quickly reloaded with the enchanted nails and fired. As each nail hit a mutant, its head burst from its body before collapsing to the ground.

"Fuck yeah! Nice!" Matsuda cheered.

"Get ready, Bro!" Motohama warned while continuing to fire. "They're about to be on top of us!"

"On it!" Matsuda choked up on his bat and charged, swinging for the fences. As his magically reinforced bat made contact with the Mutant's head, it exploded in a hail of blood and brain matter. With his monstrous strength, Matsuda knocked each mutant that approached away. Meanwhile, Motohama blasted their brains out with enchanted nails, while Aika took shots at them with her missile magic.

As Saya watched them, she found herself marveling at the boys in particular. "Man...when did those Losers get to be this cool?"

Rei frowned at her thoughtfully. "What do you mean?"

She quirked a brow at her. "So you really haven't heard? Oh right, I forgot you don't go to Kuoh." Saya motioned towards them again. "Those two idiots have a nickname on campus. We call them the Perverted Duo. Well...with Aika it's more like the Perverted Trio."

"Dare I ask why?" She replied hesitantly.

"Hmph!" She sneered in disgust. "Those two Otakus would spy on the women's locker room all the time." After adjusting her glasses she then pointed at Aika. "And that one has gone full blown Stalker Girl on more than one occasion. She's like...crazy obsessed with this upperclassman named Asia. I'm telling you, those three have a screw loose."

Rei frowned in concern. "Matsuda told me they had a bit of a reputation but I didn't realize…"

After a moment, Saya's expression softened and she sighed reluctantly. "At least...that's how it used to be. But seeing them now, I can't make heads or tails of it. It's like they've changed into completely different people. Those two especially."

Rei finally smiled. "Maybe they only ever showed their worst sides to you. But Matsuda has shown me nothing but his best so far. Whatever reputation they may have had before, I don't think it really matters now. The fact is, they're both putting their lives on the line to keep us safe. Maybe that doesn't justify how they behaved before, but I believe it does redeem it."

Saya tucked her knees up to her chest. "Maybe…" She then turned her head away defiantly and huffed. "But that doesn't mean we have to start kissing them or anything! They're not entitled to that just because they saved us."

Rei shook her head vehemently. "Of course not. I didn't kiss Matsuda because I felt I owed him." She smiled and blushed deeply. "I did it because I wanted to."

"Hmph!" She remained defiant. "Well, I certainly don't want to kiss Motohama. Just the thought makes me wanna puke."

A coy look appeared in Rei's eyes. "Who were you trying to convince there? Me or you?"

Saya peeped indignantly before turning bright red. "Sh..shut up!"

Back on the defensive side of things. Motohama had just run out of nails and switched to his Smith and Wesson. He fired off two shots that zoomed straight past Matsuda's head, nailing the final mutant in the head and eye socket. The creature fell alongside its brethren.

"It's like I was fucking born to do this." He commented, that evil gleam in his eyes as he twirled the gun on his finger.

"I think that's all of them." Matsuda slung his bat over his shoulder and turned around. "How is Xenovia holding…"

They all turned and their jaws collectively hit the floor. Xenovia was in the process of snapping the neck of the final mutant on her side before dusting her hands off and rejoining the others.

Having used the last of her ammo, she had seemingly just taken out the remaining mutants with her bare hands.

"I think we're in the clear." She spoke as calm as ever. "Let's hurry and find the exit."

"Holy…" Rei started.

"...shit." Saya finished.

"Sure am glad she's on our side." Aika commented, her face a little flushed. It was hard not to be just a little turned on standing in the presence of such a powerful female.

Unfortunately, their feelings of wonder were all replaced with dread as they heard more mutants roar in the distance.

"There are more coming behind us…" Motohama cautioned nervously. "...A LOT more."

"Everyone run!" Xenovia shouted.

They sprinted down the tunnel until they were certain the swarm would catch up to them. Whereupon Motohama pulled out his sidearm and passed it to Aika.

"Hit me with the juice!"

She enchanted his gun and passed it back. He proceeded to crack off shots, blasting the mutants heads clean off. Only to reload as quickly as possible and have her enchant the bullets again.

"We need to do something!" Rei insisted urgently.

Saya looked around at where they were. There were steam valves located directly next to them and pipes running along the walls and ceiling where the mutants were coming from.

"Rei! Over here!" Saya pulled her to the valves and began twisting knobs.

"Okay, but why?!"

"Pull that valve there!" She insisted. "Hurry!"

Rei followed her instructions as well as each instruction she gave afterwards. Slowly, the pressure in the valves began to build past safe levels. Once they reached a critical state, it was time.

"Okay! Now turn that wheel!" She instructed, pointing to the red wheel next to her.

"Got it!" Rei ran to the wheel and pulled, but it wouldn't budge. "It's rusted shut!"

"Move!"

Matsuda pushed her out of the way and pulled with all his strength. The valve turned and snapped off, blasting him with hot steam. He howled in pain and pulled his arm away.

What followed next was a perfect chain reaction. Pipes burst and boiling hot steam scorched every mutant that it touched. The ones that weren't boiled alive stopped dead in their tracks as the corridor filled with hot steam. Effectively cutting off their advance.

From the safety of the other side, the group of survivors cheered.

"We did it!" Saya jumped for joy. "Suck on that you Mutant Dumbasses!"

"That was some quick thinking." Motohama complimented. "Where did you learn to do that?"

She shrugged indifferently. "I didn't. The instructions on pressure regulation are clearly labeled on the valves though. It didn't take me long to figure it out."

Rei peered at the pipes curiously. "Hold on...these are written in French!"

"So?" Saya waved it off like it wasn't a big deal. "I speak five languages. Well...technically six, but I'm not fluent in Russian just yet."

The whole group stared at her in bewilderment.

"Man...sometimes I forget what a brainiac you-argh!"

With the chaos of the moment having subsided, the pain of Matsuda's injury finally caught up to him. Rei rushed to his side and inspected it. His whole forearm was red.

"You're burned!" She spoke worriedly.

"It's just a blister." He assured, doing his best to grin and bare it despite the pain. "I'll be fine."

Rei immediately dug into her supplies for bandages and sterile water. As she tended to Matsuda, Xenovia walked up to Saya and inspected her searchingly.

After a moment, a smile formed on her features. "Perhaps you're not deadweight after all."

Saya's pride returned and she grinned at her. "I told you I was a genius."

Xenovia rolled her eyes and turned away. "The exit is over here. Rei, finish bandaging him up and let's get out of here."

Rei fussed at his wound like a worried Mother. Matsuda couldn't help but chuckle as she worked on him.

"Come on Rei, it's not that bad." He assured.

His smile fell upon seeing tears drop onto his freshly rolled bandages.

"Hey...are you crying?"

Rei pulled him in close and latched on tightly to his chest. "You reckless idiot! Be more careful!"

He was stunned, Rei was weeping, he could feel the tears soaking his shirt.

"Don't ever let yourself get hurt like that again." She demanded sternly. "And don't ever compare yourself to another man ever again. Do you understand me?"

Not knowing what else to do, he quietly hugged her back.

"I understand…"


	27. Chapter 27

**::Author's Note::**

**I know these past few chapters have been very Matsuda, Motohama, and Aika heavy. But I'm trying to provide a decent enough amount of character development to where the changes I'm having them undergo seems plausible. Jon's taken a back seat for the last few chapters but he'll be back in the action soon, I promise.**

**I'm also using this as an opportunity to develop Xenovia's character as well. I feel like up until now she's mostly just been kind of in the background of most of the scenes she's in, as most of the earlier chapters were so Jon and Irina focused. Now that she's separated from Irina. This is her chance to shine.**

**More to come soon folks. In the meantime, here is chapter 27.**

**::End Note::**

It had been a long, stressful, and emotionally charged day. The sun had fallen over the desecrated city of Kuoh, and all six of them were beyond exhausted.

"I can't keep going on like this." Saya whined, having taken up residence on Motohama's back while the bemused gun nerd piggy backed her to their destination. "Guys, if we don't find a place to rest I seriously might die."

Motohama strained to keep her up off the ground. Unlike Matsuda, he didn't get super strength when he changed and her boobs alone had to weigh at least ten pounds each. Or at least that's what it felt like with the way they were resting on his head.

"I keep telling you." He groaned laboriously. "We're almost there. My uncle's flat is just down the street."

"It's so dark out. How will we know which one it is?" Matsuda asked.

"His will be the one that still has lights on." Motohama explained.

Rei quirked a brow at him. "What is it your Uncle does for a living?"

He shrugged despite the deadweight on his shoulders. "He's a private military contractor of some sort. I don't know the specifics of it but he's out of the country a lot. He gave me a key so I could look after the place whenever he was away."

"Is it a high rise by any chance?" Xenovia asked. "It would be nice if we could get a view of the city and plan out the rest of our route."

He nodded. "It's a duplex overlooking most of Kuoh. There should be plenty of supplies. A couple of firearms. Oh yeah, and also a humvee! One of the old military style ones too. Complete with armor plating."

They all perked up at those words. That would cut their travel time down significantly.

Saya groaned almost erotically before relaxing even more onto Motohama's back. "Honestly, I don't care about a hummer as much as I do a shower. Between the zombie guts and the sewer I've never felt dirtier in my life."

Okay, as much as he was trying to behave himself. Between her boobs resting on his head and now that comment, he couldn't.

"Yeah...I couldn't agree more."

She immediately flared and kicked him square in the gut with her heel. The air left his lungs and he keeled over onto the ground.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" She growled angrily, still straddling him with her hands on her hips.

They eventually reached the flat in question and found it to be pretty well fortified. The humvee was parked in the garage and the fences were high enough to where zombies could not get over them. And just as Motohama had promised, there was still power on at the place.

Once inside, the group immediately began taking stock of everything that was available to them. Saya immediately rushed to the shower and checked it out.

"Oh thank God. The hot water is still running." She sighed in dramatic relief.

Rei went into the kitchen and inspected the pantry. "Hey, there should be enough here to cook a pretty decent dinner tonight."

"Shower first! Dinner later!" Saya called insistently from the bathroom.

The boys headed upstairs to check out the sleeping quarters. Their were only two beds but one of them was a King. Worst case scenario one of them would be sleeping on the couch tonight.

Besides, that was hardly the thing that interested them the most. In the Master Bedroom, stuffed away in the corner, was a large metal locker with a passcode lock. Motohama had never seen the inside of it before. But he was determined to crack it open one way or another.

Aika, meanwhile, explored the living room while Xenovia took a seat on the couch. She walked up to a cabinet that had been sealed by padlock and grinned.

"How much you wanna bet there's booze in here?"

Xenovia quirked a brow at her. "Is that really a good idea?"

"Oh come onnnn." Aika pleaded. "We've been through hell today. If ever there was a time for a drink it would be now."

She sighed before standing up and walking over to the cabinet. With a single swift tug she pulled the entire cabinet door off its hinges, revealing a veritable treasure trove of high end liquor.

"Eeeeee!" Aika clapped her hands together excitedly. "You're the best, Xenovia!"

She rolled her eyes and grabbed the strongest whiskey she could find before returning to the couch. Aika, meanwhile, grabbed several bottles of various spirits and skipped away like a little girl in a candy store.

Once they had all settled in, the girls left Matsuda and Motohama to figure out a way into the locker while they helped themselves to a desperately needed bath.

First to strip was Rei, who quickly tossed away her soiled skirt and blouse before removing her white bra and matching cotton panties. Next was Saya, who did away with her tarnished blouse and skirt as well, revealing silk panties and a pink lace bra which she quickly did away with as well. Aika felt slightly flustered undressing in front of three gorgeous girls, but did away with her school clothes and purple bra and matching underwear regardless.

"Hey, are you looking at me?" Saya glared at Aika while covering her busty chest. Meanwhile, Aika quickly turned her eyes away in embarrassment.

"Oh don't be such a prude." Rei chided her. "We need to conserve our hot water so it's best if we all bathe together. We already decided that." She then turned and smiled at Aika. "It's okay. You can look at me if you want. I really don't mind."

Aika blushed deeply before turning and gazing at them. "For what it's worth, you're both incredibly gorgeous girls."

Saya made an indignant noise before turning her crimson face away, her arms crossed. "Yeah well...just don't get any funny ideas She-Perv."

"Honestly, the three of you getting so worked up over a little exposed skin. It's not becoming of such fine young ladies."

They all turned to see Xenovia entering the bathroom. She turned around offered her backside to them before pointing at the neck of her battlesuit. "Would one of you mind helping me out of this?"

Saya gave her a disbelieving look. "Uhhh yeah, none of us exactly know how your crazy space suit works."

She chuckled in amusement. "It's not that complicated, I assure you. Just undo the latch at the neck of the suit and pull on the zipper that appears."

Rei stepped up and did as she asked, unlatching the top of the suit before slowly unzipping it all the way down to the small of her back. Xenovia wiggled her arms free of the stubborn battlesuit before bursting out in all her Triple D glory.

She sighed in relief before tossing the combat suit aside, now dressed in nothing but blue cotton underwear which she quickly slid out of. "Much better."

As she turned and faced them, all three girls jaw's dropped at the sight of those massive...things hanging off her chest. Aika in particular seemed to be at a loss for words as to what she was seeing.

"What?" Xenovia appeared to be genuinely perplexed as to what they were all gawking at.

"How does she not have back problems lugging those things around?" Rei whispered to Aika.

"They can't be very helpful during combat either." Aika muttered back to Rei.

It was Saya who finally had the decency to look away and instead focus on the battlesuit laying on the floor. She picked it up and inspected it thoroughly. "So what's this thing made of? And what makes it so special that you can't just wear normal kevlar?"

"It's composed of an advanced polymer similar to kevlar, however it absorbs most of the kinetic energy produced by ballistics and small arms fire. Getting shot still doesn't feel great, but that suit will make sure the bullet never pierces your skin."

Saya suddenly got a whiff of the suit and grimaced, holding it away from her face. "As fascinating as that is, the only thing I REALLY care about is whether or not it's machine washable."

She nodded. "It is."

"Thank Christ." Saya added the suit to the laundry pile.

Xenovia chuckled. "Forgive me. It's been awhile since I've had a chance to take it off."

As if that wasn't obvious by the visible sheen of sweat glistening off her body. The girls were still trying to wrap their head around how a woman could simultaneously kick ass like a battle hardened warrior and look like a High End Adult Film Star all at once.

Not that any of them would have dared to say that out loud, lest they risk getting tossed through a wall.

* * *

Aika and Xenovia both sank into the bath, sighing in relaxation.

"God, I needed this." Aika stretched her arms and rested her head against the tub. "It feels like I'm just melting away."

"I have to admit, after weeks of bathing in a freezing cold fountain, this really is luxurious." Xenovia spoke honestly.

From a few feet away, Rei and Saya shared the shower heads together. Scrubbing themselves clean of all the days hardships.

"This IS shampoo right?" Saya asked curiously. Inspecting the grey bottle of men's soap.

Rei took the bottle and read the back. "Shampoo, conditioner, bodywash, and lotion."

Saya stared at the product incredulously. "So what...they just rub themselves down with all the same stuff?"

She nodded. "Yep. This is pretty typical for men's products actually."

Saya groaned in exasperation. "Boys are so weeeeeird."

"Just be grateful we even have soap." Xenovia lathered her breasts thoroughly as she spoke. "We could be camping outside somewhere right now."

Aika couldn't help but stare at her heaving mounds as she cleaned them. At last Xenovia finally spoke up.

"Why are you staring at my breasts?"

She turned pink. "W...well can you blame me? I mean, good God you're gigantic!"

Xenovia stared down at her chest as if considering them more thoughtfully. She played with each breast carelessly before shrugging. "Irina's said something similar to me before. I don't get what the big deal is."

Aika gave her a skeptical look. "You're almost impossibly gigantic. I mean...there's no way those things are real, right?"

She raised her breasts out of the water. "I assure you they are. If you'd like to feel them you may."

"W...what?!" Her face lit up. "Are you sure?"

Xenovia nodded. "Why not? I truly don't mind. It's just the bodies we were born with. I've never been shy about such things."

Aika gingerly reached out and grabbed each heavy globe in both hands before bouncing them in her palms. "Holy shit...they are real…" Suddenly she felt her face heating up again, this time however, for completely different reasons.

Saya listened to this unfold, her eyebrow twitching in annoyance. "Jeez, do we need to hose her off?"

"Oh leave the poor girl alone." Rei giggled. "She's just trying to relax, same as us."

"I still don't see why you insisted on letting her bathe with us. I mean...she IS gay, you know. Wouldn't it make more sense to have her bathe with the guys? Or...I don't know...by herself?"

She shook her head vehemently while applying body wash to her skin. "I don't want Aika to feel ostracized. It must be difficult being the only not straight member of this little group."

Saya made the mistake of turning around and watching Aika fondle Xenovia's chest, only to flush in embarrassment and turn immediately back around, focusing on her lathering. "Still, I think she's having way too much fun. Considering the circumstances of our current situation I don't think we should be-Waaahaaa!"

Her entire back went rigid and her chest pumped out as she was suddenly blasted with freezing cold water. During her little ran, Rei had adjusted the temperature to its coldest setting before blasting Saya in the small of her back. The indignant moaning that sprang from her lips sounded far too much like something more erotic than just a bit of cold water to the back.

Rei snickered devilishly. "God you're so dramatic. Though I bet Motohama would LOVE to hear that noise you just made."

Saya immediately retaliated, filling her wash basin with freezing cold water, a furious smile on her face. She proceeded to dump the freezing water over Rei's back who made an even more erotic sounding noise as her back went rigid.

"Same goes for you." She grinned impishly. "That's assuming those two perverts aren't spying on us right now."

Rei shook her head insistently. "I imagine they're too busy working on the locker to bother with us."

As the girl's bathed, Matsuda and Motohama were busy taking a crowbar to the stubborn locker. The sounds of feminine giggling flooded their ears as they worked.

"Sounds like they're having fun…" Motohama gulped, sweat starting to form on his brow.

"Hey, don't even think about it. I ain't looking to die today, Bro." Matsuda insisted as he jammed the crowbar into the locked door. "Besides, we're better than that now."

Motohama shook his head clear of all distracting thoughts. "I know I know." The evil gleam returned to his eye. "Besides, I'm far more curious to see what's in here than what's going on down there."

"Yeah well…" Matsuda grunted and strained as he pulled on the crowbar. "...as stubborn as this door is, I'm gonna be real pissed if there's nothing good in here."

"There has to be." Motohama insisted before pointing to the adjacent cabinet. "We already found the ammunition."

Matsuda pulled with all his might until at last the stubborn door popped open. What awaited them inside made both men smile with glee.

"Well hello beautiful." Motohama spoke as if talking to one of the girls downstairs.

Inside the locker, three large guns lined the bottom racks as well as two more smaller arms on the top shelf. Starting on the left was an Ithaca M37 12-Gauge with custom scope. In the middle was a Springfield M1A1 Super Match with attached bayonet. Finally, on the right, was an Armalite AR-10 Semi Automatic Sniper Rifle. Hanging on the top rack was a Barnett Wildcat C5 Crossbow. And finally, a Kiku Crest Luger P08 pistol.

Motohama was in Heaven. With that look of psychotic glee on his face he pulled the Super Match from the cabinet and began inspecting the weapon thoroughly. "So it's the semi-automatic brand. Good. M-14s are nothing but a waste of bullets anyway." He spoke in a low dark tone before pulling the magazine and inspecting it. His smile grew wider. "A twenty bullet mag, Uncle? That's illegal in Japan." He snickered devilishly.

Matsuda looked genuinely concerned for his friend. "Uhhh, you okay Bro?"

Next he went for the AR-10. "Oh I see...he completely modded this one to the specs of an SR-25. ALSO very illegal."

"Dude...you're scaring me."

Next was the crossbow. "A fucking Wildcat! Made in Britain! You could take down a bear with one of these things."

Matsuda groaned wearily. "Great...he's totally lost it." He then peered into the locker and grabbed the shotgun. "What about this one?"

"The M37? That bad boy is made in America. It's a riot gun with killer knockback power that played a huge role in the Vietnam War."

"I see." Matsuda proceeded to cock back on the weapon and carelessly aim the barrel at Motohama. "So...like this?"

"Gyah! Are you crazy?!" He quickly pushed the barrel away. "Get that thing out of my face!"

"Oops! Sorry." Matsuda dropped the gun on the ground.

Motohama sighed and shook his head. "Look...there is one universal rule to holding a gun. You never point it at another person…"

That wicked gleam shown in his eye again.

"...unless you intend to shoot."

Matsuda considered the gun with more respect now. "Okay...got it."

A thought occurred to him as they spoke. His expression darkened but he was no longer smiling. "Hey...if it comes down to it…and I get bitten…"

Motohama glared up at Matsuda severely.

"...don't you hesitate in blowing my head off."

Matsuda was floored. He had no idea how to respond to that. But by the look in his buddies eye, it was clear he meant business. Finally, he nodded in understanding.

"Yeah. Same goes for you."

"It's a deal."

They bumped fists and continued taking inventory of the locker. Meanwhile, down below, the girls had finished cleaning up and changed into something more comfortable. Their were several department stores they passed along the way that had women's clothes, which meant they all had something clean to change into tomorrow.

However, there wasn't anywhere that sold women's pajamas on their route. So they had to settle for whatever they could find. Rei put on a pair of comfy pink cotton panties and a tank top while Saya went with a pair of white underwear with blue stripes and a white support bra. Aika settled on a black t-shirt and purple underwear and Xenovia had to make due with a red silk robe considering she couldn't find anything that fit her chest comfortably.

Saya and Rei took it upon themselves to head upstairs and check on the boys. Who were busy loading magazines with ammunition. Upon seeing the girls in their nearly stark glory, both Matsuda and Motohama nearly keeled over, turning white as ghosts.

"I freaking told you so. God you two are pathetic. It's not like we're naked or anything." Saya snickered devilishly, her face flushed from alcohol consumption. In her hand was a bottle of vodka, that she'd already taken several swigs of. Though not quite intoxicated, it was clear she and Rei both had been drinking.

Rei's giggle sounded especially bubbly as she replied. "Oh be nice to them. They're just shy."

"Can we uhhh...can we help you ladies?" Matsuda asked while trying desperately to focus on literally anything else.

"Listen, we're bored." Saya explained bluntly. "So the girls have decided that, despite my warnings about you, they'd like for the two of you to come drink with us. So as long as you perverts remember to keep your hands to yourself and don't do anything too weird, you can come downstairs. Okay?"

Matsuda and Motohama shot each other disbelieving looks before staring back at Rei and Saya like deer in headlights.

"Come on!" Rei insisted in a bubbly voice. "It'll be fun."

"We'll uh...we'll be right down." Matsuda was already starting to sweat.

Saya scowled in annoyance. "Just don't take too long!"

They both shut the door and headed downstairs. Whereupon Matsuda broke down into a full blown panic attack.

"Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. Motohama, what the fuck are we gonna do?!"

Motohama clasped two hands on his buddy's shoulders and gazed at him severely. "Keep it together, Man. Now is not the time to lose it."

"What am I gonna do?!" Sweat dripped from his brow as he started to breath faster and faster. "Motohama, I really like this girl! I don't want to screw things up!"

He slapped him sharply across the face, sobering him back up. "Listen to me. We've been training for this since the day we met Jon. This is finally our moment. Now is when we show him, show the school, hell show all of Kuoh that we are not those same loser perverts anymore. We can do this."

Matsuda took a deep breath and finally calmed down.

"You're right."

"Now…." Motohama grinned at him. "...let's go make our teacher proud."

* * *

Once they were settled in downstairs, it didn't take long before alcohol started being passed around and the mood of the evening start to get bubblier.

"Okay. So let me get this straight." Saya chortled at what Xenovia just said. "You're telling me that the whole world is secretly run by three factions. The Fallen Angels. The Pillars of Hell. And the One True God. And no one even knows of their existence?"

Xenovia shook her head. "There are those who do. Members of the Church, Demons of the Pureblood Families, but on the whole, most humans are completely ignorant."

"But then…" She slurred her words a little. "...like...how do they keep it all hidden? Technology has come a long way you know. It's hard to believe someone hasn't figured it out yet."

"I don't think you quite grasp what she means by they control EVERYTHING." Aika snickered at her. "We've seen for ourselves what they can do to phones and technology. It's no wonder we're all clueless."

"But why the big secret?" Rei asked curiously. "Why don't they want humans to know about their existence?"

Xenovia frowned thoughtfully. "Because it makes them easier to control. Humans believe they are the Masters of their own fate. The Three Factions are perfectly content to let humanity think they and they alone govern the Earth." Her expression darkened. "I used to think my Order didn't do that. That we were the only ones espousing the truth. Of course...now I know better."

"Is that why you and Irina had that falling out?" Aika asked.

She nodded. "I found documents proving that most of our Doctrine, the Holy Bible, has been tampered with by human hands. Most of what the Church espouses is a lie."

"Psh! I could have told you that!" Saya blurted out, causing Aika to elbow her in the ribs.

"But Irina...she didn't see it that way. She sees all this as just another test of her faith." Xenovia cast her gaze away worriedly. "I fear what will become of her if she does not see reason."

"Obviously she's in denial." Saya spoke bluntly.

"Or…" Rei insisted. "...it could be that her faith is all she has left. I can kind of understand how that might feel."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, I still think it's stupid."

While they discussed this. Matsuda and Motohama kept to themselves, silently drinking and just taking it all in. So long as no one asked them to contribute, they knew they would be in the clear.

"Hey you two." Aika spoke up. "You're being awfully quiet over there."

They both sat up stiff as boards.

"They're probably too distracted by the fact they can almost see our tits." Saya teased.

"Come on, Matsuda. Contribute to the conversation." Rei smiled at him brightly.

"Well…" He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I mean...I don't really know anything about the Occult or shit like that."

"Well ask her then." Rei encouraged. "Or better yet, ask one of us something."

"But keep it clean." Saya warned bitingly.

He gulped, trying his best to think about what to talk about. Finally, something came to him.

"Motohama, I've actually been meaning to ask you something." He turned to his friend.

"Huh?"

"How is it you know so much about guns?" He asked curiously. "In all the years I've known you, you've never once talked to me about it."

"Actually, I'm really curious about that as well." Aika admitted.

Rei nodded. "Me too."

Saya perked up and cast her intrigued gaze at him, but otherwise didn't say anything.

Motohama was frozen in place. With so many expectant looks on their faces, he knew if he didn't say something they'd think there was something wrong with him. There was no point lying to them about this anymore.

He needed to be honest.

"I've been obsessed with guns for as long as I can remember." He explained, a wistful look in his eyes. "When I was younger, my Uncle took me overseas with him to the US during one of his contracts. I got to meet a former Delta Force Operative and train with him over the summer. It was...everything to me."

"Oh my God…" Saya gawked at him. "...the school pervert is a card carrying member of the NRA…"

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Matsuda insisted.

"I didn't want you to think I was a freak." He answered plainly.

Matsuda laughed. "Of all the things I know about you, you honestly think THAT is the weirdest?"

"Look it's not just that, okay?" Motohama insisted, a hint of anger in his voice. "The truth is, I've been terrified to hold a gun ever since…"

He frowned at him in concern. "Ever since what, Bro?"

Motohama sighed shamefully. "Ever since the accident."

Saya chuckled at him. "Wait, let me guess. Did you put a round in your foot or something?"

He stared off into space. Motohama had kept this to himself for so long. Maybe now it was finally time to clear his conscience. With a heavy breath, he spoke.

"I shot a kid."

The room fell into stunned silence. Matsuda was in shock. Rei and Aika both cupped their hands over their gaping mouths. And Saya looked like she regretted opening her mouth. The only one who seemed more or less unphased was Xenovia, though she did bare pity in her eyes.

"It was shortly before I was supposed to start my Second Year of Highschool." He explained, his voice pitiful. "A kid from my class invited me to a party he was throwing while his parents were out of town. I was never popular or had that many friends in school, so I was genuinely surprised he wanted me to come." Motohama chuckled humorlessly. "Turns out it was because someone told him I'd spent the summer learning how to shoot. He wanted me to bring my rifle and show it off." He smiled at the memory. "I was thrilled. I thought maybe this was my chance to become something other than the Loser Otaku kid at school. So I decided to do it."

"So what happened?" Rei asked quietly.

He fidgeted nervously. "Well...when I got there, some of the other kids were already drunk. At first things were going okay. I showed them the rifle, explained a bit about how to clean it, maintain it, showed them how to load a round into the chamber. Everything was going really well. Some of the girls even started flirting with me…" Motohama scowled angrily. "...until Saitaki started running his fat mouth."

"Saitaki?"

"He was one of the sports jocks." Motohama explained. "He'd been drinking harder than any of us and was getting really belligerent. He must not have liked that everyone was paying attention to me because he started calling me a fraud. Saying I was just a geek who read too many gun magazines and that I probably just stole that rifle from my Dad's gun locker or something."

"Sounds like a typical Jock, alright." Saya scoffed.

"Anyway, someone suggested I shoot some beer bottles to prove it, but that wasn't good enough for him. _Anyone can hit a beer bottle. _He said. _Shoot something that's moving."_

Matsuda felt his stomach lurch.

"We ended up out in the woods behind the house. Of course there were no critters around. There had to be at least twenty people following me, they'd all been scared away. I tried to explain that to them but Saitaki kept egging on the crowd. They were starting to tease me again. Saying I was the scared one…" He gripped his knees until his knuckles turned white. "I just wanted to shut him up so badly. I'd have done anything to just get him to stop."

"Oh my God…" Aika turned pale. "...you didn't shoot him, did you?"

He shook his head. "No...that's not what happened. I was about to give up and just leave, accept the fact I was always gonna be branded a loser no matter what...when I saw something move a couple yards behind us."

"Oh no…" Rei clasped a hand up to her face.

"It was dark, I couldn't see it clearly, but I didn't care. I was so frustrated I just wanted to prove them all wrong. I didn't think, I just aimed and fired." He shut his eyes as he remembered the gruesome details of what happened next. "It fell behind a bush after I hit it. One of the kids ran to go see what it was...when I saw the look on his face I knew right away something was wrong." He smiled sadly, his eyes beginning to well up. "I'd thought maybe I hit a dog or something...come to find out it was the neighbor's seven year old son."

"Shit…." Saya turned her head away.

"He had snuck out of the house to see what we were doing...I barely remember anything after that."

"You were most likely in shock." Xenovia observed.

He shrugged. "Either way it made no difference. The kid survived but…" His eyes shut and his body began to tremble. "...the bullet hit his spine." Tears leaked from his eyes. "That boy is going to be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life and it's all my fault!"

He broke down. In that moment Saya looked like she was about to get up and go to him but Aika moved first, hugging him tight and letting Motohama quietly let out all the pent up emotion he'd been holding onto. Matsuda was completely shell shocked. How had he never known about this?

"It's okay." Aika whispered. Saya meanwhile, looked completely crestfallen. To think he'd been holding onto this all this time...and she had been so mean to him.

Not knowing what else to do, she downed another shot of her drink.

Motohama finally calmed down enough to finish his story. "Anyway, no charges were filed as it was clearly an accident. But I lost my gun license and had to transfer schools."

"You always told me you came to my school because your Dad's work moved." Matsuda observed, still in disbelief.

He shook his head. "I lied. Honestly, I was glad I lost my license. I never wanted to hold a gun again."

"But you did hold a gun again." Xenovia smiled at him. "You did so despite your fears and past anxieties in order to defend your friends. I'd say that's more than enough to redeem yourself."

"I agree." Aika added. "You shouldn't beat yourself up over that anymore. The past is the past."

"Thanks." He wiped his face and took another swig of his drink. "Sorry for bringing the mood down everyone."

"Hey, don't sweat it, Bro." Matsuda patted him on the shoulder. "We've all got skeletons in the closet." He turned his gaze downward and glowered. "Even me…"

Rei and Motohama quirked their heads at him curiously.

"I mean, I didn't shoot anyone." He shrugged awkwardly. "But I get how much it sucks not being able to do the thing you love anymore."

Motohama frowned at him solemnly. "You mean baseball, don't you."

He nodded, a sad look in his eyes. Rei placed a tender hand on his arm and gazed at him affectionately.

"Tell us." She quietly implored.

Matsuda downed another swig of his drink and rested his arms on his knees. "Baseball was my life growing up. Watching it, playing it, I wanted to be just like the old legends from the United States when I grew up; Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams. It's silly, I know, but that was the dream for me when I was a kid."

Motohama smiled at him. "And you really were great. I remember going to every single one of your games, Bro."

He smiled at him. "Thanks man."

"So wait…" Saya peered at him questioningly. "...you played Baseball? And you were actually good?"

"He wasn't just good, he was the designated hitter." Motohama explained. "He still holds the district record for number of home runs in a single season."

"That's amazing." Rei marveled at him. "But...why did you quit?"

He didn't say anything, prompting her to get worried.

"Matsuda?"

"He didn't quit by choice." Motohama explained solemnly. "He had to retire after…"

"...after I got sick." Matsuda finished quietly.

Rei's heart broke. "W...what happened?"

He cast his gaze solemnly to the floor. "It started shortly before the season playoffs. Whenever I went to choke up on the bat my arms would start shaking." Matsuda chuckled sadly. "At first I thought maybe it was just pre-season jitters. But it kept getting progressively worse. It got to the point my arm started seizing up on itself for no reason."

"That almost sounds like Parkinson's Disease." Saya observed.

"It wasn't that fortunately." His expression darkened further. "The prognosis still wasn't too great though. Some freak genetic thing with a ridiculously long name. I couldn't make heads or tails of it. All I know is, what started out as the shakes turned into me spending the next six months in a hospital bed, barely able to move."

Rei's voice caught.

"The Doctors who were treating me eventually figured out a combination of medicines that could stabilize my condition but…" He shook his head. "...I lost so much muscle mass and my form never recovered. Not that that mattered. By then the season was over and my Scholarship was gone. I just kind of gave up after that." He shrugged apathetically. "Everything I was working for was taken away and I didn't see any point in trying to get it back. Funny thing is, I didn't find out until later that the medication I was taking would also make me go bald."

Rei shut her eyes and shook her head with a hand on her lips, tears forming.

"Hey…" Matsuda smiled at her. "You don't have to cry. I made peace with it awhile ago. And it's not like there was anything I could have done to change it."

"That's not it." She wiped her cheek and sniffed. "Matsuda, I owe you an apology. I've been lying to you about something."

"What?" He asked nervously.

"My last name." She explained. "I told you my parents died when I was little and that my Grandfather raised me." Rei frowned woefully. "What I didn't mention was that I've been going by his last name. It's not the one I was born with though."

Now he just looked confused. "Huh? How is that a big deal?"

She cast her gaze away shamefully. "Because...my real name is Rei Yuikaza."

Saya narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Wait a minute...why is that name so familiar?"

A thought occurred to Matsuda. "Didn't you say you were a Professional Gymnast or something?"

It was Aika who figured it out. Her eyes went wide and she gasped as it dawned on her who she really was. "Holy shit. You're THAT Yuikaza?"

Rei nodded silently.

"I don't get it. Is she supposed to be famous or something?"

"Rei Yuikaza was a nationally ranked gymnast who was at one point considered to be the best in the country." Saya explained, having figured it out as well. "A lot of people called her a child prodigy. She was expected to win gold for Japan in the next Olympics."

Matsuda's eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he now considered Rei in a completely different light. She for her part, simply kept her gaze cast away from him, a light blush creeping over her cheeks.

"But…" Saya continued after adjusting her glasses. "...she suddenly disappeared from the public eye after some sort of scandal. I don't read tabloids so I don't know the details of it, but it was apparently pretty messy." She narrowed her eyes at Rei suspiciously. "Why did you come to Kuoh? And why change your name?"

"It was the only way to get the tabloids off my back. After what happened...I just needed to disappear for awhile." She smiled sadly at Matsuda. "Something about listening to your story...just reminded me an awful lot of mine."

"You want to talk about it?" Matsuda asked sincerely.

After a moment of thought she began. "I met my coach when I was thirteen. A man named Mr. Nomakara."

"As in Aishi Nomakara, yes?" Saya surmised. "He's trained some of Japan's top athletes. Some call him a legend."

Rei nodded. "He was a genius. And if you ever wanted to compete in the Olympics, you NEEDED his guidance. That's what they told me at least." She clutched her knees up to her chest as she thought back to that time. "He was so good to me. And he genuinely believed in my talent. I only made it as far as I did because of his guidance." Her expression darkened. "Or at least...that's how it was at first. But after a year or so of training with him...I started to notice a change."

"What kind of change?"

"He'd say things to me like how pretty I am. What a beautiful girl I was. How I was maturing so fast. Things like that."

Motohama shrugged. "I don't see anything wrong with compliments like that."

She shook her head. "I didn't either. Not at first. But then it got worse. He'd make comments on my body that made me uncomfortable. I'd catch him staring at me. He would...touch me every now and then."

"You're kidding…" Aika paled.

"I wish I was." She replied glumly. "One night, after a competition, he came into my room and tried to…" Rei shuddered in disgust at the thought. "...he tried to force himself on me. I pushed him away and he became incredibly upset. More so than I had ever seen him before. I threatened to turn him in if he didn't stop."

Saya scowled, she could see where this was going and she didn't like it one bit. "I take it that didn't go over so well with Mr. Nomakara?"

"He ruined me." She responded bitterly. "Spread gossip to the press that I had made advances on HIM." Rei laughed angrily. "Of course...it was my word against his, and who was going to argue with such an esteemed Coach?" Her anger turned to sadness again. "Once word spread to the tabloids, my reputation was shot. No one would agree to sponsor me. I couldn't even go in public anymore without cameras getting blasted in my face. When I started receiving death threats...I knew it was time to give up."

Matsuda hated hearing this. Not only because the thought of some sicko doing that to her made him furious, but because it wasn't much different from the sort of behavior he used to indulge in. Was that really the sort of person he had risked turning into?

"My Grandfather was the only one who believed me." She concluded sorrowfully. "It was just the two of us ever since."

After a long silence, Matsuda grabbed her and held her tight.

"I'm so sorry that happened to you. If there's anything-"

She shushed him by kissing his cheek and shaking her head, a coy smile on her face. "It's like you said. It's all in the past now."

Rei cuddled up next to him and Aika smiled, taking another sip of her drink.

"Thank you guys for sharing that. Especially you two." She spoke to Matsuda and Motohama.

"Huh? Why us?"

She shrugged, a bright smile still plastered on her face. "It just makes me happy. Knowing that you guys used to have dreams and ambitions really helps put things in perspective for me." Her smile slowly faded. "I've been meaning to apologize to you. For those awful things I said?"

"Hey, we're way past that." Matsuda assured.

"Yeah, that stopped being relevant after half the city got eaten." Motohama joked.

She snickered at them. "Maybe…" Her smile glowered somewhat. "...but still. I said such horrible things to you and I didn't even mean it...I was just so mad because…"

"Because why?"

"Because what you said was absolutely true." She admitted with her head resting on her knees. "The truth is, I could have cared less what the ORCs big secret was. I just wanted to know what Asia saw in them. What it was about that club that made them so much better...than me."

Matsuda and Motohama both exchanged concerned looks with one another.

"You know...when it was just Jon...I was okay." She was trying really hard not to break down. "But when I saw her kiss Rias, it was like something inside me broke. I've been in love with Asia since the very first time she smiled at me. To think that not only can she fall in love with women, but multiple people…" Her voice hitched. "...I just had to know. But now that I do, I wish I didn't." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Because knowing what I do now, I realize I never stood a chance. She lives in a completely different world from my own...I'll never be enough for a woman like Asia."

Rei pulled Aika into a hug who quickly composed herself. Meanwhile, Saya downed another gulp of her drink and sighed in a melancholy tone.

"Sheesh. Here I thought we were trying to cheer up. Are things not bad enough without you four bringing up your gloomy pasts as well?"

"You can always share as well, you know." Motohama offered. "I'd love to know more about you."

She blushed. "D...don't be stupid! I'm not like the rest of you."

"Oh come on." Rei insisted. "You can't seriously tell me you've never had to deal with any kind of personal hardship before."

Saya shrugged indifferently. "I'm not sure what to tell you. I don't have any sort of sob story like the rest of you guys." She straightened up and grinned proudly. "I was a rich, spoiled, genius who got everything she ever wanted from her parents." After a moment, however, her grin slowly began to fade. "I mean...sure I barely get to actually see them, what with Daddy being so busy with his career. But that's just because he's a really important person, you know?" She slowly began to sink into a depression. "So what if they're barely ever around? It's not like I care. I don't."

They all frowned at her in concern.

She tucked her knees up to her chest and her eyes welled up. "I don't care that I can count the number of Birthdays they bothered to show up to on one hand. I don't care that they sent me away to boarding schools for most of my life. I don't care that they've spent most of their lives actively avoiding spending time with their only daughter." Her bottom lip quivered. "And I certainly don't care that they may both be dead and I can't even remember the last time I spoke to either one of them." Her voice caught and the first few tears began to fall.

"Why the hell should I care about my family?! It's not like I had much of one to begin with!" She hid her head in her arms and sobbed.

After a moment, Motohama gingerly approached and carefully placed a hand on her arm. "Don't cry, Saya...I'm sure your parents love you."

"Then why didn't they come for me?!" She glared at him angrily, her eyes stained with tears. "Why didn't they try to find me?!"

"Maybe they did." He tried to sound reassuring. "Maybe they're still trying."

"They don't care about me." Saya continued quietly. "They never did. My parents just wanted to keep me placated while they focused on what was REALLY important to them." She shook her head dejectedly. "But I'm not important to them. I'm not important to anyone."

"That's not true!"

She gasped in surprise at Motohama's sudden outburst. He had an angry scowl on his face and his eyes were welling up.

"You're important to a lot of people!" He insisted. "You're important to us and…" His heart skipped a beat.

"...you're important to me."

Saya's face heated up red hot for a moment. Finally, she smiled. The bemused girl began to snicker hysterically before bursting into full out laughter.

"God you're so weird." She wiped her face clean and shook her head in disbelief. "We only just became friends today, you don't have to make it sound like we're engaged."

Motohama stuttered incoherently. Now HE was the one blushing.

Saya wiped her lashes with her pointer fingers and took a breath. "Alright. That's enough of that." She took another swig of her drink. "No more touchy feely crap from me, okay?"

Rei chuckled at her in amusement. "Personally, I'm glad we all got a chance to share our stories like this. Even if the future is uncertain, at least we can have a bit of closure."

A thought occurred to them. Each member of the group looked at one another as if mentally asking the same question.

Until all eyes turned on Xenovia.

"What is it?" She asked suspiciously. "Why are you all staring at me?"

"So what's your story?" Matsuda asked.

"Yeah." Aika nodded in agreement. "You're the only one who hasn't shared anything yet."

Xenovia frowned deeply and shook her head. "There's no story. I'm not a part of this."

"Of course you are." Rei insisted. "You're half the reason we've made it this far after all."

"Yeah. You're one of us." Motohama added.

Saya nodded in agreement.

At first, Xenovia wasn't sure what to say. They were all gazing at her so expectantly, but her past was not something she ever talked about. Not even with Irina.

But a lot had changed in the last twenty four hours. Even if they made it to Kuoh, there was no guarantee that any of them would survive this war. And it was indeed a war. Why not get a few things off her chest as well?

After taking a moment to think, Xenovia breathed deeply and exhaled before beginning.

"It was the day before I was to turn ten years old when the Order took me from my family." She began her story, that same cold, calm, and collected look in her eyes. "Looking back, it's hard to remember a time before then. But…" She cast her gaze up to the ceiling. "...I do remember parts of my life before I belonged to the Church. Like your Father, Saya, mine was fairly wealthy. He had quite a bit of influence with the French Government, and our family was well respected in Europe." Nostalgia swept over her like a tide. "Mother was kind to me always, and she loved to sing me to sleep at night. Father was a devout Catholic and we attended Mass every Sunday. Life was….peaceful back then."

"And the Church just...stole you from them?" Rei asked disbelievingly.

She remained silent for a good long while before speaking again. "Officially I went missing. Though that report was more a formality than anything." Though she didn't show it on her face, her aura seemed to darken somewhat. "The truth is...I was GIVEN to the Church."

They all sat in somber silence, mournful looks on their faces.

"I still remember that night clearly in my mind." She continued. "Father waking me from my bed, telling me to get dressed and come downstairs." Her lips formed a very small very sad smile. "I thought that perhaps they had a surprise for my birthday. Turns out I was right." Xenovia downed the rest of her drink and placed it aside. "When I saw the Priests sitting in our living room I was so confused. Father sat me down next to them and looked me right in the eye. And I'll never forget what he said to me."

She lowered her head.

"The time has come, Xenovia. As ordained by the Lord on High, your blood has awakened."

"Your blood?" Saya gave her a weird look. "What on Earth did he mean by that?"

She shook her head. "It's not important. And I was as clueless as you are back then. All that mattered is what my Father said next."

"What did he say?" Rei asked.

Xenovia's gaze fell upon the group. "He told me...that I had to go away. And that I was never going to see him or Mother ever again."

Aika placed a hand against her chest, her heart breaking. "That's horrible. You must have been so upset."

"I was in denial." She admitted. "At first I was certain Father was kidding, or that it was just a dream." Her frown deepened. "But it was no dream. Father and Mother gave me up to the Church that night without even telling me goodbye. Even as I was dragged away kicking and screaming, begging them not to let those men take me away, neither of them said a word to me. They wouldn't even look me in the eye."

"Xenovia…"

"I spent my tenth birthday alone. Locked in the room of a remote Monastery thousands of miles away from my home." She stated with cold indifference. "The next day, my training as a Holy Sword User began."

"I'm so sorry that happened to you." Rei spoke apologetically.

"That's just...damn…" Matsuda shook his head in pity.

She tried to smile again. "You know...it wasn't all terrible. The Head Mother was strict but very kind to me. And the Sisters of the Church went out of their way to make me feel like I belonged there. As for the training I received, in time I began to enjoy the discipline that was instilled in me. The idea that I was given a Divine Mandate by God to smite Satan's forces and ensure humanity's survival made me feel like my sacrifice was worth it. Whether I had chosen it or not…." Her features contorted into a bitter scowl. "I was never given the chance to live a normal life. To go to school. To make friends. To find love. To start my own family. All of that was taken away from me, and the only thing that kept me going was my faith. So long as God smiled upon my actions then I could endure any sacrifice." She clenched her fists until her palms began to bleed. "But now? Now I'm not even sure if he was even LISTENING to me. Let alone smiling."

Power began to radiate off her being and the floor trembled.

"Could he not hear my weeping at night?" She growled as all the emotion she'd kept bottled up boiled to the surface. "Was he not moved by my tears?! I've given him everything. EVERYTHING! And for what?! For a lie! All I've done, all I've killed! And it was never truly in his name! Was he smiling at me?! Or LAUGHING?!"

"Uhhh, Xenovia?" Motohama looked around nervously. "We're really stoked you're letting out all this anger and what not, but you're kinda shaking the whole house."

She stopped. Her power receded and the house stood still once more. Xenovia looked down at her hands, now bleeding somewhat, and fell into quiet indifference once more.

"Forgive me. I should not have lost control like that."

After a moment of silence, Rei smiled. "You know...my Grandfather used to have this saying. Sometimes it takes something really bad happening to bring out the really good in us." She quoted. "I've been thinking about that a lot today. How we've all gone through so much together? Maybe...maybe Irina was right. Maybe this really IS a test for us. By God, or by fate, or by life in general. Except, maybe it's not a test of our faith, maybe it's a test of our will. Maybe the whole point of this wasn't to break us down, but make us stronger."

They all seemed to consider her words for a moment.

"Maybe...we shouldn't see this as just a tragedy." She spoke hopefully. "Maybe we should see this as an opportunity."

"An opportunity for what?" Saya asked insistently.

The room fell silent as they took a moment to think about what the answer could be. Finally, it was Matsuda who spoke up.

"To give a shit about something bigger than our own problems?"

Saya smiled and nodded in agreement before raising her glass. "Hell, I'll drink to that."

* * *

Rei made dinner for the group that night. Afterwards, Matsuda and Motohama busied themselves with loading rounds into ammo clips upstairs.

"So something's been bugging me." Matsuda spoke up.

"Yeah?"

"Your Uncle…" He looked around at the pile of guns and ammo they were surrounded by. "...I get that he's some sort of Private Military Contractor or whatever. But isn't all this Ordinance still a bit much? I mean...you said these are guns are illegal here, didn't you?"

Motohama considered his question thoughtfully. "It's legal to purchase the parts for these guns. But it IS illegal to put them together the way he's got them. My Uncle definitely knows what he's doing."

"Seems like you can get away with almost anything if you have the right connections." Matsuda observed.

"I was always suspicious of my Uncle's work." Motohama admitted. "I mean...Private Military Contracts pay extremely well, but not THIS well. I always assumed he was just really high in his field...but now I'm not so sure."

Matsuda quirked a brow at him. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean...I'm beginning to suspect my Uncle may have been into some shady business."

Before he could respond, Matsuda's ears perked up to a peculiar sound coming from outside. "Is that…?"

"Gunfire." Motohama declared.

They both dropped what they were doing and went out to the balcony. Motohama grabbed his binoculars and looked around. Sure enough, off in the distance, he could see what was unmistakably the lights of small arms fire lighting up the city. Most of it seemed to be centered around Kuoh Academy.

"Sounds like it's mostly automatics." Motohama observed. "AR-14s most likely."

"But which side is it coming from? Ours...or theirs?"

He shook his head. "I have no idea. But if you want my advice? We need to get the fuck up out of here before this shit escalates any further."

"We'll leave first thing in the morning." Matsuda assured. "That way nothing catches us by surprise."

"Surprise!"

The boys about nearly jumped out of their skin as Saya proceeded to latch onto Motohama's back and sink her full weight onto him. She was giggling like a schoolgirl and appeared to be having trouble just staying up straight.

No doubt about it, she was trashed.

"S...Saya!" Motohama was paralyzed to the spot, his hands out beside him as she clung to his back. "Now is really not a good time for this."

"Oh don't be like thaaaaat." Her face was completely flushed and she was slurring her words. "Motohama daaaaarling." She giggled again, leaning her full bust up against him.

"Eh...Darling? Me?" He laughed nervously. "Oh...I don't know about that."

"You've been such a good boy." She snickered drunkenly. "Now here's your prize."

Saya pressed her lips to his cheek and gave him a wet smooch. Motohama's nose immediately began to bleed.

"Hey...Saya?" Matsuda spoke up, equal parts confused and bewildered. "Maybe you should head to bed. I think you may have overdone it a little."

"Nooooo." She pouted drunkenly. "I don't wanna. I'm gonna stay right here and…" Her legs began to wobble. "...and just…" She sighed in arousal and licked her lips before pressing her half naked body further against Motohama.

"Hey, Bro? You wanna speak up here?" Matsuda insisted.

"Huhhhh….I like turtles…" Motohama mumbled incoherently. It wasn't clear if he just had a nosebleed or an aneurysm.

"Dude!" Matsuda clapped his hands in front of his face. "Snap out of it."

He shook the cobwebs loose. "What what?"

"Do something!" Matsuda insisted. "She's liable to fall off the balcony at this rate."

He gulped. "Right…" Motohama slowly picked her up and carried her on his back.

"Motohamaaaaa…" Saya whined. "You Peeeeerv. Who said you could touch me?"

"Technically you're the one touching me." Motohama was trying really hard not to think about just how close he was to feeling her naked bust right now.

She laughed obtusely. "Oh yeah…" Saya snickered and hiccuped before nearly sliding off his back.

"W...whoa!" Motohama quickly caught her mid fall, his hands catching the swell of her ass. She moaned in arousal.

"Now you're touching my butt!" She slurred. "I told you you were a Perv…" She sunk fully onto him and rubbed her cheek against his. "Such a naughty, naughty, gun boy."

"Must...focus...all attention…" Motohama was sweating bullets. "...on keeping legs moving!"

"Oh right…" Saya drunkenly turned back towards Matsuda. "...there was like...something really important I needed to tell you Matsuda...what was it?"

"I'm sure it can wait until tomorrow." Matsuda insisted.

"Oh yeah! Rei is looking for you…" She giggled happily. "...she's like...got something super serious to tell you...or whatever."

Matsuda blanched. "Wh...what does she need to tell me?"

"I dunno…" She snickered and waved as Motohama carried her away. "Buh-byyyyye!"

Matsuda groaned wearily before making his way downstairs. "If we make it through the night it'll be a fucking miracle."

"Matsudaaaa! Where are you? Matsuda! Get down here!" A familiar voice pouted.

"There you are…"

Matsuda stopped upon reaching the stairs. Rei was standing their with a coy little smirk on her lips and her cheeks flushed.

"Oh uhhh…" He started sweating. "Hey Rei!"

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Did Saya do something weird in there?"

"What?" He shook his head vehemently. "No no. No weird shit going on here."

She got right in his face and glared at him on her tiptoes. Upon which the most goofy look imaginable formed on her face. "Heeeey, you look really cute in threes."

"Oh great…" He sighed. "Not you too."

"All of a sudden there's a bunch of you...it's…" Her legs buckled and she fell. Matsuda acted quick and caught her before she hit the floor.

"Careful, you almost went down the stairs."

"Oh…" She hung her head. "...I guess I'm just exhausted. It's hard to believe it's only been one day."

"Come on, let's get you to bed."

Before Matsuda could stand up she grabbed him.

"I know your parents are still in the city…"

His eyes went wide. "H...how…"

"You were talking about it with Motohama earlier, I overheard you." She kept her head lowered as she spoke. "Why did you lie to me?"

He bit his lower lip painfully and turned away. "I didn't want you to worry about me?"

For a moment, she remained silent.

"So much has gone wrong." Tears fell onto his arm. "Your parents are missing...Saya can't get in touch with hers...my Grandfather is dead…"

She quietly began to cry, her chest heaving on his arm as her emotions welled up again. Clearly she wasn't ready to be alone yet. Not knowing what else to do, he carried her downstairs.

* * *

Motohama made it to the bedroom at last. Xenovia and Aika were already both passed out on the bed. They must have been completely out of it because neither one of them so much as moved even as he plopped the completely smashed Saya onto the bed.

"You know what's like...the funniest thing in the world to me?" Saya slurred as she rolled over on her belly. "Your name...it's just like...so silly, you know?" She giggled to herself as she said his name over and over again.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, now get to bed drunky."

As he was about to leave she stopped him and pulled him back down onto the mattress.

"H...hey! What are you doing?"

"So like…" She frowned sadly. "...I've been thinking about today and...I realize I was like...a colossal bitch to you."

"Don't sweat it." He insisted.

"But I DO sweat it." Saya lurched up and wrapped her arms around his neck again. "I'm also...like...really sweaty." She giggled.

It was true her body was quite damp. A healthy sheen of sweat had coated her breasts and her backside and was horribly distracting.

"So...I guess what I'm saying is…" She frowned again, her face heating up. "...you can kiss me if you want. To make up for it."

He felt his heart lurch up into his throat.

"A...are you sure?"

"Just do it already!" She insisted sluggishly. "Maybe then I won't feel so shitty."

Motohama turned and looked at her. It was true that he wanted this...desperately. Saya was so unbelievably beautiful. Not only that, she was smart, and confident, and definitely not afraid to speak her mind.

Which was why he knew he couldn't do this. Motohama could smell the vodka on her breath, see the dazed stupor in her eyes. Saya wasn't all there, it was clear.

He turned away. "Saya...I can't."

"Huh?" She blinked at him in confusion. "Why not?"

"Because...you're drunk."

She chortled at him. "I am NOT! I am…" Her upper body swayed unsteadily. "...I am always the designated driver at every party I go to."

He smiled sadly at her. "I can't...it wouldn't be right."

After a moment, she frowned at him in annoyance. "Why not?"

"I made a promise to myself that I'd become a better person." He explained, fiddling with a callous on his palm nervously. "That I'd never forget Jon's Golden Rule."

She quirked a brow at him. "Golden rule?"

He nodded. "Rule number one of Jonathan Hyodo's guide to the fairer sex. It ain't always about you." Matsuda quoted. "I don't want to take advantage of you Saya. Not like that."

Saya blinked at him a few times before bursting into laughter again. "Seriously? He gave you a GUIDE?! That's so...so…" She suddenly got very light headed and fell against him. Motohama dropped back into the bed with her now resting on his chest.

"H...hey! You alright?" He stuttered nervously.

She frowned. "So...you're really not gonna kiss me?"

He shook his head vehemently. "No. I'm not."

After considering his words for a few moments, she stared up into his eyes.

"Then...would you consider just...holding me?"

His entire body seized. The look in her eyes...the way she pouted her lips, fluttered her eyelashes, it made his heart melt.

"I...I can do that."

She smiled contently and snuggled up to his chest before shutting her eyes. He gingerly wrapped his arm around her and held her close.

"Motohama…" She whispered, already half asleep.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry…" Slowly she began to doze off. "I was...wrong about...you…"

Saya drifted away into blissful sleep. Motohama wasn't quite sure what to do. What was protocol here? Did he stay? Leave? The dating sims always just cut to credits by this point.

Saya looked so peaceful resting against his chest. As he marveled at just how unbelievably beautiful this girl was, his eyes suddenly became heavy. Soon, Motohama drifted off with her.

On the other side of the bed, Aika opened up an eye and glanced back at them, a proud smile on her face.

"Atta boy."

* * *

Matsuda carried Rei downstairs. During which time she remained completely still, not saying a word. He placed her down on the couch and checked to make sure she was still feeling alright.

"I'll get you some water." He stood up to go to the kitchen…

...when she grabbed his sleeve.

Matsuda turned around to see her staring at the ground. She looked so conflicted about something. As if her mind were racing at a mile a minute. Finally she turned her gaze upward to him.

The look in her eyes said it all. Slowly, Rei pressed herself against his chest and touched her forehead to his. Her breathing became heated and her heart was thudding in her chest. Finally, Rei pressed her lips tenderly to his. This kiss was nothing like their first, it was deeper, fuller, the kind of kiss that sent a message.

And that message was, I want you.

Slowly, she pulled Matsuda back to the couch with her lips still pressed to his. He slowly sat down and she straddled his lap. The two of them kissed again, this time, she guided his hands to her waist before wrapping her arms around his neck. They made out with each other for a little while. Neither one of them wanting to stop, just savoring the moment.

Finally, she pulled away. Her breathing came in short shallow bursts and her eyes were swimming with arousal.

"Are you sure? You're not too drunk are y-"

She cut him off with another kiss. Fiercer this time. More forceful. As she did this, she pulled his shirt off of him. Rei wasn't in the mood to talk. By the way she was grinding her hips against his pants, it was clear what she was in the mood for.

But Matsuda had no clue what to do. This was completely foreign territory to him. How was he supposed to respond?

Rei answered for him. With a lustful look in her eyes she pulled her pink tank top over her head and his jaw damn near hit the floor as her naked breasts spilled out in front of him. He had no time to question if he was dreaming or not. As she proceeded to take his wrist and guide his hand up to her right mound, Rei guided his hand, letting him feel her naked skin. Touch her stiff perky nipple. Matsuda was touching a woman's breasts, a REAL woman's breasts, for the first time in his life.

Feeling a bit bolder now, he reached up with his other hand and grabbed her left breast, delicately fondling her with both palms now. She responded positively, moaning and panting in heated breaths with her eyes shut and her hips grinding against him. Matsuda was certain he had died and gone to heaven.

And then she reached down and unzipped his fly.

His breathing immediately began to quicken. Was this really happening? He thought for certain he would wake up at any moment. That this was all just a dream. But no, he didn't wake up. Even as she pulled his member through his briefs and started stroking him, he didn't wake up. Even as she parted her panties and placed his head against her glistening folds, he still didn't wake up.

Even as she moaned and gasped as her walls tightened around the length of his shaft, he was still very much awake.

"Rei…"

She stopped him with another kiss. Now wasn't the time for that. Rei didn't want words right now. Just him. Just this moment. She pressed her body fully against him. The feeling of her slender body pressed against his was beyond exhilarating. Slowly, nervously, she began to move along his length.

It wasn't a dream. Matsuda was having his first time with a woman he loved.


	28. Chapter 28

When Jon next awoke, he was alone in Rias's bed. His Treasure had obviously visited him while he slept and left the burning incense to help him recover. It smelled delightful, though the vase Rias had placed it in made him chuckle. It looked like something you would find at Pottery Barn. Definitely not the President's style.

With slow, weary movement he stood up and stretched. His throat was dry and his head was still throbbing. Some of Akeno's herbal tea and a healing session with Asia would have him right as rain again. He had no doubt.

The blinds on the windows had been drawn to keep the sunlight at bay. Jon had no desire to be hit with those harsh rays while he was still hungover so he left them be. The construction going on outside didn't help matters either.

After getting himself dressed in pajama pants and a white t-shirt he slowly lumbered out to the Chapter Room.

"Morning ya'll." He yawned while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "That vase sure is something special, Rias. Did you steal it from…"

He stopped. Rias wasn't there. None of his Peerage was. Instead, a woman with long silver hair dressed in a Maid's outfit stood up from the couch and placed the tea she'd been drinking down. She smiled at him warmly and bowed.

"It's good to see you again, Jonathan Hyodo. It's been too long."

"Lady Grayfia?" Jon asked in disbelief. He hadn't seen Lucifer's Queen since the incident at the Phenex Estate. What was she doing here now?

"I trust you slept comfortably?" She asked while proceeding to pour him a cup of tea and bring it to him. "Drink this, it will help with the hangover."

He took the tea from her and sipped. A worried look in his eyes. "Not that I'm not thrilled to see you again, Grayfia. But I get the distinct impression this ain't a social visit."

Her ruby lips curled into a small frown. "I wish I could say it was. Unfortunately, you're right. I'm afraid the situation with Kokabiel has...escalated."

He felt a nervous pit form in his stomach. "Escalated?" A thought occurred to him. "Wait a minute...how long have I been out?"

"Almost two full days." She explained.

He blanched, nearly dropping Rias's antique tea cup. "T...two days?! Why the hell didn't anyone wake me up?"

"We tried." She calmly spoke. "Your body refused to awaken. The others are all back to normal, but you have been in and out of consciousness all this time."

"That Motherfucker!" Jon was seeing red now. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted that crap Sammy gave me!"

She shook her head vehemently. "I don't think it was the Loa Tablet that was chiefly to blame. Your body is still fighting to keep up with the burgeoning power within you, Jon. Your time at the Lab must have drained you more than you thought, the drugs were just the final chip in the iceberg."

He groaned in frustration before walking over to the couch and sitting down. "So it was my fault then. I pushed myself too hard."

"Ultimately this is a good thing." She tried to sound reassuring. "Your body should be more acclimated to your Dragon's Soul. Which means you've likely unlocked power in addition to no longer having to worry about excess energy being a problem. But only time will tell as to just how much you've grown."

Though he was still restless from the fact that he'd been out cold for so long, Jon decided it was ultimately not worth dwelling on. From the sounds of things, it was bound to happen one way or another.

"So what all did I miss while I was off in La La Land?"

She frowned at that. "It would be better if I just showed you." Grayfia bowed respectfully and headed for the door. "Please get yourself dressed. Lord Lucifer will no doubt desire to speak with you now that you're awake."

He shot up from his seat. "Lucifer is...here?!"

Grayfia nodded silently.

"As in...here." He pointed at the floor, still not quite believing her. "At Kuoh?"

"Yes." She confirmed.

If Rias's brother was here, then the situation was even worse than he thought. Which meant there was absolutely no time to lose.

* * *

At first, Jon was going to forego a shower. But Grayfia assured him if he needed to he could take one. That helped put his mind at ease. Whatever the situation was, it wasn't so dire as to demand his presence right then and there.

Besides, this was Rias's family they were talking about. He didn't want her Big Brother thinking the man she was seeing was an unkempt slob.

It didn't take him long to get cleaned off and fully dressed. Jon grabbed his red leather jacket and cowboy hat before heading out of Rias's room and making his way downstairs.

Waiting for him there was Grayfia. A dour look upon her face.

"Listen…" She cautioned. "...this may be a bit of a shock so just...brace yourself."

He narrowed his eyes at her for a moment, nervous as to what she meant by that. Finally, however, he nodded in understanding.

Grayfia proceeded to open the front door. She was right, he wasn't ready.

Kuoh had been turned into a war base. There were barricades of barbed wire around the perimeter of the campus. Troops clad in blood red armor that completely obscured their faces marched in formation. Massive assault rifles with what appeared to be chainsaws attached to them in their hands. Tanks and armored vehicles painted to match the color of their armor rolled through the streets and over the grass of the Quad. It was complete madness.

"What the absolute fuck is going on here?" He stood dumbfounded at what he was looking at.

"I'm surprised you hadn't noticed sooner." She admitted. "Your hearing is usually far more acute than that."

"I thought it was our contractor working on the pool!" He insisted. Still at a complete loss for words. "Seriously, what the hell did I miss?!"

"That's not all." She pointed up towards the sky. "Look."

Jon's jaw damn near hit the floor as he looked up above him. A massive energy barrier had been placed around what had to be the entire city. It went on for miles.

"My Lord erected that barrier himself." Grayfia explained. "It's the only thing keeping them in."

"Keeping what in?" He asked nervously.

"The disease." She turned and cast two woeful eyes at him. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, Jon. But Kokabiel has attacked the city of Kuoh. He's officially declared war."

* * *

Jon followed Grayfia to the President of Kuoh's House, located on the Eastern side of campus. This sprawling mansion sat on the very edge of campus and was, as far as Jon could tell, always vacant. The normally clear, grassy lawn that went on for almost half the size of a football field was now covered with troops, military tents, and armored vehicles with machine guns attached to the roof. What stood out the most to Jon was how the troops seemed to come in two different varieties. There were squads of humans running around in black tactical body armor with weapons he recognized strapped to their backs.

But then there were these huge hulking armored troops as well. Their armor was blood red and their faces were obscured by thick helmets. As far as he could tell, there wasn't a single one of them under six foot eight. But the majority of these heavily armored troopers were easily over seven feet tall.

"So who the heck are those guys?" Jon asked, slightly bewildered by the massive soldiers. "They're built like brick shithouses."

Grayfia chuckled. "These troops are all a part of Lord Lucifer's private army." She explained.

"He has a private army?" Jon sounded fairly impressed.

She nodded. "While Devil Armies are typically loyal to whichever House they come from, these troops are loyal solely to Lucifer himself. They come in two distinct factions. The Scout Regiment and the Assault Tribes. The heavily armored brutes you see before you make up the ranks of Lord Lucifer's Assault Tribes, whereas the humans compose the Scout Regiment."

Something she said caught his ear. "Wait..only humans are in the scout regiment?"

She nodded. "That is correct."

"So then what are those armored troops?"

As if on cue, one of the armored warriors removed his helmet and addressed his men, who had formed a line in the grass. Right away, Jon could tell that what he was looking at was in no way human. This creature had pointed ears, dark brown skin, and fangs like a saber tooth tiger. Its dark hair was braided into a war plait and looked like something you'd see in a Mongolian Horde. The massive creature paced in front of his troops, his face marked by a tattoo on his left eye.

"Soldiers of the Black Talon Clan!" The creature bellowed furiously. "The hour of War is nigh! Your foe is well equipped, well trained, and battle hardened! He believes his Gods are on his side. Let him believe what he will, we have the Tanks on ours!"

His men slammed their fists against their massive chest plates.

"Our Lord has approved the Tactical Task to breathe fire!" He continued, pacing in front of them like a feral lion. "You will breath fire day in and day out for however long the enemy stands! You will breathe fire in your sleep! You will breath fire when you are awake! You will feel no fear! You will feel no sadness! You will feel no regret! Only rage! The undying rage and blood thirst that has consumed your clan! And through it all, you will CONTINUE to breathe fire!"

Again, they all knocked their fists against their chests.

"You will use the operational instinct that is ingrained in your blood! You will stay methodical on the field of war by assuming effective fire, and tactical superiority to kill the enemy! Kill the enemy! KILL THE ENEMY!"

Jon watched from a distance, slightly in awe of the spectacle. "Grayfia...what the hell am I looking at right now?"

She smiled knowingly. "That is the Chief of the Black Talon Clan. She explained. Theirs is not the largest Orc Clan found in the Underworld by any means, but they are one of the more vicious ones."

"Sorry, could you say that again?" He cleaned his ear and perked it up to her. "Not sure I heard ya quite right there. Did you just call them ORCS?"

Grayfia nodded in confirmation. "Lucifer's Assault Tribes are not simply a Garrison of Soldiers. They're a species created by the race once known as Goblins." She explained. "Roughly six centuries ago, the Goblin tribes were a species on the brink of extinction. Encompassing little more than a few animalistic clans deep within the forests of central Europe, away from the borders of human civilization. These tribes, though few in number, were strong in their will to survive and a naturally aggressive race. Sirzechs saw potential in this. And so he formed a pact with each Chieftain of each surviving tribe and had them brought to the Underworld. There he placed them in the lower pits, amidst sulphuric rock, ash choked air, and furnaces of molten lava. With the only source of food available being the massive demonic beasts that called the lower pits of Hell their home. To survive, the Goblins had to adapt. They hunted these beasts, drank of their demonic blood, ate their flesh, and in doing so, mutated. Over the next few centuries, they grew, forming new tribes and growing in size and strength. Those who were too weak or too feeble soon died, leaving only the strongest and most aggressive to thrive in their hostile environment, becoming what you see now. A species that has been developed on a biological level to thrive on conflict and bloodshed. Though few in number, when it comes to war, they have no equals."

As insane as the explanation for their existence was, Jon was more interested in their weapons. "Are those...chainsaws on the ends of those things?"

She nodded. "I'm not a weapons expert, but I believe that is what is known as a Lancer Assault Rifle. Orcs do not believe in notions of self defense or peacekeeping, in war, they seek only to attack. Ripping their foes to pieces by any means necessary. The weapons they design reflect this philosophy. You will not find a single armament in the Orc Clans that wasn't designed to destroy an enemy in the most brutal way possible."

"Man…" Jon was almost mesmerized by the weapon. "...I have GOT to get me one of those."

Grayfia quirked a brow at him. "To what end? As a Dragon, you possess magic and abilities that far exceed anything that weapon could produce."

"Okay yeah but…" He could care less about that. '...it's a fucking CHAINSAW bayonet!"

She couldn't help but giggle at him in amusement. "If I remember correctly, Sammy had a similar reaction the first time he saw one too. You men and your little toys, I swear…"

Jon finally managed to pry his eyes off the assault rifles and the massive soldiers who wielded them and turned his attention to the other faction. "So tell me more about the human forces."

"The Scout Regiment? They're a different breed entirely." She explained while presenting the men and women in black tactical armor. "Their ranks are composed of Demons, or the sons and daughters of Demons. As their name implies, they are Lucifer's scout forces, however, the name can be misleading as they do far more than just recon. They are also trained as a Special Operations Division. Each member of their ranks is a trained killer who can be deployed to eliminate high priority targets. In many ways...they are very much similar to the Hunters trained by the Saintly Knights of Michael."

"You don't say?"

"Where they differ from their Vatican Brethren, however, is that Scouts are also trained in more conventional tactics of warfare. Their training may not be as personalized or thorough as a Hunter's is, but Scouts are far better equipped to respond to disaster scenarios such as this one."

"They've dealt with scenarios like this before?"

She shook her head. "Not one of this size, no. This is by far the largest operation the Scout Regiment has ever been a part of."

"I still can't believe…" Jon shook his head mournfully. "...he really did it. Kokabiel declared war. What is that madman thinking?"

"He's not." Grayfia assured. "Kokabiel has always been a power hungry tyrant. The ceasefire was just the excuse he needed to finally strike out on his own."

"But what does he hope to gain from this? What's his objective?"

She stopped walking and turned to him, a severe look in her eyes.

"Kokabiel intends to use this attack as a means to reignite the Great War. Should he succeed in spreading his disease...it will mean the end of civilization as we know it."

The weight behind Grayfia's words sank deep into his mind. Jon understood now the true gravity of the situation. There was no time to lose, he had to speak with Lucifer and find out what could be done to stop this madness before it escalated any further.

* * *

Jon entered the President of Kuoh's mansion to find the place had apparently been converted into a war base. Female Devils dressed in secretary outfits darted about the large domicile, some carrying large stacks of paperwork, others with files marked as classified.

According to Grayfia, this was always how the building looked. Kuoh Academy had no official President, and indeed any formal decision regarding the University was collectively decided by both the head of the Gremory and Sitri Clans respectively. In the event of a catastrophe, this Mansion was designed specifically to be used as a command center by Sirzech Lucifer.

Lady Grayfia guided Jon up a flight of stairs to a large room in the middle of which was a table projecting a 3D image of the city of Kuoh. This table was surrounded by rolling leather chairs which lead Jon to deduce that this must have been the War Room.

It was here that his Peerage had been waiting for him. Rias, Asia, Akeno, and Koneko all collectively stood from their seats and beamed at him.

"Well if isn't my favorite ladies in all of Kuoh."

"Jon!" Asia was the first to run up and jump into his arms, kissing him tenderly.

Rias snickered and rolled her eyes before calmly walking over and kissing him next. "Did you sleep well?"

"As well as could be expected."

"I'm happy you're finally awake, Master." Akeno walked up to him and knelt down on her knees before gracefully bowing.

Jon chuckled in amusement. "Get over here, Ju'Kara."

She beamed at him before standing up and jumping into his arms, same as Asia. They kissed lovingly before Koneko suddenly cleared her throat abruptly.

"Umm, what about me?" She asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

He smiled lovingly at her. "Of course I couldn't forget you, Kani."

She rolled her eyes at him before tugging on Jon's lapel and kissing him fiercely. With a wicked grin Koneko then whispered in his ear. "For the record, that crap Sammy gave us left me with a splitting headache and a high grade fever...but it was TOTALLY worth it."

"Yeah well...considering I didn't wake up for a day and a half afterwards, we should probably consider making that just a one time thing."

Asia turned her head away and blushed as she recalled the extremely erotic encounter. "I agree…"

Grayfia quirked a brow at the sight of Jon holding one lady in each arm as well as two more clinging to his shoulders. The relationships he had formed with his Treasures was progressing even faster than she or Sirzechs could have anticipated.

"I take it from the fact we're missing our Knight that Kiba is still out of commission?" Jon asked worriedly.

Rias frowned and nodded. "I'm afraid so. He's yet to recover from his injuries."

Jon sighed, shaking his head before quietly swearing in disappointment. "They must have been worse than I thought."

"Now's not the best time to fret over that, I fear." Grayfia insisted. "The other groups will be arriving shortly."

"Other groups?" Jon asked.

Rias nodded. "Two other Houses besides mine have offered support for my Brother's campaign in Kuoh. The representatives from both houses are due to arrive soon."

At that moment the door to the War Room opened. Sona Sitri entered with her Queen Tsubaki and her Pawn Sammy.

"Ah good. You're here." Rias acknowledged Sona respectfully. "How is research into the cure going?"

Tsubaki adjusted her glasses and spoke candidly. "As well as can be expected given the time crunch we're under. We've ran into a bit of a snag regarding the Decay Rate Algorithm but…" She sighed. "Well to put it simply we're doing the best that we can."

"In the meantime, keeping Kuoh secure should be our top priority." Sona insisted. "Curing the plague that has befallen the city comes second to keeping it contained."

Sammy grinned at Jon upon seeing his fellow Dragon awake. "Well look who finally decided to join the party. One little tablet was too much for ya, Hyodo? I took three of those things and was fine."

"If by 'fine' you mean spending most of yesterday laid up in bed drooling all over yourself." Tsubaki spoke bluntly.

"Tsk! Why'd ya have to go and bring that up, huh?!" He asked indignantly.

Jon snickered at him in amusement. "Good to see you too, Sammy."

It was then that Sona frowned at Jon and approached him. "Listen...there's something that Tsubaki and I need to bring to your attention."

"Specifically, regarding those three humans you interact with. Matsuda, Motohama, and Aika, I believe are their names."

"Huh?" He gave her a nervous look. "What about them?" A horrifying thought crossed his minds. "Wait...don't tell me they're-"

Sona shook her head vehemently. "No no no, nothing like that. They're still very much alive."

"But…" Tsubaki continued. "...they may or may not have inadvertently become guinea pigs in a little experiment of ours."

He quirked a disbelieving brow at them. "Okay explain."

Sona proceeded to tell him everything. About how Matsuda, Motohama, and Aika were exposed to the Mutation strain of the virus and that their bodies had been permanently altered by its effects.

"So let me get this straight…" Jon rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, trying really hard not to start yelling. "...these idiots...broke into your lab, messed around with equipment they have no clue how to use, and then grabbed a random vial and popped it open? Is that about the sum of things?"

Sona nodded. "In a nutshell. Yes."

"And you just...stood by and let them do it?" He asked, again trying REALLY hard not to start yelling.

She shrugged indifferently. "To be fair they did break in. And we had more pressing matters to attend to."

Sammy whistled nonchalantly and cast his gaze away from a rather perturbed looking Tsubaki.

"Sona, you know I respect the hell out of you and I would typically never question your judgement..." Jon spoke as evenly as possible. "But I swear to Lucifer if you got my friends turned into mutants…"

"You can relax, Jonathan." Sona adjusted the bridge of her glasses. "They're perfectly fine. In fact as Rias puts it, they're doing better than fine."

The President of the ORC nodded. "I've been monitoring their progress for you while you've been asleep. While I couldn't directly intervene on account of everything happening here, I was able to have our forces draw the bulk of the undead horde away from them while they got to safety." A wicked grin covered her lips. "And that's not all...just wait until you hear what those three have been up to since the outbreak occurred."

He groaned in exasperation. "Do I even want to know?"

Rias proceeded to go into detail about what all they had successfully done since awakening to their new powers. Everything from fighting off the zombie horde to rescuing two attractive young women. She even told him about Irina and Xenovia showing up, as well as their little falling out. Jon took in all this information, every last bit, everything Rias told him, and seemed for the most part to be able to accept all of it. All of it except one little detail.

"Matsuda got laid?!" He asked incredulously.

Koneko nodded. "Yep, I couldn't believe it either until Rias showed us. Your perverted buddy finally lost his V-Card."

"And to a rather fine young thing too." Akeno added with a sultry tone. "Honestly, I was a little impressed."

"It was so sweet!" Asia melted at the memory. "I'd never seen Matsuda act so gentlemanly before. He honestly reminded me a little bit of you, Jon."

"And in other news, the forecast in Hell indicates a high probability of freezing over." Sammy joked.

Jon was so floored he fell backwards into one of the leather chairs behind him. "Holy shit...I missed even more than I thought." As he slowly got over the initial shock regarding his three perverted friends, his focus shifted over to the next major issue. "So Xenovia is on her way here with the Holy Swords?"

Rias nodded. "It would seem so." She then frowned apologetically. "But it appears Irina did not decide to join her. I'm sorry Jon, but we haven't been able to locate your former student since they parted ways."

Pain stabbed his heart. He hoped to God Irina was okay.

With a heavy sigh he stood up from his seat and straightened himself up. "So my friends are fighting off zombies, my Pupil is off on her own doing God only knows what, and we're about to have a full blown war on our hands with the Angel of Stars. Any other huge surprises you wanna throw my way while we're at it?"

"JOHNNY!"

From out of nowhere Jon felt a pair of A cup breasts smack him right in the face as the five foot one blonde they were attached to glomped him to the ground.

"Oh, Johnny Darling, it's been far too long! Why haven't you called me?!"

At first he thought he was under attack by a rabid nine year old given the way she was giggling hysterically and hugging his face to her chest.

When it finally clicked who was on top of him, Jon about lost it entirely.

"RAVEL?!"

"Ah good." Lady Grayfia commented. "It would appear that House Phenex has arrived as well."

* * *

Lady Ravel Phenex beamed down at Jon from her position on his chest. The young woman's hair was done up into two golden twin tails as usual and her dress she had chosen was a lovely burgundy color.

"Did you miss me, Darling?" She asked in a bubbly voice. "Oh who am I kidding? Of course you did!"

Okay...there was so much to unpack here it wasn't even funny. Why was Ravel Phenex here? What was she doing on top of him? And furthermore…

"Darling?!" Jon asked in bewilderment.

She giggled at him before placing her hand pridefully up to her chest. "I'll have you know I've been practicing exactly how I'll greet you each and every morning when...when…"

It was at that exact moment that she seemed to finally come back down to Earth. Everyone was staring at her. Literally, everyone. While most just looked to be stunned by her rather sudden entrance into the room and subsequent tackle hug, Koneko in particular looked quite annoyed by her presence. Jon hadn't seen her scowl like that in a good long time.

Ravel turned white as a ghost as it slowly dawned on her the scene she had just made in front of everyone. She squealed indignantly before flailing off Jon and quickly trying to backpedal about three steps from the crazy lady she had just presented herself as. She stood up straight and quickly straightened her posture.

"Ahem!" She produced a small hand fan from her waistcoat and began furiously waving it in front of herself, trying desperately to reduce the redness in her face while maintaining a calm and poised demeanor. "In any case...it's...good to see you again, Jonathan."

"Is this chick for real?" Sammy muttered to Sona.

"It's good to see you too, Ravel." Jon sat up and tried to get a handle on the situation. "But what are you doing here?"

Before she could answer, someone else spoke up.

"Isn't it obvious? The Phenex Clan owes Lucifer a debt, and we intend to repay it."

Jon's expression immediately soured. He could recognized that voice just about anywhere. After standing up, he slowly turned towards the door to meet the gaze of the man who just spoke. A man in a tailored suit complete with a smokers jacket and golden pocket watch stood in the doorway next to his Queen.

"Riser Phenex…"

The head of the Phenex clan narrowed his eyes at Jon warily before offering a halfhearted greeting. "Ddraig…"

"Hoo boy. Is it me or did it just get a bit chilly in here?" Sammy commented.

Riser's Queen, Yubelluna, took her King's coat for him and hung it on a nearby coat rack as the young Lord of the Phenex Clan approached Jon. The two seemed to consider each other cautiously for a moment before he finally extended his hand out to him. Without a word, Jon shook hands with Riser, noting his power had effectively skyrocketed since becoming the new Head of House Phenex.

A threatening grin formed on Jon's lips. "Well well, I'm impressed, Blue Blood. That's quite a handshake you've got there."

"Indeed…" Riser returned his menacing smile with one of his own. "...yours isn't half bad yourself."

"Since becoming the head of the Phenex Clan and merging with our Houses Spirit, my Lord has almost tripled his level of power." Yubelluna stated pridefully. "He is now even stronger than Salazar during his reign."

"That right?" Jon continued to glare at Riser as he spoke. "You'll have to give me a demonstration some time."

"Be careful what you wish for, Ddraig." He cautioned. "Riser may just give it to you."

"Still talking in third person, eh?" Jon chuckled at him. "I guess not EVERYTHING about you has changed."

Rias sighed wearily while placing a hand against her face. "Well this is already exhausting."

"Why do you feel the need to turn every single encounter with another male into a dick measuring contest?" Koneko asked bluntly.

Akeno giggled in amusement. "It's not as if he can help it, Koneko. Dragons are just as prideful creatures as Phoenix's are if not more so."

Rather than respond, Koneko elected to shoot daggers at Ravel. "Go figure…"

"Riserrrrr!" Ravel folded her fan and smacked her older brother over the head with it, an angry scowl on her face. "You promised me you wouldn't pick a fight with him!"

"OW! Ravel!" Riser rubbed his head and protested indignantly. "We weren't fighting. It was just a handshake."

"Dude, we can literally feel your auras from over here." Koneko commented taciturnly. "You're not fooling anyone."

Ravel placed her hands on her hips and glared up at him sternly. "I want you to play nice with Johnny, okay? I AM his Treasure after all."

Jon about damn near hit the floor again. At that moment his spirit drifted from his body and began slowly floating away. Koneko meanwhile bristled from head to toe in anger.

"Why must you insist on calling yourself that?" Riser looked about ready to keel over, himself. "Saying such things so openly is not dignified of a Pureblood Phoenix."

"It's also a little presumptuous if we're being honest." Rias spoke through gritted teeth, her brows furrowed in annoyance.

"Hmph!" Ravel raised her nose snootily into the air. "It doesn't make it any less true. My heart has accepted the Red Dragon Emperor's Mark same as the rest of you. Johnny and I are bonded whether you like it or not."

Koneko's mood continued to darken. Something Jon was keenly aware of as this whole situation continued to spiral further and further out of his control.

Rias closed her eyes and shook her head in exasperation. "I'm not doubting that. But there is much more to becoming a Dragon's Treasure than just saying it."

"Much more." Koneko growled.

"The idea that you are Imprinted to this scoundrel…" Riser placed his palm against his forehead, clearly in denial about the whole thing. "...what ever did I do in life to deserve this?"

"You know I'm still right here." Jon spoke in an aggravated tone.

"I am. And I really wish you weren't." He suddenly pointed at Jon dramatically. "Now here this, Ddraig! Riser shall not allow you to rob his little sister of her pure virgin innocence! We shall settle this like Gentleman! I challenge you here and now to an honorable duel! Winner claims her chastity!"

Ravel looked mortified. She quickly swatted Riser over the head with her fan again, and then several times after that for good measure. "Would you stop talking about my Chastity you knuckle brained imbecile?! You're my Brother for Lucifer's sake!"

"Ow ow ow! Sorry Sis! Sorry!" He quickly backed away as his little sister continued to swat him repeatedly with her fan.

Jon was so not ready for this day. He was fully aware of that now. Was it too late to hop back into bed and pretend he was still in a coma?

She finally stopped wailing on him long enough to speak. "Listen, I've already made up my mind about this. I'm going to join Johnny's peerage and become his First Mistress. There's nothing you can say or do that will keep us apart."

"My, she's rather full of herself isn't she?" Akeno observed with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"What does she mean by First Mistress?" Asia asked worriedly.

"Ravel, Sister Dearest, please see reason." Riser was practically begging her at this point. "If you really want a Dragon I'll get you a Dragon. But does it honestly have to be HIM?"

She looked completely aghast by the notion. "Don't speak to me as if I am a child, Brother! I'll have you know I am just as mature and sophisticated a woman as Yubelluna."

His Queen rolled her eyes and sighed, choosing not to comment.

"Riser's not doubting that, Sister. He's not. It's just..." Riser was trying desperately not to have a full blown anxiety attack over the thought of Ddraig getting his hands on her. "...why him?!"

Jon coughed awkwardly and turned his head away. Now definitely was not the time to make a comment given Koneko's current temperament.

"I get that the two of you are on less than friendly terms given your past history." Ravel spoke in earnest. "But this is not a matter of pride or status, it is a matter of LOVE."

Every single one of Jon's Treasure's gawked at the five foot one Ravel in utter disbelief. How was she being so nonchalant about this? Just about every single one of them struggled to come to terms with their feelings for their Dragon yet Ravel seemed less than concerned by her own.

Jon for his part was just trying his best not to look Koneko in the eye.

"See, you say that so casually." Riser was starting to sound less like the pompous arrogant persona he tried to project and more like a legitimately concerned older brother. "Have you even thought any of this through yet, Sister? You're still a member of my Peerage after all. It would hardly be feasible trying to manage a relationship with someone who's not-"

"There's a perfectly simple solution to that, Dear Brother." Ravel insisted, beginning to fan her face again. "All you must do is trade me."

He blanched. "T...trade you?!"

She nodded and shut her fan before pointing it at Rias. "Lady Gremory, you possess only one Bishop amongst your Peerage, yes? Here is what I propose. Trade your open Bishop Piece to my Dear Brother here in exchange for me. I assure you you won't be disappointed."

Asia gasped and covered her mouth with both hands before turning two horrified eyes at Rias. Who at that moment looked to be about a million miles away.

"Well, what will it be then?" Ravel asked.

'That. Little. IDIOT!' Rias thought to herself. Ravel had no Earthly idea what she just did by opening her fat mouth. The fact was, Rias did NOT possess an open Bishop piece. Not that she wanted Jon to be privy to that little bit of information yet.

Before Rias could speak, Koneko did it for her.

"Hey Birdbrain, where do you get off talking to our President like that?" She growled in a severed tone.

Ravel immediately spun around and glared sharply at Koneko. "Wh...what did you just call me?!"

"You heard what I said." She folded her arms. "Or would you prefer Fried Chicken Girl? It seems appropriate given those drumsticks you've got attached to your head."

Lady Phenex was completely aghast. "S...Such impudence! What makes you think you can speak to me in such a manner?"

"What makes you think we want you in our Peerage?" Koneko shot back without missing a beat. "As far as I'm concerned, you're nowhere near our best choice."

"I am a Pureblood of House Phenex." Ravel stated pridefully. "My powers may be limited now, but that is simply due to my inexperience. Soon that will change, and I will possess ability beyond anything a Commoner such as yourself could possibly hope to match."

Rias quirked a brow in intrigue. Her outburst and pompous demeanor aside, Ravel did bring up an excellent point. As a Pureblood, Lady Phenex possessed the potential to become as powerful as a Kingpiece.

A Bishop with that kind of latent potential in her arsenal would be unrivaled amongst her peers. A shame that the current situation hadn't changed. Rias possessed no open Bishop Pieces and no desire to reveal her little secret regarding Gasper. For now, at least, Ravel would have to remain disappointed.

Though if Jon continued to gain power at such an exponential rate, there was a chance that issue would change. As it stood right now, however, Rias simply didn't have the room.

And if she was being completely honest, the idea of having Riser's little sister counted amongst her Peerage left a rather sour taste in her mouth. She still had mixed feelings regarding her Ex- Fiance.

"Big talk coming from a flat chested chicken lady." Koneko responded without missing a beat.

"The nerve!" Ravel's aura became murderous. "What gives you the right to speak down to me in such a way? And FYI you're just as flat as I am."

Koneko narrowed her eyes at her dangerously. "If you're looking to get thrown through the roof keep it up. I'll drop kick you out of this building so fast you'll end up right back in the Underworld."

Both ladies squared off, their auras murderous. Despite it only being about ten o'clock in the morning it got dark REAL fast.

Finally, Grayfia spoke up, bringing her own terrible aura to bare. "If I may be so bold as to interrupt. I must insist the two of you do not start fighting. This is hardly the time or the place for this. And Lady Ravel, your status as one of Jon's Treasures is hardly relevant to the purpose of this meeting."

Seeing Grayfia's eyes glow like that always unnerved Jon. By the looks on Koneko and Ravel's faces it was more than a little unnerving to them as well. Even for women as stubborn and prideful as they were, when Hell's Strongest Queen spoke, you listened.

The two of them finally seemed to calm down, albeit reluctantly. They were still giving each other death glares whenever they thought Grayfia wasn't looking. But at the very least, it appeared they wouldn't be trying to kill each other any time soon.

"Now then." With order restored Lady Grayfia addressed all those in attendance. "Lady Rias, Lady Sona, and Lord Riser. Lord Lucifer wishes to have a word with all three of you. Jon, he has requested your presence as well. The rest of you may wait here until we return. This won't take long."

* * *

The three King Pieces descended alongside Lady Gremory and the Red Dragon Emperor down to the sub basement of the giant mansion. There, a throne sat upon a large alter where Lord Lucifer himself sat upon. His overwhelming power fueling the spell that kept the citywide barrier in place. As they approached the altar, Rias, Sona, and Riser all took a knee. Jon removed his hat and was about to kneel as well when Sirzechs stopped him.

"You need not bow before me, Red Dragon Emperor. I know you're only doing it for the sake of my Little Sister. The Wild Flame bends his knee to none save his Treasures after all." Lord Lucifer assured with a patient smile.

Jon was already halfway down to a knee when Sirzechs stopped him. He awkwardly stood back up and placed his hat back on his head. Meanwhile, Riser was stewing. Though he dared not say it, the fact that Ddraig was exempt from showing one of the Lords of Hell due respect absolutely infuriated him.

Rias, meanwhile, couldn't have looked more tickled if she tried.

"As my Queen has no doubt made you all aware, the situation here in the city of Kuoh is grave." Lord Lucifer declared. "The Bio-Weapon that the Angel of Stars has unleashed upon this world could very well consume it if we do not intervene."

"My Lord, if I might speak." Sona requested respectfully. "You insist that the situation is dire and that we must act in haste. But what of the other Pillars? Why have they committed no forces to this campaign? Furthermore, why can we not bring the full wrath of our own houses to bare upon our enemies?"

"We are still dealing with the political aftermath of Salazar's...unfortunate demise." Grayfia explained. "It will be some time before we've managed to reestablish stability in the Underworld."

At the mention of Riser's deceased father, the young Head of House Phenex glowered.

"As for why I am not permitting your parents or indeed your older sister from becoming involved in this, Sona…" Lucifer spoke. "...as vital as it is that we deal with this quickly, doing so discreetly is just as paramount. Do not forget that one of the conditions of the Ceasefire we agreed upon was that no side could deploy vast amounts of powerful forces all at once. As we speak, both Azazel and Michael's eyes watch this city, waiting for any sign of us violating this agreement."

"Bringing in the most powerful members of our combined Families is exactly what Kokabiel desires." Grayfia explained. "He is trying to stoke the fires of war and force Azazel's hand by openly attacking us in the heart of one of our own cities."

"I will not play into his hand so readily." Lucifer insisted. "Nor do I intend to let this heinous act go unabated." He leaned forward in his throne with his elbows resting on his knees before continuing. "The four of you managed to bring down an entire Noble House, I am asking much more of you now."

"What of the Human survivors?" Rias asked curiously.

Sirzechs narrowed his eyes at his younger sister for a moment. "The last time you and your Peerage fought, Rias, you did so away from humankind. The frontlines of your war with Salazar did not place the lives of oblivious beings in harm's way. Today I am telling you that the frontlines are history. With the invention of this Bioweapon, civilian populations have officially become a relic of the past. The war rages EVERYWHERE now. And I guarantee there will be many more casualties before we have seen its conclusion."

She frowned sourly. "This IS our City, my Lord. They may only be humans but they are the ones that ultimately keep it running. Would it not be prudent of us to-"

"A Lioness does not lose sleep over the concerns of a flock of lambs, Rias." Her Brother interjected with that same, calm, powerful sense of authority. "You would do well to remember that as you prepare for the Hunt to come."

That answer definitely didn't sit well with Jon. And by the look on his President's face, it didn't sit well with Rias either. As polite and diplomatic as Sirzechs made himself out to be, Jon still had a tendency to forget who exactly it was they were speaking to.

This was Lucifer. One of the Four Great Satans. The loss of a few human lives was a trivial matter to him.

"The Angel of Stars is fighting his own war and he has no rules nor boundaries." Sirzechs continued. "He doesn't flinch at genocide, human or otherwise. He's not loyal to any banner, creed, or set of ideals. He trades blood for power."

After straightening himself in his throne, he spoke his decree.

"As of this moment, he is your prey."

Riser smirked approvingly. "So Kokabiel is to be our prize then, my Lord?"

"Kokabiel isn't a prize. He's a whore. A mad dog who needs to be put down once and for all." Lucifer corrected. "It will cost dearly to get you to him. It will cost next to nothing compared to what you will save."

At his next words a grave look formed in his eyes.

"Rias, please stand."

His younger sister slowly craned her head upwards and peered at her brother searchingly before rising to her feet.

"The time has come." He declared. "If you are to truly confront the Angel of Stars, you MUST tap into our Mother's Blood."

Rias went wide eyed in fear.

"Lord Lucifer, with all due respect…" Jon spoke up immediately, dread in his voice. "...the last time she tried to do that she damn near lost control."

"I am aware." Sirzechs nodded. "And she may very well lose control again. Which is why before any other plans get put into motion, you must learn to calm the raging storm within you."

She cast her gaze to the ground, her whole body trembling and her eyes still bulging nearly out of her head.

"What makes you so sure she can do it now?" Jon insisted, getting slightly aggravated. "Do we even have time for training like that?"

"It's not training she'll be partaking in." Lucifer assured. "It is a leap of faith. Rias has always possessed this burgeoning power within her, what she lacks is the will to contain it." He suddenly bore more sympathy in his eyes, a melancholy sigh escaping his lips. "I had hoped to give you a few more years before we put you through this, Sister. At least another decade or two to let you refine your abilities. But time is no longer a luxury we possess. If you are to have any hope of surviving a direct confrontation with Kokabiel, then you MUST acquire more power."

"If she ain't ready then she ain't ready!" Her Pawn spoke angrily. "There's no sense getting your little sister killed in some-"

"Jon." Lady Grayfia spoke up gravely, her eyes honing in on him with razor sharp intensity. "While I understand your concern for Lady Gremory given the bond you share, I must insist you do not raise your voice at my Lord. Not in my presence."

He quickly bit his tongue. There was no point arguing with these two. One of them could kill him without so much as dirtying her frock the other could probably do it without even bothering to get up from his chair.

Which just begged the question…

"Why is it all on us?" Jon asked insistently. "Why can't either of you fight Kokabiel?"

Sirzechs didn't appear to be the least bit bothered by this question. If anything, he was expecting it.

"I can't leave this room, Jon." He spoke plainly. "Not so long as you desire this barrier to remain standing."

"The energy field surrounding the city is conjured forth entirely by my Lord's power alone." Lady Grayfia explained. "While taxing, he can hold it indefinitely if need be, but only so long as he remains here, directly at the epicenter of this University's Leyline."

"The campus is built on a magical focus point." Sona added. "Or did you think we chose this location for its cherry blossom trees?"

That made sense...he guessed. Still, that didn't explain everything.

"So what's your excuse?" Jon turned to Grayfia next.

"My place is at Lord Lucifer's side." She explained with concluded resolve. "So long as he remains on this planet I would not part with him even if it were to burn to cinders. I'm not going anywhere."

Lucifer chuckled in amusement. "If it's any consolation, even I couldn't make her leave were I to desire it."

For a moment, Grayfia almost seemed to glare at her Lord. Jon had seen that look before. It was a look Rias would often give him shortly before whatever verbal thrashing was about to come his way.

So even the mighty Lord Lucifer still crumbled when it came to the demands of his Lady. Jon honestly wasn't sure whose authority he needed to be more afraid of. His or hers.

Lucifer cleared his throat abruptly upon seeing his Queen give him the stink eye and straightened up in his throne. "In any case, as much as it pains me to say it, I fear that the task of dealing with Kokabiel falls to you and Rias alone for this one, Jon. The rest of my peerage is in the Underworld keeping it safe from the Two Hundred Watchers. This task is yours."

"It's the only way." Grayfia insisted. "Lady Rias, if we are to succeed in preventing the Great War from reigniting you and Jon MUST confront Kokabiel."

"But…" Rias spoke up for the first time since her Brother informed her she'd be tapping into her true power. "...what if I can't control it? What if I fail?"

"I do not believe your chances of success are as hopeless as you imagine, Sister." Lucifer spoke up encouragingly. "If what I saw from the Rating Game was any indication, you have exactly what you need to harness that power and control it once and for all." Sirzechs then pointed at her Pawn. "Him."

"Me?" Jon asked in confusion.

Lady Grayfia nodded. "We were both watching when Rias inadvertently tapped into her Mother's Blood during the Rating Game. When this happened, Jon, you did something that we considered to be impossible until now. You managed to single handedly calm her down."

"I believe, Jon, that if anyone can draw out Rias's true power and help her Master it, then it is you." Lord Lucifer confirmed.

So that's how it was. Now it was beginning to make sense. Sirzechs wasn't asking Jon to simply stand by and watch as Rias killed herself trying to draw out power she wasn't ready for. He was asking him to help guide her way.

"Zex no!" Rias insisted, now even more terrified than before. "I won't do that! I won't put his life in danger that way!

"Rias." Jon spoke up, his voice now calmer than it was before. "It's alright. We can do this."

"Absolutely not!" She spoke to him sharply. "I refuse to subject you to that level of peril!"

"I'll be fine." He assured before walking to her with open arms. "We've done this once before, we can do it again."

"You don't understand what it is you're asking me to do." She shook her head in refusal, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "This is nothing like last time. Nothing!"

"Rias…"

"I won't do it!" She began to break down. "Please, Jon, don't make me do this! Don't make me kill you!"

He grabbed Rias by the waist and pressed their lips together fiercely. Though initially still resistant, she eventually relaxed into him and held onto his body for comfort. Lucifer turned his head away, as did Sona and Riser. Only Grayfia seemed to watch, a pleased smile on her face.

Finally, they broke away. Rias gazed up into his eyes, she looked so conflicted, so scared of what they were about to do.

"You won't kill me." Jon smiled at her before gently brushing a tear off her cheek. "How many times do we have to go over this, Rias? I know you can't kill me."

"Jon…" She shook her head before burying her face in his chest. "...I love you so much. More than anything in this world. The thought that I could be the thing that destroys you...I wouldn't survive. The knowledge alone would be the end of me."

"It ain't gonna happen." He whispered lovingly into her ear. "We're gonna get through this the way we get through everything. Together."

"You promise me…" She gripped his shirt and pulled herself closer into him. "...you promise me that if I go beyond the point of return, that you will destroy me before I get the chance to destroy you."

He laughed. "Now you can bet for damn sure if you ain't gonna kill me, I sure as hell am not killing you." Jon tilted her chin up so her gaze met with his again. "Because what you just said, the same goes for me. I love you more than words can describe, my darling Rias. You and the girls, ya'll mean more to me than life itself."

She sighed contently before resting her forehead against his. "We both have to return, no matter what. Not just for our sakes, but for theirs. We cannot abandon them."

Jon shook his head. "We won't be. We're gonna make it through this, and everything is going to be okay."

"So it's decided then." Lucifer spoke up. "Rias, Jon, the two of you shall go with my Queen to a neutral space in the Underworld. If we're lucky, this shouldn't take us more than a day or two."

* * *

Rias and Jon stepped up to the portal Grayfia had created. His President was terrified, that much was obvious. Not only by the expression on her face, but by the death grip she had on his hand. Which was why he continued to whisper encouraging words into her ear as they approached the portal.

"Are you two ready?"

Jon nodded. "As ready as we'll ever be. Let's have this done."

They entered the portal and the three of them were spirited away to an astral plane devoid of anything save for some floating rocks and that miasma like atmosphere he remembered from the Rating Game. The one that reminded him of the Aurora Borealis.

"This is it." Grayfia declared. "Here is where Rias Gremory will tap in to her true power."

Jon cast a worried glance over at Rias. She was still staring at the ground, lost inside her own head.

"We're currently in neutral space." Lucifer's Queen continued. "This realm of the Astral Plane belongs to no faction and no one claims sovereignty over it. It's the perfect place for you two to do battle."

A nervous pit formed in his stomach. Jon suspected that that was what they were going to be doing, but hearing it out loud made it about a hundred times more real.

"Just tell me what I have to do to help her." He insisted while holding Rias by the hand.

"For this to work, the two of you must do battle as if you intended to kill one another." She explained. "Jon, you must push Rias to her absolute limit, both physically and mentally. Only once she has fully awakened to her Mother's Blood may you attempt to pacify her."

"How will I know once she's fully awakened?"

"Trust me, you will know." Grayfia assured.

"Jon, there's something very important that Grayfia is not telling you." Rias spoke up in a quiet, nervous voice. "This trial by fire has cost many members of both my Clan and my Mother's Clan their lives. The Power of Destruction is so volatile and so unstable that there are many purebloods born with the gift who are eventually consumed by it." She cast two worried orbs up at him. "What I'm saying is...even if we do everything right, there's a chance this still may not work."

He shook his head and smiled at her. "I ain't worried about that. You're strong, Rias. And I genuinely believe in your ability to overcome this."

She sighed in a melancholy tone while hanging her head and shutting her eyes. "You say that so calmly, yet it is your life that's on the line here. If I lose control…"

"Rias…" Jon placed a reassuring hand against her cheek. "...you remember when I first became your Pawn? You asked me to give you a chance to earn my trust." He smiled lovingly at her. "Well now I'm asking you to let me earn yours. I'm not gonna let you fall. I'll catch you no matter what."

She looked into her Servant's eyes for a moment. Rias would follow this man anywhere if he asked it of her. There was no one in life she trusted more than him. Time and time again, her Pawn, her Dragon, her LOVE, proved himself to her. Even in her darkest hour, he managed to bring her back from the edge of oblivion.

If anyone could see her through this, it was him.

"Okay…" She steeled herself. "Okay. It's time. Jon, remove your jacket and shirt please."

Jon removed his hat before freeing himself of both his jacket and shirt as well. Rias proceeded to draw a sigil onto his chest right where his heart was.

"What's this for?"

"It's an enchantment that will prevent me from stopping your heart." She explained. "Should the worst happen and I fall completely into darkness, this will at least prevent me from using that against you."

He quirked a brow at her. "What's going to stop you from just undoing the enchantment?"

"Because…" She took his hand and bit down on his thumb hard enough to draw blood, causing Jon to wince slightly. She then pressed his thumb to the sigil she had created, causing it to light up and begin to glow. "...only YOU can break the enchantment."

He smirked at her. "Clever."

She grinned back. "I have my moments." Her grin faded as she stared up at him with concern again. "Jon...no matter what happens, I just want you to know that-"

He placed a finger up to her lips to stop her. "You can tell me after we're done and back at the ORC."

After a moment she nodded in understanding and turned to Grayfia. "Okay...we're ready."

Grayfia bowed to them both respectfully. "Then I wish you both luck. I will be here, observing from a safe distance."

Rias took one last moment to look at her Dragon and hold his hands in hers before shutting her eyes and sprouting her Devil's wings on her back. As she floated away, she maintained her grip on his hands until pulling just out of his reach. Jon watched as she flew to a floating rock that was roughly thirty yards away from him and landed.

Her eyes remained shut as she took a deep breath and steeled herself. When she finally opened her eyes again, her gaze was steely and determined. Just the way he liked it.

"Now Jon…" Power erupted from her being and her hair blew up into the air. "...defend yourself!"

He summoned his Sacred Gear, conjuring two gauntlets two his hands, as well as two metal boots to his feet. His body and face became covered in the Dragon's Mark and his forehead sprouted two great horns. Finally, on his back, two massive Dragon's Wings appeared.

He brought his own terrible power to bare, and the two forces charged.


	29. Chapter 29

"Fynn? Fynn are you awake?"

The voice called out to him as if coming from a great distance.

"We know you're not asleep. Why won't you talk to us."

It sounded so familiar. Yet he couldn't quite grasp the name of its source.

"You're trying so hard to forget us. We keep calling out to you yet you've shut yourself away."

His eyes wouldn't open. Not completely anyway. Where was he?

"We've been fighting so hard to keep you with us. To keep you in the present. If we just talked about it, we could be happy again. You could be happy again."

He couldn't move. Something was holding him in place.

"We feel so far away from you…"

This wasn't what he wanted.

"You're drifting away…"

* * *

Kiba gasped awake and his eyes began to adjust to his surroundings. He was laying on something cold and hard. Most likely made of metal. An overhead ceiling fan provided the only noise he could hear aside from his own racing heart and quick shallow breathing. After taking a moment to calm down, he tried to sit up only to find his ankles and wrists had been strapped down.

He was laying on an operating table.

"Where am I?"

Kiba was in some sort of bunker. At least...it looked like a bunker. Surgical equipment and large machines had been set up around the room.

"This place...it's…"

He couldn't find the word for it. Kiba knew this place from somewhere but it was like the word had been ripped from his mind. Why couldn't he remember?

The Knight struggled in his bonds, the harder he pulled, the looser the straps came undone. Until at last he was able to wrench his left hand free and unstrap his right. He then unstrapped both his ankles and slid off the operation table.

Kiba took a moment to look around the room more thoroughly. He appeared to be the only one there. Looking down at his clothes, he saw he was wearing some sort of green jumpsuit. It looked like something you'd see in a prison. On the top of his left hand there was a barcode and the label _Prisoner Zero _tattooed into his skin.

"Hello?" He called out to whoever may be listening. Only his echo responded. "Hello!" He called more insistently. "Where am I? Where is…"

He couldn't remember. Why couldn't he remember? He could see her face, picture the color of her hair in his mind, everything. But he couldn't remember the name.

"What have you done to me?" He asked nervously. "Why can't I remember? Why can't I remember my President's name?!"

A door at the far end of the room opened up. He instinctively backed away, wary of whatever might have been awaiting him on the other side. Kiba tried to summon his Holy Eraser only to find much to his dismay he couldn't. Not only that, his movements felt sluggish. Like he was weighed down by his own legs.

His own 'human' legs. Kiba's Devil powers were gone.

"What the hell is going on?" He looked down at his trembling hands, fear welling up in his being.

"Another soul lost to the void. Same as me."

Kiba nearly jumped out of his skin upon hearing a small voice speak up. "Who's there?! Show yourself!"

"Down here."

He looked down at the ground and saw, much to his confusion, a small furry animal staring back up at him.

"A mouse?"

"Hello." The small mouse spoke up nervously. "Don't suppose you happen to know how you got here, do you?"

Kiba shook his head, still getting over the fact that a mouse was talking to him. Maybe he was just going crazy.

"I'm afraid not." He replied hesitantly. "Truthfully I don't remember much of anything at the moment."

The mouse scratched behind its ear with its front paw. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I've been wandering the darkness for so long, I just hoped maybe you might know something I don't."

"Sorry…"

"It's okay." He assured in a friendly tone. "Honestly, it's just nice meeting someone who didn't immediately try to squash me."

"I'm sure." Kiba spoke plainly.

"Allow me to introduce myself, friend." The little rodent stood on it's back legs. "You may call me...Mouse."

He smirked. "Not your real name, I take it?"

"I'm like you. I don't remember much since getting here."

"Is there anything at all you can tell me about this place?"

Mouse seemed to think for a moment, his nose nervously twitching as he looked around. "It's somewhere...not of the Earth. I can tell you that much. But beyond that, I don't know."

"How long have you been trapped in here?"

"Long enough to lose track." He replied glumly. "I do remember some things...I think...I think I was a man once. Yes. And...I remember...a battle. But beyond that, I can't recall. Everything else has been lost to me."

Kiba nodded in understanding. "It's the same for me, too. I remember my name. I remember I was a Devil. I remember the faces of my Peerage. But that's about it."

"Peerage…" Mouse seemed to ponder on that word for a moment. "Something about that word resonates with me. It's...familiar. I believe I used to have one of those as well…" He stood up on his hind legs and peered up at Kiba. "Is it possible we're from the same Peerage?"

The Knight shrugged. "I suppose. Though I couldn't say for certain."

"Listen...would you mind...taking me with you?" Mouse requested imploringly. "You're the first thing I've found that's managed to jog my memory. Perhaps if we travel together, more of our memories will come back."

Kiba was weary at first. But considering he had no powers, no memory, and no Earthly idea where he was, it would be foolish not to turn away a potential ally.

"Okay. We'll travel together for now."

"Great!" Mouse exclaimed happily. "I've been alone for so long. It'll be nice to have some company."

Kiba lowered his hand and Mouse jumped up into his palm. He then placed his new companion on his shoulder and stood up facing the door.

"Right then. Shall we, Friend?" Mouse offered, his eyes on the doorway.

He nodded. "Let's go."

They walked to the door and entered the darkness. Along with all the mysteries that it contained.

* * *

When Sona and Riser returned to the War Room, they informed everyone of what Rias and Jon were doing. None of them looked terribly thrilled by the news. Least of all being the Gremory Peerage and Ravel.

"So Rias is finally doing it, huh?" Akeno spoke up nervously. "She's finally going to try to tap into her full power." She clutched at the collar around her neck. "Oh Master...please be careful."

"I don't understand." Asia sounded even more worried than Akeno. "What is it she's trying to do exactly?"

"She's trying to fully synchronize with the powers she inherited from the Baal Clan." Koneko spoke up, a nervous tremor in her words. "It could destroy both of them if she fails."

Ravel gasped, the color immediately draining from her face. "B...but is there not anything we can do to help?"

"No." Akeno shook her head solemnly. "There isn't. This is something only Jon and Rias can accomplish on their own. All we would succeed in doing is getting in the way."

She bit her lip nervously. Ravel didn't like this one bit. The idea that Jon was attempting something so dangerous and there was nothing she could do to help out didn't sit well with her. Then again, it didn't seem to sit well with any of them.

"You guys don't give Hyodo nearly enough credit." Sammy leaned back in his chair and folded his arms behind his head. "Sure the guy can be a bit of a tool sometimes, but he's bar none the most powerful Devil here sans our two guests we got down in the basement. And Rias is no pushover either."

Sona smiled at Sammy approvingly. "On this I happily agree with my Pawn. Rias and Jon are both going to be fine. Not only will Rias have access to the full brunt of her latent potential, this trial will no doubt make Jon more powerful as well."

Riser grumbled at Sammy's statement. "Though I might contend the notion of Jon being the strongest Devil here, I do agree that we have more pressing issues to concern ourselves over." He took a seat at the war table next to his Queen. "So let us attend to the current situation. What do we know of the enemy's forces?"

Akeno began manipulating the hologram on the table. "The city of Kuoh has a gross estimated population of around two hundred and thirty thousand. It is believed that no less than eighty five percent of this two hundred and thirty thousand has been converted into walking undead by the virus." As she spoke, several red zones appeared throughout the city. "The bulk of the infected are located in these hot zones. It would seem that at the moment their only concern is spreading the infection."

"What of the other fifteen percent?" Sona asked curiously. "The ones who aren't infected."

"According to reports from our Scouts. The vast majority of those not infected appear to be congregating to this location." A small green zone appeared near the borders of the city.

Asia gasped. "That's the old Church! The one Raynare used as her base of operations."

Akeno nodded. "It would seem that a band of survivors are trying to fortify it in hopes of holding the infected at bay. From the reports we're receiving, a woman in a skin tight battle suit and wielding a Katana is the one leading them."

Sammy immediately perked up. "Irina?"

"Who else could it be?" Koneko replied.

"We certainly can't rule it out as a possibility. But until we know more we best focus on the primary objective." Sona insisted.

"Agreed." Riser spoke up next. "Tell us more about Kokabiel's other forces."

Akeno continued. "We've been receiving reports from the Scouts that they've encountered hostile civilians armed with military grade armaments. We believe them to be the remaining Fallen Forces who did not evacuate after the death of Raynare."

"So the regular who's who gallery then." Sammy surmised. "Vampires, werewolves, that sort of thing."

She nodded in confirmation. "While there aren't many of them left, they still maintain a startling presence within the city. And they're very well armed."

"Those weapons Jon and I found in the bunker…" Koneko concluded. "...those must have been for them."

"Moving on, we have also been receiving reports of specialized undead. Mutants, as they are known colloquially. As of now, they've mostly restricted their activity to the underground sections of the city. However, they've begun taking steps towards advancing upon the surface as well."

"It's likely they've been down there for weeks already." Tsubaki surmised. "No doubt keeping any prying eyes from wandering too close to the Nexus."

"Which brings me to the next issue." Akeno manipulated the hologram further and a massive system of underground hives connected by tramway tunnels appeared below the city. "Thanks to information we received from their underground Lab, we have a full layout of the Nexus that has been built below the city. As you can see, their constructions are vast."

"I still can't believe we let this go unnoticed for so long." Sona shook her head in quiet disbelief.

"There's no sense dwelling on it now, Boss." Sammy insisted encouragingly. "We should just focus on what we're going to do about it."

Akeno nodded in agreement. "We have yet to see any of the Special Forces mentioned in the data cache received from the Nexus servers. But it's suspected they're waiting on standby until the next stage of Kokabiel's attack plan."

"I'm interested in what we know about these creatures." Riser scratched his chin ponderously. "You mentioned in your report that they were husks with some sort of cybernetic augmentations?"

Akeno nodded. "Koneko and Sammy could give you more details than I can. They've been in direct confrontation with them.'

Sammy shrugged his shoulders. "Ain't much I can tell ya beyond they've got really heavy duty armor. Standard firearms won't even put a dent in that shit."

"Their weapons are also particularly nasty." Koneko added. "Some sort of plasma thrower. Definitely not something you'd expect to find in this century."

"From what we've seen, it would appear that Kokabiel and his allies have been combining alchemy and advanced magic with scientific research to create technologies that far exceed anything that can be conceived of by human minds alone." Tsubaki deduced.

"This is all fine and well." Riser spoke up again. "But what is Kokabiel's ultimate objective? No doubt he wishes to bring Lord Lucifer's barrier down and spread this disease of his. But surely he must realize that attacking Kuoh would be suicide. Even with as many forces as they've got."

Akeno's expression turned grim. "We know exactly what Kokabiel is planning to do. This army he's created is not an infiltration force. It's a diversion."

A new image appeared on the screen. In the very center of the city, at the heart of the Nexus, a large missile silo lay in waiting directly beneath the surface.

"What...is that?" Ravel asked nervously.

"This is Kokabiel's true objective." Akeno replied cryptically. "The enemy appears to have developed a prototype W.M.D. If the schematics that were pulled from their databanks are any indication, it appears to be equipped with a massive concentration of the very same pathogen found in the labs. Not only that, this missile appears to be powerful enough to puncture the barrier surrounding the city."

A chill ran down their spines. This was harrowing news indeed.

"So...he intends to launch a missile with the virus on board?" Riser guessed. "What will this achieve beyond another infected city?"

Sona shook her head, her expression grave. "Not a city. The atmosphere. All the tests we've run suggest that this compound the virus is being sustained in reacts to water. It's how they got the virus into the city. Steam vents dispersed the pathogen into the air ensuring even those locked indoors could become infected."

"Here is what we've deduced to be Kokabiels ultimate plan." Akeno declared. "He intends to launch this missile into a low orbit and detonate it."

The hologram began to move, depicting a missile launching from the silo, through the barrier into the clouds above.

"Once it has reached a sufficient altitude, it will detonate."

The missile soared into the air and the view from the hologram switched to one of the Earth. As the missile exploded the Earth became enveloped in a red mist.

"Ensuring complete...global...saturation."

All were silent in the War Room. The scope of this attack was beyond anything they had conceived possible by a madman like Kokabiel. He possessed a weapon capable of annihilating the human race.

An army of 7.8 billion zombies at Kokabiel's command. If he managed to pull this off, not only would the Great War reignite in full, but Kokabiel would effectively control the bridge between the three Factions.

Earth would belong to him.

"So why hasn't he launched it?" Riser swallowed back his reservations as he spoke. "If it's already good to go, then doesn't he just have to press a button and finish the job?"

"We suspect the missile will only be effective if there is sufficient cloud coverage over Kuoh." Sona explained. "As luck would have it...a storm front is coming in."

"Which means we're on a deadline." Riser spoke glumly while rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "This needs to be stopped, no matter what."

Akeno nodded in agreement. "With the information we've garnered, it won't be long before our Assault Tribes begin their operation. We still have several days before the storm front hits. In the meantime, we're going to secure our entry points into the Nexus, and take out the missile from within."

"If worst comes to worst, one of us can be waiting outside the silo to destroy it in orbit." Sammy offered.

"I'm certain Kokabiel will be anticipating that." Sona commented. "In fact, I'd be willing to bet he'll be guarding the Silo personally to ensure that doesn't happen."

Riser gulped, a bead of sweat forming on his brow. "So then...all of this hangs on whether or not Rias can acquire the power to confront him directly."

"Not necessarily." Sona smirked.

All eyes turned to the President of the Honor's Committee.

"We may yet have one other trump card on our side. As we speak, a group of humans are on their way here with something that might prove valuable to us."

"You mean the Holy Swords?" Akeno asked curiously.

Riser lurched up in his seat at the mention of the Vatican's most powerful relics.

Sona nodded. "Lord Lucifer has authorized a detachment of Scouts to meet them in the field. With a little luck, and some influence on our end, they should be here within the next few hours." She adjusted her glasses before speaking again.

"And that's not all these humans have to offer…"

* * *

Matsuda awoke the next morning with a still sleeping Rei on his chest. She looked gorgeous laying there in bed, lightly snoring with her cheek and hand pressed up to his peck. After they had sex on the couch last night, Matsuda carried her up to the other bedroom and the two continued exploring each others bodies. It was a clumsy, awkward, unfamiliar affair by two virgins who had never done this sort of thing before. But to both of them it was a night they would never soon forget.

God how he wished he could just stay like this. Watching her sleep while stroking her soft luscious hair. But time was not something they had an abundance of. They needed to get moving before the horde threatened to discover them.

Matsuda gently roused her from her slumber. "Rei...hey Rei, it's time to get up."

"Mmmm." She slowly opened her eyes and smiled at him before yawning and stretching arching her back in a stretch that almost looked catlike.

"Morning you." Rei purred at him, a loving look in her sleepy eyes. "What time is it?"

"A little past 11:30." He replied. "We need to get moving, I'm worried we might have overslept."

She nodded in understanding before kissing him softly on the lips. They shared a tender moment together before Matsuda finally pulled away.

"Rei...Rei!" He chuckled at her. "Come on, we seriously do need to get moving."

"Sorry." She rested her head against her knuckles with her elbow on his chest, her eyelashes fluttering at him and her face flushed with affection. "I just REALLY like kissing you for some reason."

Matsuda was still not quite used to hearing that. Honestly, he may never be used to it.

"Listen." She sat up and placed a hand against his cheek. "All joking aside, last night was really special for me. I know we were both a little drunk…"

"Some of us more so than others." He teased.

She swatted him on the chest playfully before continuing. "...but, it really was special to me. I've been going through a lot since losing my Grandfather and last night…" Rei sighed contently and wrapped her arms around him in a loving embrace. "...last night you really were there for me when I needed it. Thank you so much, Matsuda."

He chuckled awkwardly before responding in a joking manner. "Hey, you don't have to thank me. I should be the one thanking you for not pointing and laughing."

Rei's smile turned mischievous as she suddenly perked her lips up to his ear and whispered sultrily.

"Trust me...there was nothing to laugh about." She giggled into his ear, the subtlest hint of arousal in her voice.

Hearing that sent shivers down his spine. Morning wood didn't quite do what was happening to him right now justice.

"Oh...looks like he's awake." Rei added, her slender hand rubbing his bulge through the cotton underwear he had on. "Are you sure we don't have a few minutes to spare?"

"I really don't think we have time to have sex again." He groaned in pleasure. Matsuda genuinely could not believe the words coming out of his mouth, yet they were true all the same.

That sultry look returned to her eyes. "Actually...I had something else in mind."

Before he could ask Rei had already sunk down into the covers while simultaneously flinging them over her head. What followed next was a sensation that made Matsuda damn near go cross eyed. Hands feverishly pulling his member from its confines, one slender delicate hand gripping his shaft while a swift darting tongue coated it in something wet and vaguely sticky. This was followed by the sensation of two soft lifts enveloping the head of his cock before slowly sinking down along his length, along with the vibrations of a female voice moaning and occasionally gagged along his length in arousal.

Matsuda's toes curled and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. It didn't take long. And as he came, a completely new sensation flooded his senses. One of being sucked on in the midst of an orgasm. It felt strange at first, but by no means unpleasant.

Then it hit him. She wasn't just giving him head for the first time. Rei was swallowing!

Finally spent, he felt her pull away with a satisfying pop before poking her head back out of the covers and grinning at him.

"I've gotta say, it doesn't taste quite like how I imagined." She spoke while wiping the corner of her mouth. "Very salty and a little unpleasant. Did it feel good at least?"

"Huhhh…" No one was home.

She giggled at the silly face he was making. "I'll take that as a yes." Rei then patted his thigh encouragingly and stood up from the bed. "Come on, let's go see if the others are awake."

A high pitched scream made them both jump.

"It's coming from the other bedroom!" Matsuda declared before grabbing his bat and running outside. Rei grabbed a blanket to cover herself with and quickly joined him.

They both turned the corner in time to see Motohama being forcefully ejected from the other room, an irate Saya repeatedly knocking him over the head with a pillow.

"Get out! Get out! Get out! Get out! Get out! GET OUT!" She yelled while continuing to wail on him.

"Okay okay! I'm out!" Motohama insisted while covering himself from the blows. "Just stop hitting me."

She finally stopped long enough to fume at him, breathing like an enraged bull with her teeth bared and her face dark red. For a moment, Matsuda could have sworn he saw her nostrils flare.

"L..listen!" Motohama backed up into the railing in utter terror of the extremely pissed off girl with bubble gum pink hair glaring down at him. "This is all a big misunderstanding!"

"You mean I DIDN'T just wake up next to you trying to cop a feel?!" She railed at him. "How long were you laying their touching me, Pervert?!"

"You've got it all wrong!" Motohama covered his head in anticipation of more pillow shots. "I was only there because you asked me to stay!"

"Liar!" She raised the pillow above her head.

In the midst of all this commotion, Aika slowly lumbered out of the room, still half asleep, heavy bags under her eyes.

"It is way too early for this shit." She grumbled sleepily while rubbing her eye.

"It's almost noon." Rei pointed out in bewilderment.

"Like I said...too early." Aika muttered. Clearly, she was not a morning person.

"This idiot is trying to say I asked him to sleep next to me!" Saya spoke, still severely pissed off.

"Huh?" Aika blinked several times at Saya, still not quite fully awake yet. "Yeah...you totally did."

At that, Saya's body went rigid and she dropped the pillow.

"You were too plastered to remember it but you basically asked him if he wanted to kiss you then fell asleep on his chest." She yawned through her next words. "I heard the whole thing."

She turned white as a ghost and her eyebrow twitched. "W...we...we...k...k...kissed?"

Aika shook her head. Her face was still droopy though otherwise she was now fully awake. "Nope. He played the perfect gentleman and politely said no to your drunk ass. Despite you asking MULTIPLE times."

Her words jabbed into Saya's neck like a spear and her mind cracked. It looked as if her ghost was threatening to float away from her body for how mortified she was.

"After he said no, you basically begged him to cuddle with you for the night. So that's what he did. That's ALL he did. Meanwhile, you were moaning his name in your sleep. Pretty sure that was a wet dream by the way."

And that was it. She was gone. Bye bye, Saya. We will see you next time.

Motohama frowned and cast his gaze away. "I didn't want you to think I was taking advantage of you. I mean...that could have been your first kiss for all I knew. I didn't want to take that away when you were too drunk to even remember."

At his words, she finally snapped out of the mortified stupor she was in and stared down at him with her mouth hanging open in disbelief. Her heart began to beat rapidly out of her chest and her whole body turned red albeit for entirely different reasons this time.

"Y...you…" She shut her eyes tight and clenched her fists as her whole body began to quiver.

"Saya?" He asked worriedly.

"You big...stupid...IDIOT!"

Saya ran back into the room and slammed the door while hiding her face from everyone.

"I don't believe this..." Aika looked pissed. "That bitch drank more than all three of us combined. Why am I the one with a hangover?"

"Great." Motohama hung his head dejectedly. "Now she hates me."

Rei chuckled sweetly at him. "Oh Sweety, no no. Trust me, that was not hate I just saw on her face a second ago."

He looked up at her hopefully. "It wasn't?"

She shook her head assuredly, a bright smile on her face. "I'd know that look anywhere. As a fellow girl, I can assure you that that was the look of someone who is still coming to terms with her feelings for a certain boy she really really likes."

He smiled ecstatically at her. "Really?!"

"Oh trust me, she's crushing on you. Big time." Aika spoke up, adjusting her spectacles before grinning wickedly at Rei and Matsuda. "Speaking of which...how was YOUR evening, you two?"

Matsuda and Rei both turned their heads away and coughed awkwardly, their faces breaking out red in embarrassment.

"That good huh?" Aika snickered devilishly at them both. "You two make a cute couple, I'll give ya that much."

"Good, you're all finally awake."

They turned to see Xenovia at the bottom of the stairs, already dressed in her battlesuit and ready to go.

"Listen, I've got all the weapons loaded up in the Humvee as well as breakfast prepared for everyone...although at this point I guess it's more like lunch." She spoke taciturnly before beckoning for them to follow. "Get dressed and come downstairs, we're way behind schedule."

Aika frowned at her sourly. "How is she already so on the ball?"

Matsuda snickered at Aika. "Probably because unlike you, she actually has discipline about her sleep cycle."

"Nothing good happens before 1:00 PM!" Aika insisted.

At that moment they heard gunfire. The group immediately went straight back into survival mode as they listened for the direction, and tried to gauge how far away it was.

Saya opened the door, having only gotten half dressed in the time it took for her to slam the door and get over her flustered embarrassment. "Guys! Do you hear that? It doesn't sound very far away."

"It isn't." Motohama observed cautiously.

They immediately sprung into action. Rei, Saya, and Aika went to go finish getting dressed while the boys went to go scope out what they were hearing from the balcony. Motohama grabbed the binoculars and began surveying the scene.

"What do you see?" Matsuda asked.

"Bad news…" He warned severely before offering him the binocs.

Matsuda grabbed them and took a look at what he was seeing. The sight made his stomach lurch. A group of survivors way off in the distance were being chased by another group on motorcycles. One by one, the biker gang proceeded to smash in the fleeing survivor's heads with lead pipes, or blast them in the back with buckshot. He turned his gaze away from the grisly scene, swearing silently under his breath.

"What do you suppose that's all about?" Motohama wondered aloud.

"It means that Kokabiel is preparing to launch the next stage of his invasion."

Both boys turned to see Xenovia standing behind them. Matsuda offered the binoculars to her which she used to inspect the damage.

"It's worse than I feared." She spoke glumly. "He's sending agents of the Fallen to kill off survivors. It won't be long now before his advanced forces show up."

"Agents of the fallen?" Motohama asked curiously.

"Those people on the bikes are not human." She explained. "They're creatures in service to the Fallen Angels."

"Dammit." Matsuda cursed angrily while gripping his bat firmly in his right hand. "We need to do something."

"What exactly is there to be done?" Xenovia asked coldly. "If we start a fight with them we will lose. Those people are as good as dead."

"Fuck that!" Matsuda insisted angrily. "Look, if there's a chance we can help them then we should at least-"

"Fighting a creature of the Underworld is NOTHING like fighting a zombie." Xenovia insisted while handing the binoculars back to Motohama and making her way inside. "The two of you may have unique powers but none of you are trained Hunters. You've never faced a foe like this before, and if you try to engage them, they WILL kill you."

Matsuda clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. "There has to be something we can do."

"Don't forget, the undead are attracted to sound." Xenovia warned. "It's likely the ones on those bikes are purposefully creating noise to attract more hordes of zombies to them. If we start a firefight out in the open, they'll be drawn to us like Moths to a flame."

"But-"

She raised a hand up to cut him off. "I'm afraid your newfound manly bravado can't help you here, Matsuda. Sometimes, in situations like this one, you have to make the tough call others won't."

He lowered his head, remaining silent.

"The right decision isn't always the popular one." Xenovia continued. "That's one of the first things they teach you as a Hunter."

His body began to quiver in rage. "Well...as someone who's made nothing but wrong decisions his whole life…" He glared up at her angrily. "...if making the right decision means leaving innocent people to die, then I'll gladly keep making those wrong decisions for as long as I live!"

For a moment she seemed genuinely stunned, when at last she smiled at him respectfully. "Don't get me wrong, I don't like this any more than you do." She then turned and headed for the door, but not before casting her gaze back to him one last time. "And for what it's worth, I do admire your courage. Rei should consider herself lucky."

Her words hit him to the core. That may very well have been one of the nicest things anyone had ever said about him before. Matsuda turned completely red as he struggled to think of a response. Finding none, Xenovia proceeded to turn around and shut the door behind her.

Matsuda returned back to the balcony and took the binocs from Motohama.

"Try to keep it down, Man." His buddy insisted. "I get that you're pissed, but she's right. There's literally nothing we can do."

"Dammit." He seethed. "It's all gone to hell…"

* * *

Off in the distance, on the other side of one of the cities many artificial river systems, a man who appeared to be in his late thirties ran down the street, a monkey wrench in one hand, and his daughter's hand in the other. Things were going fine until now. They'd met with a group of survivors who generously took them both in. The infected were numerous but nothing his monkey wrench couldn't handle. It was horrible but they were at least surviving.

That was until the psychos on motorbikes showed up and started gunning them all down. With the rest of their group dead, it was just them now. And soon, those crazy men on the bikes would catch up to them too.

"Daddy wait!" The little girl clinging to his hand was struggling to keep up. "You're going too fast."

"Try to keep up, Honey!" He called back to her. Despite the situation, he was trying to be as calm about this as possible. If for no one else's sake than hers.

A horrid knot formed in his stomach as he heard the sound of bike engines behind him. The man gripped his daughter's hand firmly and pulled her into a nearby alleyway. "This way!"

They ran down the alley until he was certain he'd lost the bikers. Only then did he allow them to stop and catch their breath.

"Don't get comfortable yet, Sweety." He spoke between labored breaths. "We need to keep moving."

"Daddy, what's going on? Where's Mommy?" The little girl asked, a pitiful look in her eyes.

Pain stabbed his heart. He couldn't break down now, not while they were still in danger. "We'll meet up with Mommy real soon, okay? Right now we just need to keep moving."

"They went down here!"

Fear swarmed his senses as he heard the unmistakable sound of one of the bikers shouting from the entrance to the alleyway. He picked up his daughter and ran. No thought behind his movements, just adrenaline and a direction.

Upon rounding the corner however, his heart stopped dead in his chest. A dead end. They were completely trapped.

Upon turning around, the Father of the young girl was greeted to the sight of seven men in biker gear. They were armed with lead pipes, shotguns, and uzis. Each of them bore a look of absolute bloodlust in their eyes that was almost inhuman.

"Well, well, well, end of the line it seems." One of them taunted before slowly beginning to approach, lead pipe in hand.

"Please…" The Father begged while holding his little girl tightly to his chest. "...please just leave us alone. We don't have anything of value, I swear."

The biker with the lead pipe gave him a curious look before rearing back and laughing hysterically. "Man...you really don't get it do you? You think we'd bother chasing you all this way for some measily fucking scraps?" He continued to chuckle while shaking his head. "Hate to break it to ya Pops, but the only thing we want is your life."

"Why?!" He asked desperately. "Why do this?! We're just trying to survive, same as you! What did we do wrong?!"

A psychotic grin formed on his face. "But see...that's the whole problem. No one is supposed to survive the outbreak. We've got orders from on high saying any human who refuses to quietly turn is better off dead."

The Father reeled in horror, those fangs...those eyes. Whatever this...thing...was standing in front of him, it wasn't human.

"Ahhh, NOW you're starting to get it." The inhuman creature snickered with sardonic glee before readying his pipe. "Now then, I highly recommend pissing yourself followed by praying to your impotent God. If that's too much, then just sit still while we bash your fucking brains in!"

"Daddy, what's going on?" His daughter clung tightly to his chest while trembling violently.

He slowly put her down much to the little girl's confusion and dismay. "Daddy? What are you doing?"

"It's going to be okay…" There were tears in his eyes. "No matter what Daddy promises it's going to be okay, Alice."

"Daddy? Daddy!" The little girl named Alice tugged on her Father's sleeve.

"I love you, Sweety." He stood in front of her and gripped his monkey wrench with both hands. "Daddy loves you more than anything in this whole wide world."

The biker's lips curled into a twisted grin once more. "Well well. Looks like this one's got some fight left in him boys!"

The Father readied his weapon and glared angrily back at the approaching monsters. "Don't you come near her! Any of you so much as think of laying a hand on her and I swear to God I'll-"

"Oh give me a break." One of the other bikers casually pulled out his shotgun and fired.

Alice watched in numb silence as a blast of buckshot went straight through her Father's chest and he fell directly beside her. His body convulsed a few times as he coughed up blood and his white office shirt became stained the color red.

"Daddy? Daddy?!" Alice grabbed her Father's hand and squeezed tight, her terrified eyes unable to fully understand what it was she was seeing.

He smiled up at his daughter and placed a hand against her cheek. "Daddy's fine….I'm...I'm alright."

Tears rolled down her cheeks freely as she gripped his hand tighter. Her voice caught and her whole body began to tremble.

"I'm going to go see Mommy, Sweetheart." The color was rapidly draining from his face as his words became softer and softer. "We're all gonna be...together...again...soon…"

She felt his hand fall still in her grasp as his eyes shut for good. Alice dropped it and quietly broke down. She latched on to her dead Father's neck and wailed.

"I want to go with you, Daddy! I want to see Mommy too! I want us to be together forever!" She violently sob while hugging him tightly to her trembling frame.

"Don't worry...you will."

She gasped in fear and slowly turned her head up to see those monstrous figures looming over her. Alice screamed and ran away, but of course there was nowhere to go. The alley lead to nothing but a concrete wall.

The monster with the lead pipe chuckled in amusement. "Sheesh, you'd think they'd learn by now."

"Come on, Man. Let's just shoot the brat and get back with the rest of the group." The one with the shotgun insisted.

That maniacal look shown in his eyes again. "Not yet…" He licked his lips, his mouth beginning to water. "The little ones always have the tastiest flesh." A row of massive canines formed along his gum lines as he approached.

Alice backed into the very corner of the alley and covered herself with her hands and knees, trembling violently, her small voice quivering in fear of the inhuman creatures approaching her.

"Please God, please help me." The little girl begged pitifully.

The monster reared back and cackled with delight. "Oh that's just cute! Any other imaginary friends you wanna ask to come save you kid?"

A revolver cocked behind them. The seven creatures turned just in time to see a woman wearing a skin tight battle suit fire a single revolver round straight through the skull of the biker furthest at the back. The ones with guns proceeded to unload their weapons upon her, upon which she calmly raised a hand into the air, channeling her psionic energy and bringing each bullet that flew at her to a dead stop in midair. The bullets fell harmlessly to the ground and the six remaining creatures took a healthy step back. The woman then proceeded to fire off five more shots back to back, hitting three in the head, and two in the heart. They all fell, leaving only the one at the front holding the lead pipe left standing.

"Oh fuck you, Bitch!" He roared angrily before charging.

She calmly holstered her revolver and dashed forward. With lightning quick agility she slid under his legs and drew a whip of light from her belt. The whip wrapped itself around his right bicep and squeezed, severing the arm with the lead pipe from the body and causing the creature it was attached to to scream in agony.

Running on wild instinct now, the monster grabbed a nearby uzi with his remaining hand and aimed, only for it too to be severed off, same as the other.

"W...wait!" He backed away. The woman's whip wrapped itself around his right leg and severed it at the thigh. This was quickly followed by his left.

As the limbless torso fell, the woman retracted her whip of light and drew her revolver. Calmly reloading the weapon before sliding the cylinder back into placed and approaching her downed prey. She placed a foot securely down on his torso and aimed before cocking back the hammer.

"No! NO PLEASE!" He begged in terror.

She smirked. "I recommend pissing yourself. Followed by praying to your impotent God."

Her revolver cracked off and his brains coated the pavement.

With all the creatures down, the woman twirled her revolver on her hand and holstered it before turning and walking up to the terrified girl. She was so worked up she didn't even realize all the creatures were dead.

"Go away! GO AWAY!" Her voice cracked as she sobbed and screamed all at once. "Mommy! Daddy! I just wanna go home! Please come get me!"

She knelt down on one knee and placed a tender hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Nooo!" She screamed in fear. When it slowly dawned on Alice that she wasn't being attacked, she finally stopped crying and cautiously opened her eyes. Peering up at the stranger curiously.

She was greeted to a warm smile and two beautiful violet eyes gazing back at her like a mother gazing at her child.

"What's your name, Sweety?" The stranger spoke in a compassionate tone.

Her voice was shaky as she responded. "M...my name is...A...Alice."

"Alice huh? That's such a pretty name. How old are you, Alice?"

"I'm…" She sniffed while rubbing her hand against her tear stained cheek. "I'm...seven."

"Well it's very nice to meet you Alice. My name is Irina." She introduced herself. Irina then turned her head back to the man laying on the ground. "Is that your Dad?"

The pain returned and her eyes welled up. Small short sobs heaved from her chest as she tried to compose herself and nod.

Irina's expression darkened and she cast two compassionate eyes back to Alice. "He was a very brave man. Your father protected you until the very end. That means he's gone to be with your Mom again. They're smiling at you right now. They'll always be smiling at you. Even if you can't see them anymore."

Despite having never met Irina before in her life, the seven year old Alice latched onto her tightly and broke down. This wasn't the fearful crying she was doing a moment ago. This was all just pain at having lost her parents. Irina wrapped her arms around the small girl and held her firmly to her chest while stroking her hair reassuringly.

"It's okay...I've got you. It's okay." She fought back the emotions welling up within her. "You know...when I was younger...something really sad happened to my Dad too." Irina took a breath to compose herself and smiled. "But then...this really brave man came and hugged me just like this and told me everything would be okay. And even though I was crying...at that moment, I felt like nothing in the world could touch me."

Alice seemed to calm down, at least partially. It was then the sound of footsteps running down the alleyway could be heard. Five men armed with shotguns and rifles ran up to the scene of the massacre and looked around.

"What the hell?" One of them commented in both shock and disgust. "These things aren't corpses."

"Not the moving kind anyway…" The man in front observed. "Irina, what happened here?"

She turned and pressed a finger up to her lip to silence them before pointing at the body of the deceased Father laying on the ground.

He looked down at the body blasted with buckshot and quickly put two and two together. "Dear God…" He turned away in pain and shook his head.

"So you wanna fill us in, Aldin?" One of the other men spoke up.

Officer Saito pointed to the small kid and then to the body laying on the ground.

"Jesus Christ…" One of the men turned his head away, looking like he might be sick.

"I'll meet you all back at the bus." Irina spoke quietly. "Just grab all the supplies we can carry and get ready to move out."

"Understood." Saito turned towards the men and shouted. "You heard the lady! Move out!"

The men all left. Irina, meanwhile, slowly picked up Alice and carried her in her arms. The frightened girl maintained a death grip on her neck. As if letting go meant her savior would go flying away at any moment.

"I understand you're scared, Sweety." Irina continued to stroke the girl's hair as she carried her back to the bus. "But I promise you everything is going to be okay."

"That brave man you mentioned…" Little Alice spoke quietly, having finally stopped crying. "...did he save you like this too?"

She smiled.

"As a matter of fact...he did."

* * *

Matsuda and Motohama continued to help Xenovia load up the Humvee. Having successfully gotten dressed the boys were busying themselves packing away supplies, ammo, and the guns.

"Even with a full blown zombie apocalypse going on the girls still manage to take forever getting dressed." Matsuda griped while hauling another heavy load into the back of the Humvee.

"Hey, I was ready before any of you." Xenovia commented.

"Yeah, but you don't count." Motohama insisted.

She quirked a perturbed brow at him. "And just what the hell is THAT supposed to mean?"

He quickly backpedaled and raised his hands up fearfully. "Nothing! Nothing!"

Xenovia glared at him for a moment longer before shrugging indifferently and returning to her packing. Matsuda and Motohama both sighed in relief.

"Man...sometimes I forget just how scary she can be."

"This sure is a lot of shit we're packing." Matsuda shifted gears. "You sure we're gonna need all this?"

"Better safe than sorry." Motohama insisted. "Besides, even if WE don't end up using it all, maybe Kuoh can find some use for it."

"What are you idiots griping about now?" A familiarly persnickety voice spoke up.

Matsuda sighed wearily. "Morning Saya. You mind keeping it down to a dull roar we're kinda trying to be-" He froze upon turning and looking in the direction of the voice that spoke.

"Huh? What are you-Yaiieee!" Motohama froze in place as well, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head at the sight in front of him.

The girls were all dressed in, what could tastefully be described as, battle lingerie. Starting with Rei, who was in knee high commando boots, black stockings, a miniskirt and and black button up blouse that exposed most of her cleavage. Aika was in a pair of leggings and cut off jeans and black undershirt which she paired with a white lab coat. And Saya was sporting a pair of combat boots, tan booty shorts, and a camo tank top with the word 'BRAT' written in bold black lettering on the front.

"What? Got a problem?" Saya asked angrily, her breasts bouncing as she placed her hands on her hips and glared at them both angrily.

"Uh uh…" Matsuda assured, still gawking at their choice of outfit.

"The only options for clothes we had on our route were a costume store, a lingerie store, and a military surplus store." Aika explained.

"We had to kind of mix and match." Rei added with a giggle.

"Do you hear us complaining?" Motohama stated flatly.

Saya rolled her eyes and grabbed the keys for the humvee. "Whatever, roll your tongues back into your heads and let's get moving."

Rei turned and smiled at the flat they were leaving. "If it wasn't for our mission, I'd be half tempted to say let's just hold up here. It sure is a nice place."

"Yeah well, because of all that damn racket outside it's not like we could stay here anyway. Those morons on the other side of the river must have alerted every zombie in a three mile radius with their antics." She unlocked the right side door and hopped in, only to stare in confusion at the glove box. Her gaze then shifted to the left side where the driver's seat was located. "Oh what the hell?! The steering wheel is on the wrong side!"

Motohama chuckled in amusement before helping himself to a spot in the very back seat. "Sorry, but this bad boy was made by the U.S Military."

"I'll drive." Xenovia calmly spoke up before hopping into the driver's seat.

Saya scoffed in annoyance before dropping the keys in her hands. "Whatever."

Aika took a seat next to Motohama in the back while Rei and Matsuda helped themselves to the middle row. Rei immediately scooted up next to Matsuda and wrapped both her hands around his. She nestled up to him and sighed contently.

"I'm still a little sleepy. I hope you don't mind if I use your shoulder as a pillow."

Matsuda blushed fiercely. "Of course not…"

Saya groaned obtusely at the display and leaned against the door, staring out the window. "Can we just go? Please?"

Xenovia revved up the engine and hit the garage door opener. The gate leading out to the street opened as well. She placed the humvee into drive and hit the gas, tearing out of the garage and down the street as they left the flat for good.

* * *

Irina and her group of survivors made their way up the river on the amphibious bus they had commandeered. Now loaded down with supplies and another survivor in the seven year old Alice, the group was heading towards the church to deliver the goods to those who needed them most.

The surviving population of Kuoh.

In total, there weren't that many left. A couple thousand in comparison to the vast hordes of undead that now roamed the streets. But still, given what little time and options she had on her hand, it felt like she had done the best she could do. Especially given she was now partnerless.

Alice was hanging off the front of the bus, singing row row row your boat while swinging her legs joyfully. She was in good spirits considering her father had been killed in front of her not but a few hours ago. Then again, when Irina showed her their vehicle. She commented that she'd never ridden on a bus that could also float on the water before. Though the weight of her parent's deaths could still be seen in her eyes, Alice was at least able to find her smile again.

"She's strong for her age. I'm certain she will survive this."

Irina turned and smiled at the man who spoke to her. She had run into Aldin Zefford shortly after parting ways with Xenovia. The self proclaimed Billionaire had been desperately trying to fend off a zombie horde from overtaking the very bus they were now riding on while it had almost a hundred survivors in tow. They'd been working together ever since to save as many people as they could and get them to a safe place.

For Irina, that meant the Church. It was the only place that made sense in her mind. It was remote, it could be easily fortified, and she was already familiar with the surrounding terrain.

"I just wish I could have gotten there sooner." She spoke painfully. "If at least her father was still alive…"

"Be thankful we managed to save just her." Aldin replied. "Things were bad enough without strange men attacking us with guns."

"I keep telling you Mr. Zefford, those weren't men." Irina insisted.

He nodded, a slick smirk covering his face. "I still have a hard time believing that, if I'm being honest."

"Then at least believe me when I tell you that those men are NOTHING compared to what's about to come next." She sighed woefully. "As much as it pains me to say it, this will have to be our last trip. We can't afford to get caught in the city when the ones responsible for this make their next move."

"Don't get me wrong, I trust you implicitly." Aldin assured. "So many more would have died had you not been there to intervene. Myself included."

"I just hope that what we've found is enough…" She leaned against the railing of the bus, lost in thought.

"You wish your old partner were still here, don't you?" He guessed for her.

She frowned softly and lowered her head. "There are a lot of things that have happened that I wish hadn't come to pass." Irina clutched at her mother's cross as she spoke. "But...we must hold strong to our faith in this time of crisis. When all else falls, it will be the only thing we have left."

As they spoke, Alice continued to sing her song. At the conclusion of what had to be her hundredth time singing it through, one of the men spoke up.

"Alright! Now for my version!" He took a breath to start singing when Irina cut him off.

"Hey! Keep it clean! No bastardizing Mother Goose while there's a kid present." She lectured sternly.

"S...Sorry Miss Irina."

Off in the distance, a horde of zombies were shambling towards the city. Irina narrowed her eyes at them...something was off.

"What is it?"

"They're not acting right…" She observed. "Normally they're just wandering around aimlessly looking for another victim, those are all clearly heading towards something."

Or rather...it was as if they were being summoned.

* * *

It didn't take long for Xenovia's group to get across the river and continue the drive towards Kuoh. They eventually stopped at a parking lot that was for the most part deserted so they could take inventory of everything they had.

And take a moment to familiarize themselves with their new weapons. Xenovia lectured the girls on proper firearm use while Motohama went over the shotgun with Matsuda.

"The shells are basically a casing filled with little pellets." Motohama continued his lecture on the use of the shotgun. "All you have to do is adjust the sight, find your target, and pull the trigger. My uncle has the thing set up to where a cataract patient old could still hit their target with it." He then showed him how to open the gate and load the shells. "With this gun you can hold four shells as well as one in the firing chamber. That's your limit. Just keep that in mind."

"Okay...I think I'm following." Matsuda nodded.

"One last thing. The recoil on this weapon is pretty strong. This baby bucks." He warned. "Just be aware of the kickback when you aim."

"Got it."

"Hey boys!"

Both men turned and stared in dumbstruck awe of what they were seeing. They thought there was no way that the girl's outfits could get any sexier but they were oh so very wrong. Now they were packing heat!

Rei had chosen the rifle with the attached bayonet as her weapon of choice. The extra ammo was strapped across her shoulder and waist like a sash as well as an extra belt strapped to her thigh. Aika was holding the crossbow and had a quiver of fresh arrows strapped to her back. In addition, she also had the revolver they found on the dead police officer as a side arm on her waist. Saya was wielding the SMG and had the Luger strapped to her thigh as her personal sidearm. Which left Motohama with the sniper rifle.

"Well, what do you think?" Rei gave Matsuda a devilish grin.

"Hoooot." Motohama blurted out.

"You look good with it." Matsuda admitted. "But...do you really know how to shoot that thing?"

She slung the rifle over her shoulder and stated pridefully. "Xenovia's been showing us the basics. Worst comes to worst I'll just hit them with this bayonet at the end."

"Anyone else having trouble getting their release catch to work?" Saya huffed in frustration as she struggled with the weapon. "I swear this thing just hates me."

"Why'd you pick the crossbow, Aika?" Matsuda asked.

She smiled while shouldering the weapon. "Actually, this is the only weapon I recognize. My dad used to be a hunter. Errr...by that I mean the normal deer hunting kind. Not the crazy monster killing kind."

Xenovia chuckled lightly. "Regardless, our best option will be to avoid conflict as opposed to actively go searching for it. Hopefully we won't need to use these before reaching Kuoh."

"Hopefully we won't need to use them at all." Rei added optimistically. "It would be nice if things calmed down after reaching the school."

The Holy Swordswoman's expression suddenly turned grave. "There's one last thing that's very important. In the event that we encounter any of those creatures killing survivors. You do not try to engage them. Let me handle it."

The group collectively frowned and shared worried looks with one another before nodding in understanding.

"We won't let you down." Matsuda assured.

She smiled approvingly. "Good. In that case, I suggest we keep moving."

They returned to the humvee and continued the drive. Matsuda and Rei elected to sit on the top of the hummer and watch the city roll by as well as give themselves some privacy.

"Something the matter?" Rei asked after noticing Matsuda was being considerably quiet.

"I don't see any choppers today." He observed. "But yesterday there were loads of them."

She interlaced her hand with his and rested her head against his shoulder. "Look on the bright side."

"What bright side?" He asked curiously.

"You mean you haven't noticed?" We haven't seen a single zombie since this morning."

Matsuda narrowed his eyes at the road suspiciously. Truth be told, he HAD noticed that. But it just made him more suspicious than anything. These streets were covered in zombies yesterday. Yet now they looked completely empty.

It just begged the question, where did they all go?

"Hey...do you hear that?"

Matsuda was torn from his thoughts by Rei's question. After perking his ears up he listened in for what she could be referring to. Sure enough, he heard what sounded vaguely like an engine running.

"Is that another vehicle?" He pondered aloud.

She shook her head. "Actually...it sounds more like MULTIPLE vehicles."

The noise got progressively louder and louder. Until at last three trucks and a plethora of bikes rounded the curve of the street behind them and gunned it. On a direct course for the humvee.

"Oh shit…" Matsuda scooted back on the roof. "Oh shit!" He quickly slammed on the metal cab. "Guys! Guys! Something's coming our way!"

Motohama popped the hatch on the top of the humvee and peered through his binoculars at the approaching vehicles. He blanched upon seeing that they were all armed and looked quite bloodthirsty.

"That's not good…"

"Xenovia, gun it!" Saya shouted.

The humvee took off and the vehicles behind them gave chase. Rei and Matsuda quickly popped the hatch and got back below lest they fall off the roof.

"Friends of yours?!" Matsuda asked Xenovia frantically.

"We've crossed paths on more than one occasion!" She called back after taking a sharp turn to the right. "They're none too pleased we still have what's in that case back there!"

Several of the creatures on motorcycles drew sawed offs and fired. The pellets hit the armor plating but otherwise didn't pierce the hull.

"Really?! I couldn't tell!" Saya commented sarcastically.

Two of the motorcycles gunned their engines and attempted to get on the drivers side of the vehicle.

"Saya, I need you to hold the steering wheel for me!" Xenovia ordered.

"Wh...what?!"

"Just hold it straight!" Xenovia grabbed her hand and put it on the wheel, showing her where to grip it. She then pulled out her SMG and hooked her heel under the throttle. She opened the driver side door and leaned her body out. Using the door handle for support while firing her SMG. She gunned down both motorcyclists who fell off their bikes and crashed into the pavement.

"You drive!" Xenovia ordered before making her way to the roof of the humvee.

"But-" Saya was about to protest when Xenovia leapt up onto the roof. "Shiiiiiiit." She griped while sliding over to the driver's seat and taking the wheel.

Xenovia stood on the roof of the humvee and fired on the motorcycles. Motohama, meanwhile, popped the hatch and took aim with his sniper rifle between her legs.

"Hope you fuckers are hungry, because high velocity rounds are on the menu!" He took aim with his scope and put a round straight through one of the biker's chest.

He proceeded to fire on any motorcyclist who got too close while Xenovia reloaded her weapon. One of the trucks sped up and threatened to ram them from behind. The Holy Swordswoman knelt down into a runners stance and leapt from the vehicle, using her psionic power to jump onto the hood of the truck before smashing in the front windshield as well as the driver's face. She then pulled hard on the wheel making it veer off to the right only to hit the second truck. Both trucks collided into the guard rail as she leapt onto the third truck's passenger side door. She pried the door off the truck and then tossed the occupant out. With him gone, Xenovia gripped the roof of the cabin and swung her feet forward, knocking the driver out of the vehicle before taking a seat at the wheel.

"Jesus." Motohama marveled from the view of his sniper. "You guys seeing this shit?"

"I cannot reiterate this enough." Matsuda insisted. "I am REALLY glad she's on our side."

"Guys! Focus!" Aika insisted from the back seat of the humvee. "We've got two more bikes on our tail!"

Just as she said, two bikes drove up alongside their vehicle one on each side. They pulled uzis from their satchels and fired. The bullets peppered the windows but otherwise didn't break them.

Matsuda grinned. "Bullet proof glass! Nice!"

"The middle latch on the window comes off!" Motohama explained after cracking off another round. "You can fit your gun through it without risking your skin!"

"Motohama, I have never met your uncle before but he is officially my hero!" Rei called up to him before unlatching her window and pushing her assault rifle through. Remembering her crash course lesson on the rifle's use she fired on the biker to their left. Meanwhile Matsuda aimed his shotgun at the biker on the right.

"Adjust the sight...pick your target…" He recited to himself while aiming his weapon. "...and fire!"

He fired his shotgun at the creature. The buckshot hit its target and dislodged the uzi from the creatures hand but otherwise failed to kill it.

If anything, now it just looked pissed.

"What the hell?!" Matsuda reeled back in shock.

The biker proceeded to leap from his bike and latch onto the side of the humvee. With what seemed like little effort he shattered the bullet proof glass and grabbed Matsuda by the throat.

"Matsuda!" Rei called back in horror.

With all the strength he could muster, Matsuda cold cocked the biker with a stiff straight punch. The force behind his superhuman punch startled the completely unprepared creature nearly sending it flying into the road. As it was, it managed to hold onto the door by one hand. Matsuda acted quick and unlatched the side door before delivering a sharp kick. Knocking the creature against the side of the vehicle. It angrily pried the broken door completely off its hinges and righted itself before lunging at Matsuda as he attempted to Prime and aim his shotgun. They struggled for control of the weapon while Rei was still trying to kill the target on their left.

"Rei! Aim for the gas tank!" Saya instructed.

With her next shot, Rei took aim and fired, igniting the gas in the bike and bursting it along with its rider into flames. She then turned around and plunged her bayonet into the eye socket of the creature fighting with Matsuda. With a pull of the trigger she sent her final round through its skull.

"Three more bikes heading towards us!" Motohama declared.

"On it!" Aika opened the back window and aimed her loaded crossbow. She charged magical energy into the arrow which became enveloped in an aura of blue light. With a swift pull of the trigger she let loose the bolt which detonated upon impact with the middle rider, creating a blast that knocked the adjacent two bikers into the road as well.

"Sweet! Triple kill!" Motohama cheered. He could see Xenovia struggling to shake off a pack of bikers from her truck several yards back and aimed his sniper to assist her. When suddenly Saya veered to the right, sending his shot wide.

"Hey, would you drive straight?!" He insisted angrily.

"I AM driving straight! You shoot straight!" She responded just as angrily.

"This is what happens when you let the spoiled Daddy's girl drive!" He attempted to line up another shot.

"Ohhhh!" She shook her head while laughing in a livid manner. "That is fucking adorable coming from the ASIAN!"

He ducked his head back inside and scowled at her nastily. "You know, I'm getting really sick and tired of your attitude!"

"And I'm getting sick and tired of you trying to boss me around!"

"Racist snob!"

"Sexist pig!"

"Guys, is now REALLY the time to be doing this?!" Aika asked frantically.

"Why I waste my time on a self absorbed brat like you is beyond me!" Motohama declared, having finally had enough. "You have done nothing but belittle my intelligence and insult me this whole time!"

"Yeah?! Well maybe I'm NOT trying to insult you! Ever think about that?!" She retorted while driving like a maniac. "Maybe I ACTUALLY think you're really fucking smart! Maybe I'm just in denial over the fact that I have a crush on the school pervert!"

"Oh yeah?! Well maybe I've got a massive crush on you too! What do you think of that?!" He shot back at her as if they were still arguing.

"I think that makes us boyfriend and girlfriend!" She responded, again, as if they were still arguing. "So just deal with it!"

"Fine, I will! But on one condition!" He replied while pointing to himself. "I get to be the boyfriend!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"I'm glad!"

"I'm happy you're glad!"

"I'm happy too, asshole!"

"The fuck am I watching here?" Matsuda asked, genuinely unable to comprehend what these two were doing.

"I think they're...confessing?" Rei guessed, though she really wasn't sure. "Either that or they've finally both completely lost their minds."

"Knowing those two, it could honestly be both." Aika commented bluntly.

"Oh shit! Zombies!"

Their humvee was hit by a horde of the undead while they rounded another turn. Corpses went flying over and around the massive vehicle in addition to being crushed beneath its tires.

"There's too many! We're gonna flip!" Saya insisted.

"If we stop now they'll overwhelm us!" Matsuda responded urgently. "Full throttle! Keep going!"

Off in the distance, Motohama spotted something that made his blood run cold.

"Oh no...stop the car. Stop the car!"

"What?" Saya glared at him then back at the road. Her eyes went wide as she spotted it too. "Shit! Wire! Everyone hang on!" She turned the steering wheel sharply to the left, causing the humvee to drift to its side before smashing into the steel wire perimeter.

Matsuda grabbed Rei just before the two went flying out the open back seat.

"Matsuda!" Motohama called to his buddy as he was thrown from the vehicle.

They were lucky in that they missed hitting the wire as they were thrown, however that didn't save them from hitting the hard asphalt and tumbling end over end. By the time they finally rolled to a stop, Matsuda's head was swimming.

Meanwhile, back in the humvee, the remaining passengers were jostled by hundreds of groping clawing hands shaking the hopelessly stuck vehicle.

"Everyone out!" Aika shouted before motioning for them to leave through the same opening that Rei and Matsuda were thrown from.

They all scrambled to get out with whatever firearms and supplies they could carry. Successfully evacuating just in time for the zombies to flip the humvee completely over.

Whereupon they began crawling over the car to get to the other side.

"Motohama!" Saya tossed him the SMG before pulling out her Luger. They began firing on anything that tried to crawl over the car while Aika readied another bolt.

Matsuda finally managed to recover and check on Rei. She was alive and for the most part intact sans a few scrapes and bumps. But she could hardly move, leading him to believe that at some point she must have landed on her back. Hard.

As she stared in terror at the approaching zombies, Matsuda immediately sprang into action. He shouldered his weapon, cocked it, and fired. Blasting the head of an approaching zombie.

"Reload your weapon!" He called to Rei before blasting another zombie's head off. She struggled to release her spent magazine and reload a fresh one but managed to do so right as Matsuda ran out of shells. He grabbed a handful from his pocket only to drop them all and swear loudly.

"Matsuda! Move it like you've got a fucking purpose!" Aika insisted before firing another magic bolt at the encroaching zombie horde.

Acting fast, he attempted to grab Rei's weapon only to find it was still strapped to her body. With no other options available he rolled behind her and took aim. She squeaked in surprise upon him bracing against her chest with the rifle in hand.

"What are you doing?!"

"Just trust me!"

He began firing off rounds from her rifle, hitting each zombie in the head as it approached. With each pull she yelped and her breasts bounced along with the recoil. Matsuda fired until the gun was spent before scooping Rei up into his arms and running for it.

"Let's go!" Saya waved for the group to follow while Aika fired another magic arrow to break up the swarm.

They ran for a couple yards before reloading and turning back around. As Aika prepared another bolt, she felt something warm dribble down her nose and her head began to swim.

"Guys! I'm using too much magic!" She called to them before wiping the blood under her nose.

"This is bad!" Motohama declared while firing his SMG. "There are too many of them! We're going to get overrun!"

The group braced for the worst...when a sniper rifle sounded off behind them. Delivering a round straight through the head of one of the approaching zombies. They all collectively turned to see a man laying prone on the nearby rooftops, smoking rifle in hand.

"What the…"

Another sniper went off. This one from a fire escape on the other side of the road.

Combat boots thudded behind them as over a dozen soldiers in black tactical armor took up positions at their fronts and unloaded their arsenal on the encroaching horde. Slowly they began driving the creatures back.

"Who are these guys?" Motohama pondered before feeling a strong hand grip his shoulder.

"Heya kiddo. It's been a long time."

He turned around and gasped at the forty something year old male with jet black hair and a matching beard, his eyes going wide with surprise.

"Uncle?!"

His Uncle nodded. "Yep! It's good to see ya again." His eyes narrowed sharply. "That being said...that better not be MY Humvee I see upside down on the street there."


	30. Chapter 30

**::Author's Note::**

**So this one took a little longer. Mostly because of IRL craziness and other such things. But something I noticed with this chapter is that I've created a lot of branching narratives here and I'm trying to wrangle all the loose threads up into something coherent before I create a monster I can't uncreate. **

**Not sure what chapter this is going to end on. We've still got plenty to go. In the meantime, I hope you continue to enjoy the ride and I present to you Chapter 30.**

**::End Note::**

Motohama was seriously beginning to question his sanity given everything that had happened to him in so short a span of time. From the zombie outbreak, to confessing his feelings for Saya in the most ridiculous way possible. Now there was this.

His Uncle was back in Japan. Not only that, but he was apparently leading a squad of elite commandos against the zombies.

He grinned at Motohama and patted his shoulder. "Good to see you're safe. You and your friends did well making it this far. We'll take over from here."

Motohama had so many questions about this, but given the current situation he knew better than to ask them now. His uncle was right, they needed to focus on getting to safety.

With his nephew safely out of harm's way, he focused all his attention on commanding his men. "All units in Squad A! Form a perimeter around the survivors! Squad B, cut a path to the vehicle and secure the package!"

The soldiers from both Squads worked in perfect unison to complete their objectives. Meanwhile, Matsuda, Rei, and the other members of the survivor's group all watched on I'm stunned silence.

"What's going on?" Rei asked in bewilderment.

"I don't know. But I think we're being rescued." Matsuda observed hopefully.

"But wait…" Something occurred to her. "Where is Xenovia?"

From over the crest of the road a lone figure sped towards the zombie horde on a motorcycle, weilding a massive sword in her right hand. Xenovia gunned the engine of her bike before slowly standing up on the seat. With the grace of a cat she balanced on the bike before leaping high into the air in a backwards somersault. Gripping the hilt of her sword in both hands, she then brought the end of her blade down into the middle of the zombie horde. The wave of energy that followed disintegrated every undead around her and sent the few that remained flying into the air.

Azuka's men were able to mop up the rest while Xenovia's group stood with their jaws hanging open.

"Guys...I found her." Aika commented while pointing a single shakey hand at the large blast mark she was standing in the middle of.

"Hooooly shit…" Motohama gawked in bewilderment. His attention was broken from Xenovia's display of power, however, by his Uncle tapping him on the shoulder.

"So how've you been, Kid? You look good. I'm digging the whole no glasses thing."

"Uncle Azuka, what the hell are you doing here?!" Motohama asked in bewilderment. "Who are these men? And why are they taking orders from you?"

"I'm sure that you've got about a million and one questions for me, Motohama, but this isn't really the best place to answer them." Azuka insisted. "For now, all you need to know is that we're here to get you safely to Kuoh."

That was good to here, at least. Though it did leave him with another question. One he was almost scared to ask.

"My Mom...is she…?"

"Your Mom's fine, Kid." Azuka assured with a grin. He then turned to the rest of the group. "In fact, all your parents are waiting for you back at Kuoh."

Hearing that brought overwhelming relief to Matsuda. At that moment he felt about a hundred pounds lighter.

"All our parents?" Saya asked hopefully.

He shook his head. "You're Souchiro's daughter right? Saya Takaga? Actually, your Mom and Dad aren't at Kuoh."

She was crestfallen.

"They're here with me."

And just like that she perked back up. "Th...they are?"

"Yuriko, she's over here!"

Saya's heart leapt as a familiar voice rang in her ear. "Daddy?"

Two figures appeared from behind Azuka, having left the armored vehicle they arrived in. The first was a tall intimidating man with black hair and a fierce gaze reminiscent of a predatory animal. He was wearing formal military attire complete with a Captain's Sword on his belt and carried himself with a similar bearing.

Directly beside him was a woman with long purple hair and lavender eyes. She was dressed in a red evening dress and carried herself with an heir of nobility.

They both smiled upon seeing Saya.

"Mommy! Daddy!" She sprinted to them and jumped straight into their arms, laughing in pure joy as well as relief as the emotions she felt began to well to the surface.

"My darling Saya. We're so relieved you're alright." Souichrio spoke in a calm, warm tone.

"You came for me." Tears leaked from their daughter's eyes as she began to tremble uncontrollably. "You both came for me."

"Of course we did, Sweetheart." Yuriko stroked her hair gently. "Your father and I would never abandon you in this nightmare."

"I'm so happy you're here." Her words came out as choked up sobs. "I thought you...I'm just…" She broke down completely. "I LOVE YOU BOTH SO MUCH!"

While Saya bawled in her parents arms, Matsuda and the rest of the group smiled happily for her.

"Fucking A. I'm so glad our parents are all alright." Matsuda beamed happily.

That was when he remembered who he was carrying. Rei hung her head in his arms, a distant look in her eyes as a familiar gloom settled in around her.

"H...hey...I'm sorry." He apologized sincerely. "I shouldn't have brought up-"

She cut him off with a hug, a bright smile forming on her face again. "I'm so happy for you. All of you. It means the world to me to hear your parents are all okay."

"I…" He wanted to say more but finally decided to let it go. "...thanks Rei."

While they shared a moment together, Motohama nudged his Uncle and pointed to Saya's parents. "So those are her folks then?"

Azuka quirked a brow at his nephew, somewhat curious as to why he expressed interest in Saya's parents before looking at them and nodding. Lord Souichiro is the head of one of Japan's Largest Ultranationalist Parties and an incredibly wealthy man. His wife Yuriko is a successful stockbroker on Wallstreet. Together, they make up one of the richest and most powerful families in Japan."

Motohama blanched. "Oh…okay."

"Why the sudden interest in the Takaga family?" His Uncle asked curiously.

Before Motohama could answer Saya approached with her parents in tow and cleared her throat abruptly.

"Dad, Mom, this is Motohama...my boyfriend." Saya blushed as she spoke the words aloud.

Azuka gave his nephew a disbelieving look. "Her what now?"

"So wait...she was being serious about that?" Matsuda was at a loss for words.

"I guess so…" Aika replied, also not quite sure how to react to this.

Motohama, for his part, was absolutely petrified. The look her Dad was giving him at that moment was beyond scary.

His Uncle burst into a fit of hysterical laughter before shaking his head at Motohama incredulously. "Unbelievable. Kid, you have NO Earthly idea what you just got yourself into."

"Wh...what do you mean by that?" He was sweating bullets already.

Saya's father slowly approached and glared down at Motohama with his arms folded. "So...boyfriend eh?"

He stood straight as a board, still sweating profusely. "Yes Sir! That's me, Sir!"

"Let's get a good look at you." Souichiro placed his hands on Motohama's shoulders and inspected the boy thoughtfully. "Hmmm, good strong features, sharp eyes...how's your bloodline? No Korean I hope."

"Dadddyyy!" Saya whined at him.

His wife chuckled sweetly in amusement. "Oh come now, Darling. Give the poor boy a break. He did save our dear Saya's life after all. If what she's told us is to be believed."

He growled complacently. "Fine, fine. We can work with a little Korean. But absolutely NO Chinese!"

Azuka chuckled at Souichiro. "You can relax, Sir. This one is my brother's kid."

At that, Saya's Father smiled approvingly. "Ah, so you're a Hirano then? That's a strong bloodline in more ways than one."

Motohama's uncle cleared his throat gruffly. "Just a heads up, Sir. I never actually got around to telling them that part yet."

Souichiro laughed thunderously. "That's probably for the best. Wouldn't wish to burden the young ones with too much all at once, now would we?" He then turned and waved for them to follow. "Come, the two of you will be riding with me. I wish to hear more about my future son in law."

Both Saya and Motohama turned white as ghosts while their mouths proceeded to drop to the floor.

"S...S..Son in law?" Saya stuttered in abject mortification.

"B...but we haven't even...kissed yet." Motohama muttered, just as mortified as she was.

Matsuda and Rei both shook their heads in pity at their two friends.

"Man...I do not envy them right now." He spoke worriedly.

"Me neither." Rei admitted.

At that moment Xenovia appeared behind them, having returned her Excalibur Destruction to the pocket dimension she kept it in. The case containing the remaining Excalibur swords was slung over her back as she eyed the men around her group warily.

Upon seeing her approach, Azuka narrowed his eyes at her before turning and looking back at Souichiro who bore the same look in his eyes as well. After nodding in confirmation, Azuka turned towards his men and gave the order.

The soldiers surrounded her on all sides and readied their weapons.

"Drop the case." One of them commanded, his rifle primed and ready to fire. "Now."

"H...hey! What are you doing?!" Matsuda protested.

"It's alright, Matsuda." Xenovia assured before slowly dropping the case and placing her hands behind her head. "I saw this coming."

One of Azuka's men quickly grabbed the case and brought it to him. "Package secured, Sir."

He nodded appreciatively. "Take the Holy Sword User into custody."

"Uncle, why?!" Motohama looked appalled. "She helped us. Xenovia is half the reason we even made it this far."

"I'm sorry, Kid." Azuka frowned apologetically. "But we have our orders."

"Daddy, what's going on?" Saya asked worriedly. "Why are these men arresting her?"

He shook his head at Saya, a stern gaze in his eyes. "It is as Azuka said. Our Lords were clear in what they expect of us regarding the Holy Sword User. Even I cannot reprimand this order, it comes from the very top."

"Our Lords?" Saya thought for a moment and blanched. "W...wait. You mean the Devils, don't you?"

He remained silent, essentially answering her question.

"This isn't really the best time to get into this, Dear." Her mother spoke gently. "Rest assured, no harm will come to her so long as she follows our directions."

"But…"

"It's alright." Xenovia assured, maintaining a small smile on her face despite the men placing her wrists behind her back and locking them into handcuffs. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. The rest of you focus on yourselves."

She was escorted away after having her weapons confiscated to one of the armored vehicles off in the distance. Much to the confusion and frustration of the rest of her group.

"Uncle, this isn't right." Motohama insisted angrily. "We would never have made it without Xenovia. She's not an enemy."

Azuka walked up and placed his hands on his nephew's shoulders. "Trust me, I understand how you feel. But this isn't my call to make."

"But we can't just-"

"There's a lot that needs to be explained." His Uncle insisted. "To all of you. For the time being, try not to worry about your friend and focus on what comes next. Motohama, your mom is worried sick about you." He then turned to Matsuda and Rei. "As for you two, your parents will be just as eager to see you, I have no doubt."

They gave him a funny look.

"Hold on...as in BOTH our parents?" Matsuda asked in confusion. "Or just mine."

He nodded in confirmation. "Both of you."

Rei frowned at him sourly. "Sir, I think you have me confused with someone else. My parents are dead."

Mazuka gave her a squirrely look. "Your name is Rei Miyamota, right?"

"Right?" She answered, still terribly confused as to what he was saying.

He smiled. "Then I'm not mistaken."

The weight of his words hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Your parents are both very much alive. And they're waiting for you at Kuoh."

* * *

The rusty iron doors opened up before Kiba as he stepped into the light and out of the dark corridor he had traveled down. Or at least...what he thought was the light. Truthfully it was more of that same darkness from before, only this time, illuminated by a blood red moon. All around him was nothing but death and decay. The ground was like soot, the trees withered and dead, the buildings around him were all condemned, and the chainlink fence that surrounded the compound he found himself in was rusted and worn.

"This place…" Mouse swiveled his head around searchingly. "...is any of it familiar to you?"

Kiba looked around. It looked like some sort of prison...or a war base...or a POW camp. Where the heck was he?

"It looks like…" He narrowed his gaze at the scenery. "I think this is...it's somewhere from my past but…" Kiba gripped his head in frustration. "...dammit, I can't remember!"

"Try to think back." Mouse encouraged. "Is there anything about this place at all that might jog your memory?"

Kiba thought long and hard. A single bit of information appeared in his mind. It wasn't much, but perhaps it was enough for him to work with.

"The central courtyard." He declared. "There's a big dirt covered field in the middle of this place. If we go there, something might help me remember."

"Are you sure?" Mouse asked cautiously.

"It's the only bit of info I've got." Kiba insisted.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."

Kiba walked with Mouse on his shoulder past the rotted wooden buildings and concrete bunkers of this long abandoned camp. The red moon hung in the air like an ominous omen, surrounded by nothing but starless pitch black sky.

"Anything ringing a bell?" Mouse enquired.

"Not enough." He replied glumly.

"Wait a minute...what's that?"

Kiba peered off into the distance. "What's what?"

"That shade…" Mouse pointed with his nose towards the thick black phantom standing in the central courtyard.

They cautiously approached the figure, both of them wary of its intentions. The phantom didn't seem to react to their presence, if it even knew they were there. It simply continued to stare at them with those same unblinking glowing red eyes.

"Well well well. If it isn't our Fynn." The shade spoke in a well mannered yet no less ominous voice. "Back once more to try his hand at escaping the darkness that binds him here."

"Fynn?" Kiba asked the shade warily. That wasn't his name, yet it resonated with him for some unfathomable reason. "That's not my name."

"Perhaps not anymore. But that is what we've always known you as. Strange how you always sound so surprised to hear it. I know you've heard it before."

"Wh...who are you?"

"That's hardly important." The shade assured. "And even if I were to tell you. It's not as if you would remember for long."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mouse asked, a hint of frustration in his voice. "Why do you keep talking like we've been here before?"

"Perhaps you haven't." The shade spoke. "But he has. Many times before. And it will be many times still. We've become quite accustomed to our Fynn wandering the darkness with us."

"Don't call me that." He growled at the shade. "My name is Kiba. I'm a Knight in service to Rias Gremory."

And just like that, it came back to him. Rias, that was the name of his King. The name of the one he serves.

"Rias…" Mouse scratched his head with his little paw. "...that name is familiar to me. Rias Gremory...the President of the Occult Research Club. But what does that mean?"

"Strange…" The phantom sounded the mildest bit annoyed. "...you usually take far longer to remember that part. No matter, I'm certain you'll fail this time, all the same."

"Fail what?" Kiba stepped toward the shade and glared at him angrily. "Either start making sense or leave us be."

"Awww, but it's so much more fun watching you wander blindly." The shade chuckled in amusement. "But very well, I'll humor you this time, Fynn. If for no other reason than your expression is always priceless when you find out."

Kiba continued to scowl at him as he spoke.

"This is not the first time you've appeared before me, Fynn. Baring that same angry, perplexed look on your face. With these same questions. Each time you wander the darkness, seeking answers to a question you don't even know, and each time the darkness consumes you. Forcing you to start all over again." His voice sounded almost pleased by his next words. "If you can't figure it out, then you'll be doomed to wander this place forever."

"Where am I?" Kiba demanded. "What is this place? Answer me!"

"Oh I'm sorry…" The phantom growled at him, its aura darkening. "...you've mistaken me for someone who wants you to succeed. As far as I'm concerned, you're free to rot in this place forever with the rest of us. After all these years of torment, it's nice to finally see the one responsible for it all languishing here as we have."

"Come on, Kiba." Mouse insisted. "Whatever this thing is, it's not going to help us. We should just leave it alone."

"Wander all you want." The Shade spoke indifferently. "You're destined to fail. Repeating the same mistakes over and over again. Lost to the nightmares that have consumed this place."

They turned to leave when the shade spoke again.

"But...if you're truly so keen to leave, curious puppet, then I'll give you a hint. Seek out the spirits of those who haunt this place. Each of them will be...familiar to you."

Kiba narrowed his eyes at the Shade warily. "Why should I trust your help? You just finished saying you didn't care if I failed or not."

"Truthfully, I don't. Were I you, I wouldn't even try to escape. There's very little chance you'll succeed." He commented bluntly.

"So then why help me?"

"Why does anyone do anything for no reason?" He posed to him. "I'm bored."

With that, the phantom vanished. Leaving Kiba and Mouse to ponder the significance of his hint.

"Seek out the spirits…" Mouse spoke aloud. "...could it be?"

"Are you remembering something?" Kiba asked hopefully.

"I think so...I remember when I first awoke a shade told me something similar. There's something here. Something you've lost that you need to find again. That's the whole reason for you being here."

"So then why are YOU here?"

"I haven't got a clue." Mouse admitted. "I've been wandering the darkness for even longer than you, but none of this looks familiar to me at all. But...maybe if I help you find what you've lost, I'll find out more about myself along the way."

Kiba nodded in agreement. "It's worth a shot anyway."

"One last thing…" Mouse cautioned gravely. "...if this place is anything like the other places I've been, then we need to be careful where we step. There are...creatures here. Things plucked from the realm of nightmares. I haven't the faintest clue what they are or why they're here, but they are none too friendly."

"What do these creatures look like?"

It was then Kiba heard...something. It sounded almost like grunting. Or maybe grunting wasn't the right word. It sounded more like someone struggling to breath in a plastic bag. He slowly turned his head to see, off in the distance, some...thing approaching them. It had grey skin, walked on two legs like a human, but was missing any semblance of arms or a face.

"Well…" Mouse replied glumly. "...as it so happens they look an awful lot like that."

"It's not terribly fast." Kiba observed. "Any chance we can just kill it?"

"I wouldn't recommend trying." Mouse cautioned. "They're a lot tougher than they look. And besides…"

Off in the distance, through the thick clouds of black smog, more of those creatures appeared. Each of them came lumbering towards him despite not having any eyes.

"...there's never just ONE of them."

The nightmare in front of the other's opened its chest cavity and shot a stream of boiling black tar at them. Kiba narrowly avoided getting hit with the black goo by dodging to the side. The tar hit the ground below and began melting through it.

Left with no other options, he ran as fast as he could.

* * *

The drive back to Kuoh was not terribly long. So despite Motohama and the rest of the survivors having dozens of questions they desperately wanted to ask, Azuka and Souchiro decided to stick to the basics and let their parents explain the full story to them.

To put it simply, both Azuka and Souchiro were Demons in service to house Gremory. Saya's family, in particular, had been serving the Gremory Clan for hundreds of years. Many centuries ago, Saya's ancestor formed a pact with the head of the Gremory Family, offering his soul and the soul's of his descendants in exchange for power and influence for his bloodline. They'd been bound to the great Devil Family's service ever since.

Saya represented the seventh generation of a powerful lineage of Demons. In hindsight, that explained the fang protruding from the top right corner of her mouth.

As for Azuka, both he and his late brother, Motohama's father, were born as Demons in service to House Gremory after their Father formed a pact with the family. They'd been serving as Scouts in Lucifer's Private Army since they were both sixteen years old.

As jarring as these revelations were, none were more in shock than Rei. Her parents were ALIVE according to Azuka. Something she was still coming to grips with. Why had they disappeared? And furthermore, why had they never bothered to come find her after leaving? Her parents had a lot they had to answer for, and while part of her wanted to meet them, another part of her felt a rather foriegn sense of anger and distrust towards them. Why did they let their only daughter go on thinking they were dead?

Funny enough, Rei didn't seem to be the only one who was hesitant to see her parents. Aika also looked quite reserved about seeing her family as well. While she didn't want to talk about it, Matsuda and Motohama both agreed it most likely had to do with the fact she was gay, so they didn't press the issue further.

Upon arriving at Kuoh, Matsuda reluctantly handed Rei over to a group of medics to get her back checked out. They insisted on letting them check him out as well but he assured them he was fine. His cuts and bruises were already gone and the burn on his arm had already scabbed over and healed up for the most part.

Saya left with her parents to have a long talk with them about everything she needed to know about her bloodline while Azuka took Motohama to find his mother. Aika and Matsuda left to go find their parents as well. Upon being reunited with his family, Matsuda had a tearful moment as the relief of seeing them alive and well finally boiled to the surface. This was quickly replaced, however, with a boatload of questions.

After a long and somewhat arduous talk with his folks, the mystery finally began to reveal itself. As his parents explained it, their souls were bound to the service of the Gremory clan in exchange for saving his life. The disease he had suffered from as a teenager apparently being far worse than he originally thought. It would have eventually killed him if Rias's father had not intervened. As payment, their souls were bound to the Gremory House to serve as Demons.

As was his.

This was, naturally, a lot for Matsuda to take in. So after catching up with his parents, he decided to go find Motohama. Who had just finished talking with his mom outside one of the medical tents set up on the President's lawn.

"I still can't believe it." Motohama spoke in numb disbelief as they walked through the military camp aimlessly. "Mom always told me Dad died in a car accident...to think he was killed by one of those things...those creatures we fought on the way here."

Matsuda nodded in understanding. "My story isn't much better. That disease Mom and Dad said I had...it doesn't exist. I had a tumor the size of an orange in my brain. It would have killed me if your Uncle hadn't convinced my folks to strike a deal with Rias's dad."

"Did they give you the same bullshit excuse for lying about it that my mom gave me?" Motohama asked, a hint of irritation in his voice.

"Something to the effect of _we didn't want you to know until you had to." _Matsuda recited.

"Man...can you believe them? Hiding something this major from us like that?"

He shrugged. "Honestly, after everything that's happened I can't even get worked up about it. It's not like this changes anything."

Motohama shook his head. "I don't know man, I feel like now that we're not the same useless scrubs we used to be, we may have to consider the fact they won't just erase our memories like they're planning on doing to the other surviving humans."

Matsuda quirked a brow at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean...what if they expect us to...you know, do shit?" He asked cautiously. "Like...be full fledged Demons for the ORC or whatever."

He thought about it for a moment. "Would you be upset if I said I think I'd be cool with that?"

Motohama snickered at him. "Honestly, I'm not completely opposed to the idea myself. Now that we have these abilities, it would be nice to have an excuse to put them to use."

"Besides…" Matsuda added. "...if going back to my normal life means losing all my memories of Rei, I'd rather give my soul up right here and now."

"Speaking of which...how's she doing?" He asked worriedly.

"She's still recovering in one of the medical tents. And...talking with her parents as well."

"I still can't believe they're actually alive." Motohama shook his head at the thought. "Christ, can you imagine?"

"I can't...I'm more worried about her health if I'm being honest. That was a nasty hit she took to her back." A scary thought crossed his mind. "What if she can't-"

"Rei's gonna be just fine, Dude." Motohama assured with a grin. "I mean...if these Devils can cure your head tumor, they can deal with an injured back just as easily."

Relief washed over him. "You're right. I'm getting worked up over nothing."

Matsuda and Motohama's conversation came to a stop as they observed, off in the distance, Aika speaking with two older women. While they couldn't hear what they were talking about, it was clear by the look in Aika's eyes they were arguing about something.

"What's going on over there?" Matsuda asked curiously. "Who are those two ladies?"

Motohama narrowed his eyes at the two older women more carefully. "I think...those are her parents."

"Wait...she has two moms?" He asked in confusion.

Aika spotted Matsuda and Motohama from afar and frowned at them. She waved goodbye to her parents before making her way over to them, that same forlorn look on her face.

"So what's the deal, Bra?" Matsuda asked her in a friendly tone. "You didn't tell us you had two moms."

"There's a reason for that…" She sighed glumly. "...I've always been weird when it came to the subject of my parents."

"Because they're both women?" Motohama guessed.

She nodded sadly. "Japan's not the worst country in the world to be stuck in if you're gay. But they've always been iffy about laws regarding equal rights for the LGBT community. Whenever people find out I have gay parents, they always have the same reaction. _Oh, she's gay because her parents are gay._" Aika sighed despondently. "It's a stereotype I've had to live with my whole life."

They both frowned at her pityingly.

"Hey...we're sorry you have to go through that." Motohama insisted.

"It ain't right. No matter which way you slice it." Matsuda added.

Aika shrugged. "Honestly? Considering what I just found out, that's the least of my concerns right now."

They both gave her quizzitive looks.

"Like I said, Japan's laws regarding same sex couples are still behind the times. They can't legally get married the same way a straight couple can...which means they're exempt from adoption laws and sharing each other's insurance."

"So...what does this have to do with you?" Motohama asked curiously.

"My parents always wanted a child." She explained. "But adoption wasn't an option for them so they had to get crafty." Aika hung her head dejectedly. "They always told me they went to the united states to get some sort of experimental insemination procedure done...turns out that was a bald faced lie."

"So your parents too, huh?" Matsuda guessed woefully.

"They made a pact with the Sitri Clan in exchange for having me." Aika explained. "I'm the product of magic, that's the reason I'm so magically inclined." She looked completely crestfallen. "I thought maybe the fact I had these powers made me special. Turns out I'm just a test tube baby."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with that." Motohama insisted vehemently.

"Yeah, it doesn't matter where you came from. You've got abilities that the two of us can only dream of. It's still pretty kickass."

She perked up a little. "You really think so?"

"Absolutely." Motohama assured with a genuine smile. "I think it's pretty cool that you were born through magic. It almost makes you sound like a child of prophecy or some crazy shit like that."

Finally, a smile formed on her features. "I...didn't really think about it that way." She chuckled. "Goodness...when you say it like that I feel tingly all over. Alright...I think I can grow to like the idea of being born through magic."

"That's the spirit." Matsuda encouraged.

"It still doesn't explain how we got these abilities." She adjusted her glasses. "Are they purely a product of whatever was in that vial? Or did we have them all along?"

"I don't know...but thinking about it makes my head hurt." Motohama admitted.

"We should find some answers." She declared. "Now that we know about this whole other world, I say it's high time we go straight to the ones behind it all. The ORC."

"First things first." Matsuda insisted. "I want to check on Rei and see how she's doing."

Aika nodded. "Good idea."

The group made their way to the medical tent where Rei was receiving treatment. Upon entering they found her to be alone, sitting up in bed, seemingly none the worse for ware. She smiled upon seeing them.

"Hey guys. Glad to see you're doing okay."

"We should be telling you that." Matsuda insisted with a relieved smile. "How are you feeling?"

She shrugged. "Apparently I had a bruised kidney and some fractured vertebrae. But given these people have access to alchemic medicines, it was basically like having a splinter removed."

"But how are you feeling now?" Aika asked.

"Still a little sore. My back is really stiff." She then shot Matsuda a chiding grin. "Also...my boobs still hurt from SOMEONE using them to stabilize an assault rifle."

Matsuda turned his eyes away and whistled innocently.

"So...how was it talking to your parents?" Motohama asked nervously. "That must have been weird."

She frowned and lowered her head. "Honestly, it's frustrating more than anything. I don't know how I should feel. Should I be happy? Pissed off? Joyful? Hurt? It's like my brain can't decide how it wants to process this information."

"Did they at least give a reason for letting you believe they were dead?"

"My parents are both Scouts for Lucifer's army." Rei explained. "Or at least...that's what they told me. Apparently something happened when I was really young and one of their targets tried to kill me. They decided I was better off living with my Grandfather after that. You can't be used as leverage if no one knows you exist, right?"

"That's all they gave you?" Aika asked in disbelief.

"That's all I could listen to." She admitted. "I just...need time to process this. I told them we would talk more about it later, but for now…" Rei sighed. "Did my Grandfather know about this? If so, how long has he kept it hidden from me? I'm still just trying to come to terms with the fact that most of my life has been a lie."

"We all are. That's something we have in common at least."

Everyone turned to see Saya leaning against the doorway, a steely look in her eyes.

"And I don't know about the rest of you. But after hearing everything my parents just told me, I'm feeling severely pissed off right now." She grinned at them, a single fang protruding from the upper right corner of her mouth.

"So I say, it's high time we got ourselves some answers."

* * *

Irina continued to scout the base of the hill with Aldin close at her back. The two of them had been checking the surrounding landscape together to make sure that no massive hordes of zombies were approaching the Church.

"Dammit." Irina quietly cursed from behind the tree she was hiding behind. A rather large horde was shambling up the hill on a direct path for the church. "They're here too."

"That makes three groups coming from three different directions." Aldin observed while readying his shotgun. "I'm not sure we can outmaneuver them this time, Irina."

She nodded in agreement. "Come on, we'll go back the way we came."

"Things are about to get interesting." He observed nonchalantly.

She didn't comment.

"I don't suppose you have a plan. Feel like sharing it with me?"

Irina narrowed her eyes at the approaching horde. "I do...but you're not gonna like it."

He smirked devilishly at her. "Hey, don't put words in my mouth. Let's hear it."

She sighed wearily. "Well...I think our best bet is to get them to follow us. Then I'll take care of them from there."

He snickered. "Guess that means we're running, huh?"

"Yep."

Irina pulled her revolver from her belt and fired it straight up into the air. The zombies immediately reacted to the gunshot and turned towards them. They ran off deeper into the woods as the undead proceeded to give chase.

"Okay, so now what?" Aldin calmly asked as they ran for their lives.

"Just stay close to me." She insisted while ducking under branches and jumping over logs.

They eventually made their way to a small hillside with a rather sheer drop off. Irina nimbly jumped down while Aldin chose to slide instead. Every zombie that was chasing them proceeded to fall face first in front of them, making them easy targets for his shotgun and her Excalibur Mimic.

Aldin couldn't help but laugh as he blasted another zombie's head off. "So they can climb up and down stairs but don't know how to react to a hill?"

"Their sense of balance is completely skewed." She explained while cutting them to ribbons with her Excalibur Mimic. "But their recovery time is flawless."

"Still…" He blasted another zombie with buckshot. "...once you figure out their attack patterns they stop being quite as scary. This is almost laughable."

"Best not let your guard down." She insisted while mopping up the rest. "Now's not the time to get sloppy."

They finished mopping up the rest of the horde in quick succession. Using the hillside to their advantage, it didn't take long for the two of them to clear out every zombie that had given chase. After which they harmlessly dissolved on the ground and all became quiet once more.

"We should remember this place if any more hordes decide to show up." Irina insisted.

Aldin slung his shotgun over his shoulder and grinned at her. "Man, you really are something else, you know that? What did you say it was you did for a living before all this?"

She frowned at him. "No offense to you whatsoever, Mr. Zefford. But now really isn't the time to get into my past."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Hey, suit yourself. I'm just trying to make small talk." After a moment of silence, he scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "So...you got a boyfriend?"

Irina made a small indignant noise and turned red. "Th...that's none of your business!"

Aldin laughed at ther. "Oh come on. This is going to be a really long perimeter check if you don't open up at least a little. A pretty young thing like you with those kinds of skills? You must have guys left and right chasing after you. You really mean to tell me there's not ONE guy who stands out? A highschool crush at least?"

Her expression glowered and she turned her head away. "Well...there was one guy."

"Oh?" He quirked a brow at her in intrigue. "By the tone of your voice I'm guessing there's history there?"

After a long, thoughtful, silence she turned her head up towards the clouds. "We shared a lot together. For a long time, he was the only family I had." She placed a hand over her heart and shut her eyes. "I...almost thought it was love. What we shared."

"I take it whoever this guy is, he didn't feel the same way about you?" Aldin guessed.

Irina shook her head solemnly. "It's complicated. He wanted me to be something I couldn't." She sighed. "Look, I'm not exactly ready to talk about this. Especially with someone I hardly even know."

"Hey, don't get me wrong." He raised his hands defensively. "I'm not looking to pry into your personal business. I'm just bored is all."

She gave him an annoyed look. "Well what about you? What's your story in all this?"

"Me?" He looked up towards the treeline, that smile that never quite seemed to reach his eyes still present on his face. "I'm just a good for nothing guy who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Not much else to tell really."

Irina narrowed her eyes at him. She couldn't help but feel there was a lot more to it than that. Something about this guy...he just didn't strike her as another random survivor.

"You said you're a Billionaire?" She questioned a little more insistently. "How is it you're here? And not holed up in some private bunker with a boatload of security? Or better yet, how is it you managed not to escape on some private helicopter?"

He chuckled in amusement. "What can I say? It was a rather nasty string of bad luck that brought me here." After a moment, he then added a little more calmly. "But in all honesty...this situation isn't so bad. If I'm being completely honest, I'm rather enjoying myself."

She gave him a disbelieving look.

"Just letting the rage out...this feeling of primal power. The will to survive...the human condition." He snickered to himself. "What can I say? It's been awhile since I've been this entertained."

"You stuck around because...you're having fun?" Irina asked, not sure how she was supposed to feel about this.

He bowed and shook his head, his eyes shut. "Truth be told, I'm no better than the ones who orchestrated all this. If anything, I sympathize deeply with their ideals. That feeling of power, of control over another person, it's the sort of thing I live for." With a sigh he then added. "But...I guess where I differ from the powers that be is that...I've lived long enough to regret what I've become."

"So then why become what you are?" She asked, genuinely curious now. "What was the purpose?"

He laughed. "My decision wasn't so much a choice as it was a natural reaction to something I had no control over. The arrival of a conflict like this was always an inevitability. The variable was always when, not if. I don't see anything about what myself or the rest of us are doing here as a decision but an evolution."

The look she was giving him, it made him pause for a moment. But after awhile, he finally spoke again.

"You feel sorry for me. Don't you." He deduced with an amused chuckle. "Feel sorry for yourself. One day the world's going to look back on us the way we look at fossil skeletons on the plains of Africa. An upright ape living in crude dust and with a dull, primitive language. All set for extinction."

Irina took in everything he said and, after thinking about it for a moment, grinned at him angrily. "What a disgusting philosophy."

He gave her an inquisitive look.

"That's your whole outlook? That the human race is just out of gas? Circling the drain with the rest of the extinct species?" She gripped the revolver on her hip. "Honestly, that's just pathetic." Irina got directly in his face and glared at him determinedly. "You really want to know why I gave up the man I love? Why I continue to give up everything I love for the sake of others?"

Again, he simply continued to peer at her searchingly.

She clutched at her Mother's necklace. "It's because there's something I firmly believe in. Something that transcends my faith in God, or in the divine plan. And that is that the people who have the ability to change this world for the better. All, without exception, have the guts to abandon things important to them if they have to. They are those who even give up their very lives when pressed hard to outdo monsters. People who can't throw away something important will never change anything!"

He remained silent still.

"If you want to roll over and accept what's happening here then fine. But I won't give up on humanity that easily."

With that, Irina turned and made her way back towards the Church. Aldin smiled at her as she left.

"I think I'm starting to get what it is he sees in you."

* * *

Xenovia was escorted to the ORC Headquarters by two Scouts after spending some time in a holding tent under armed guard. Upon arriving at the now all too familiar Chapter Room, she was surprised to see not Rias behind the desk, but the asian girl with long raven hair. Akeno, she believed her name was.

"Ah good, you've arrived." She greeted her politely upon their arrival. "If you men would so kindly remove those handcuffs, we can handle security from here."

The Scouts escorting her removed the cuffs binding her wrists behind her back before saluting and making good on their exit. Xenovia cautiously approached the desk, still wary of Akeno's intentions.

"Please, have a seat."

A chair appeared behind Xenovia much to her surprise. She sat down cautiously before turning her full attention to the woman behind the desk.

"I apologize in advance for the President's absence. She is undergoing a rather precarious ritual in preparation for the coming assault. Leaving me...the Vice President, in charge while she's away." Akeno explained.

"How precarious?" She asked with her arms folded in front of her.

For a moment, Xenovia saw her frown in concern. However, as soon as she did she was right back to that bright, professional demeanor.

"That's not something you need to worry about." The Vice President assured. "Given the nature of your business here, I'd rather focus on the present issue." She relaxed back in her seat with her hands folded on the desk in front of her. "I trust the soldiers treated you respectfully?"

"As respectfully as could be expected for a prisoner." She spoke matter of factly. "I'm not questioning your desire to exercise caution around me. But if I may offer some advice in the future. Find better handcuffs. Those things may as well have been composed of tinfoil for all the good they would have done."

Akeno chuckled at her in sardonic amusement. "Well see, that's just it. They weren't meant to restrict your movements."

Xenovia quirked a brow at her. "Then what, pray tell, was the purpose of them?"

"To see whether or not you intended to play by our rules." Akeno spoke with ernest severity. "We may have done business together in the past, but given your connection to the Church and the presence of Lord Lucifer here on campus, we needed to be sure you did not possess ulterior motives."

She smirked. Xenovia assumed that's what it was. The ORC was sending her a message. They were in control now. This wouldn't be like last time. If she wanted to negotiate, she would be doing so entirely on their terms.

Akeno reached under the desk and placed the case containing the Holy Swords on the table. "I take it this is what you wished to discuss with us?"

She nodded. "I brought them to you in the hopes you could keep these relics out of Kokabiel's hands."

Akeno peered at Xenovia searchingly, as if trying to discern any sort of dishonesty or attempts at manipulation from her.

"It's a curious thing...you suddenly entrusting us with the Vatican's most dangerous weapon." A wicked grin covered her lips. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

Xenovia's gaze fell to the carpet as pain welled up in her being.

"May I take a guess?" Akeno requested. "You found something in those files you stole from the Fallen Ones. Something that has...made you question your allegiances?"

She remained silent.

"Given what you've learned, I imagine trusting your order with these relics is also something you're currently questioning. Given what you know, there's every possibility they'll have you excommunicated...or worse. And given the current state of the city, you've come to the foregone conclusion that the only chance you have of survival is to throw your lot in with us?"

Again she said nothing.

"So, in actuality, these swords are not merely weapons you desire to keep out of Kokabiel's hands. They're also your bargaining chip. A bribe to grant you asylum here." Akeno leaned forward on the table with a devious, piercing look in her eyes. "How am I doing so far?"

An angry smile formed on Xenovia's features. "You're every bit as shrewd and calculating as your Master. I'll give you that."

Akeno snickered in playful delight. "Why thank you. I consider that to be quite the compliment."

"You've obviously deduced what it is I want." She continued undeterred. "These swords cannot be allowed to fall into Kokabiel's hands. Nor do I have any desire to be hunted down and butchered by his forces. An alliance with you was the logical conclusion. In exchange for my safety, I offer you the swords. It's that simple."

She nodded in understanding, her smile growing in size. The look in Akeno's eye was making Xenovia lose her nerve. It was clear the Vice President knew something that she didn't and it made her nervous.

"It is certainly a sound plan, to be sure. And you've done well in making it this far." Her smile widened until her teeth were showing. "Unfortunately...I fear that you may have made a slight miscalculation."

Akeno proceeded to pop open the latches on the case and slowly raise the lid before turning it towards Xenovia.

Her heart sank in her chest and the color drained from her face. The case was empty. The Holy Swords she had been guarding so fervently were not there.


	31. Chapter 31

"What do you mean the swords are missing?!"

Xenovia stood up from her seat and slammed her hands down on the desk. No matter how many times she stared at that empty case she refused to acknowledge what she was seeing. The Holy Swords COULDN'T be gone. There was just no way! She wouldn't have been so careless as to grab the wrong case.

"Like I said, you miscalculated." Akeno calmly shut the case and placed it beside the desk. "You trusted your partner far more than you should have."

At that moment, she was seeing red. That little fool! Irina must have stashed the swords away somewhere in the Church shortly before they left. She was never planning on letting Xenovia take the swords to Kuoh. She took the decision completely out of her hands before the journey even started.

"Unfortunately this puts us in a bit of a bind." Akeno calmly reached over to a nearby kettle and poured herself a cup of tea. "Your only bargaining chip is gone and Rias isn't here to vouch for your character. The presence of a Holy Sword User on campus is naturally...making some of the others a little bit nervous."

Xenovia felt a lump form in her throat. "So...what happens next?"

"I'll need to get in contact with Sona." She explained while picking up the old fashioned phone sitting on Rias's desk. "She'll know what to do."

As she went to punch in the keys for Sona's number, lightning danced off her fingertips and power surged through her body. Xenovia felt her heart thudding in her chest as the phone began to ring.

"She may be busy." The Vice President observed with the phone up to her ear, her nails gently strumming against the wooden desk as they surged with electrical energy.

The phone continued to ring and Akeno smiled at the Holy Swordswomen.

"That wouldn't be good." She spoke plainly.

Xenovia was in trouble, no mistake about it.

At that moment, the door to the Chapter Room opened.

"Hey Akeno, we've got guests." Koneko commented bluntly.

The Vice President placed the phone down and quirked a brow at their Rook curiously. "You mean besides her?"

She nodded. "Those two perverts and their girlfriends are here."

"Really? I wasn't expecting them quite so soon."

"Oh yeah, and also the gay one." Koneko added.

"Very well." Akeno placed the phone back on its pedestal before motioning with her hand. "Please send them in."

The Rook nodded and left. Leaving Xenovia in a tense stare off with the impossible to read Queen of the ORC. Moments later, Koneko returned with five humans in tow.

"So this is what the inside looks like." Aika marveled at the gothic decor as they wandered into the Chapter Room.

"Man...they don't mess around with the decor, do they?" Matsuda pointed out.

Saya scoffed, seemingly unimpressed. "A little on the nose if you ask me. I mean pentagrams? How obvious can you get?"

"What are you guys doing here?" Xenovia asked worriedly upon them entering.

The whole group beamed at her.

"Good to see you're doing okay, Xenovia." Rei commented with a friendly tone.

She smiled at her. "You as well. How is your back?"

"Stiff, but I'll live." Rei assured. "We're more worried about you."

"Yeah! When my Uncle had you arrested like that we didn't know what to think." Motohama added.

Akeno couldn't help but crack a small smile. "My but haven't you lot certainly become close since joining forces. I can see why Rias and Sona have expressed interest in you."

They all gave the woman sitting behind the desk peculiar looks.

"Wh...what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Saya asked nervously.

"Perhaps we should start at the beginning." Akeno offered before standing up from her desk. "Please, everyone take a seat on the couches while I make us some more tea. There's a lot we need to discuss."

* * *

Akeno poured tea for everyone before covering everything they needed to know. About the ORC, about their nature as Devils…

...about Jon.

It was a lot for them to take in. But the more she explained the more it became clear to all of them that this weird rabbit hole they'd fallen down went a lot deeper than they initially realized.

"So even the Honor's Committee is run by a Devil Peerage?" Aika pondered this information in absolute bewilderment.

"Every aspect of campus life is controlled by our combined families." Akeno explained. "Kuoh Academy was conceived and funded by both the Sitri Clan and the Gremorys as a means for Rias and Sona to study alongside humans and gain knowledge and power over the mortal realm."

"So...this whole campus was built purely for the sake of two people?" Rei asked in disbelief.

"And here I thought I was entitled." Saya muttered to herself before taking another sip of her tea.

Akeno giggled in amusement. "Your families are all indentured Demons of our combined houses. That's why you were given access to the campus." Her smile faded somewhat upon turning to Rei. "Well...except for you, Dear. You were something of a special case."

Rei lowered her head solemnly, upon which Matsuda wrapped his arm around her waist assuringly.

"Initially, we were going to respect your parents wishes and NOT bind you to our service. Your parents wanted all of you to live normal, human lives and given everything they've done for us we felt they were entitled to that request." She smirked at them. "However, given everything that's happened, that will most likely change. Once our President returns with her Pawn, we may need to discuss a more long term arrangement for the five of you."

That made them all nervous. What was it they would be expected to do?

"In the meantime, I believe there is a matter you can help us with." Akeno moved on to the next issue. "As Xenovia so kindly explained, the Holy Swords thought to be in her possession still remain at the Church near the edge of town."

She nodded in confirmation. "The Fallen Angels still think we have them, but it won't remain that way for long. Once the invasion kicks off, they'll be gunning for her."

"Along with every healthy human seeking refuge there." Akeno added. "If something isn't done, they'll all be slaughtered."

"So why haven't you done anything then?" Saya challenged.

"The short answer is we can't." The Vice President explained bluntly. "My Peerage is stuck here until our Master returns. And Sona is busy preparing for the primary invasion force's arrival alongside our other ally the Phenex Clan." She then grinned at them. "You lot, however, might be able to help us out."

"Us?" Matsuda asked nervously. "But...we're not Soldiers. I mean, yeah we did alright against the zombies, but I'm clueless about fighting a real war."

She shook her head assuredly. "It shouldn't matter. Between the three of you…: She motioned to Motohama and Aika as well. "...you should be more than capable of getting past any stray zombies that might be in your way while our main force keeps the bulk of Kokabiel's army at bay."

Motohama narrowed his eyes at her quizitively. "So...what would we be doing exactly?"

Akeno grinned at him wickedly. "We'll be sending you to the Church to retrieve the Holy Swords. Consider it your first assignment as newly realized Demons."

Saya shot up from her seat. "You can't send them back out there all alone! Powers or no powers it would be suicide!"

"Have no fear, I've no intention of sending them alone." Akeno turned towards Xenovia. "You will be going with them. Consider this your chance to redeem yourself."

Xenovia nodded in understanding. "I'll do it."

"In addition. We'll be sending you with a Devil who has exceptional experience when it comes to warfare and modern combat. He will act as your squad leader during the assignment and guide you through the city."

"It's still too dangerous." Rei insisted, her grip firm on Matsuda's arm. "We should go with them."

"I can't allow that." Akeno insisted apologetically. "The two of you have yet to develop any powers of your own." Her smile returned. "However...as I understand it, Lady Sona and her Queen are both very interested in changing that."

Saya and Rei both gave each other weird looks before returning their attention to Akeno.

"While they carry out this field assignment. You two will be assisting in the lab. That is what has been decided."

"This is even assuming Irina will give up those swords willingly." Aika spoke up. "What if she tries to fight us?"

"I somehow doubt it will come to that." Akeno assured. "You see, we're not just going to have you retrieve the Swords, you'll be rescuing survivors as well."

Matsuda immediately perked up. "We will?"

She nodded. "In exchange for her compliance, we will agree to offering every civilian in Irina's camp shelter from the coming storm. Thousands of lives will be spared." Akeno then added with a slight edge to her voice. "But ONLY if she agrees to give up the swords."

Saya grinned wickedly at her. "So that's it then? It's not so much a negotiation as it is an ultimatum. If she doesn't comply, those survivors are as good as dead."

"Which means she'll be given no choice this time." Xenovia observed. "Knowing what I do of Irina, she won't let innocent lives suffer even for something as precious as the Holy Swords."

"We will have the swords one way or another." Akeno assured. "Even if we have to walk over her corpse to get to them. This is the only solution that keeps her and the surviving members of this city alive."

Xenovia frowned in guilt. She hated forcing Irina's hand this way. It felt like she was stabbing her old partner in the back. But what choice did they have? Akeno was right. Without Kuoh's protection they were as good as dead.

Matsuda stood up from his seat, a look of determination in his eyes. "I'll do it."

"Matsuda?" Rei cast him a worried frown.

"I couldn't do anything to help those people back at the flat." He spoke painfully while clenching both his fists. "But now I've got a chance to use these powers I was given to save others from sharing their fate. That alone to me is worth it."

Though she still bore deep concern in her eyes, she couldn't help but smile at him all the same.

"I'm with you too." Motohama declared, standing up as well. "If we let these Fallen pricks attack Irina, we're basically giving them permission to kill her. That doesn't sit well with me."

Saya scoffed at him and rolled her eyes. Though inside, her heart was racing nervously in her chest.

"I'm going also." Aika declared with a prideful grin. "You idiots would be clueless without me. And besides, you're not the only one who needs to clear their conscience, Matsuda. I owe it to a certain teenager to make sure those survivors get somewhere safe."

Akeno smiled at the three of them. It was hard to believe that this was the same group of goofball humans she would see hanging around Jon on campus. The virus may have mutated their DNA...but these spirits? That was entirely them.

They would make incredible Demons, of that she had no doubt.

"Now then, we're giving you a day to train and prepare. I've taken the liberty of finding instructors for all three of you. Listen well to everything they tell you and you'll come out of this alive. I guarantee it."

* * *

Matsuda couldn't help but feel like the 'training' he was expecting to receive wasn't exactly what had been initially advertised. When Akeno explained that he'd be training with badass Orcish warriors he was thrilled.

Instead, he was sitting in a war tent, quietly trying not to scream like a little girl while one of these giant creatures tattooed his arm with ancient looking tools he somehow doubted were sterile.

"Be still." The Orc working on him grumbled in annoyance. "Or the Tat will not come out correctly."

"Yeah but…" He clasped a hand over his mouth to stop himself from puking. The pain was beginning to make him nauseous. "...why am I getting this? What's the reason?"

"All warriors trained by the Wolf's Claw Clan receive the Tat." He explained. "Even a lowly grunt like you."

"But I'm not a part of your clan." He insisted, his arm burning from the needle being repeatedly jabbed into his skin.

The Orc snarled at him viciously. "You expect us to train you without honoring our customs?"

He paled. "N...no no! Not at all!"

After glaring at him a moment longer, the Orc continued to jab ink into his arm. "You may be a lowly grunt, but swimming the tides of the undead so ill equipped and unprepared as you were makes your actions worthy. Which is why you're receiving the Tat." At last he finished and placed his tools away. "As I explained, your instructor will be Nashala. She awaits you outside the tent."

"She?"

"Go now." The Orc commanded. "Our Chieftain is not a patient woman."

Without a second's delay, Matsuda got up from the chair and left the tent. It was weird being surrounded by these humongous burly beings. All decked out in heavy looking armor and carrying around massive weapons.

Yet it was the one figure who was just a little bit shorter than the others that stood out to him the most. As Matsuda approached the Orc who was going to be instructing him, he couldn't help but notice that even Orc women appeared to be no joke. Though a little shorter and lither than her male counterparts, his instructor still looked really freaking hardcore.

According to what the dude giving him the ink said, Nashala was something of an oddity among the Orc Clans. Female warriors were a rarity among their species. For one to not only become a warrior, but ascend to the rank of Chieftain made Nashala a figure who was both feared and respected by her fellow Orc Tribes.

He just really hoped word hadn't reached her ears about the kind of pervert he used to be. By the look she was giving him already, it wasn't clear if Nashala intended to train him or eat him.

As he approached, Matsuda waved to her. "I was...told to come to you for training?" He laughed nervously.

With that same angry scowl on her face, Nashala approached him and grabbed his freshly tatted up arm. Inspecting it thoroughly.

"The Heron, the Shark, and the Spider." She spoke aloud. "Strange that Maugra would see fit to bless you with all three, Grunt." Nashala then peered into his eyes searchingly. "But perhaps he sees strength in you that I do not."

"Errr…." He kept his cool, but inside he was sweating bullets.

"I know who you are, Mah'Tsuda." She pronounced his name as it would be spoken in Orcish, the language of her people. "You are a warrior. Same as us. The Tat proves it." Her expression soured again. "But you are still a child in our eyes. The way you stand, the way you walk, it screams of fear and hesitation. We must do away with such weaknesses." Nashala beckoned for him to follow. "Come with me."

As they walked together, his curiosity got the better of him. "So what are you going to teach me?"

She shook her head gruffly. "I am not going to teach you. I am going to free you." As they wandered the camp she presented the members of her tribe, training, cleaning their weapons, and drinking some strange green substance from large oak barrels. "The spirits of War call to you. As they call to me. As they call to my men. We have answered that call readily. And now, it is your turn."

"And you lead these men?"

She chuckled at him in amusement. "They follow me for my strength. A strong woman breeds strong warriors. These men respect my prowess on the battlefield and they pine for my affection in the camp." She boasted pridefully. "I could have any one that I choose but my soul belongs only to the Draka."

"Draka?"

She cleared her throat gruffly. "In the language of man, they are known as Dragons." While explaining, she pointed to the carvings on their tents. "Our people have worshipped the Wild Spirits since before the time of our great descent. But the Draka is the most sacred of all our ancient Loa."

"You worship Dragons?"

Nashala nodded. "The Great Devil is our King but the Draka is what gives us life. It was the Great Wild Flame's fire that gave birth to the Orcai people. Or so the legends go."

She suddenly stopped dead in her tracks.

"I am a warrior without peer. My soul, my heart, my body, they are worthy of none but a Dragon. That is why I have yet to take a mate." She stared back at him, a strange curiosity now present in her eyes. "You are...friends with the Wild Flame, yes? The one who is Emperor even among Dragons?"

"Y...you mean, Jon?" He stuttered nervously. "Yeah, we're buddies."

"Tell me…" She turned her head away, suddenly becoming uncharacteristically demure. "...what is he like? Do the legends truly hold up? Is he as...beautiful a creature as I have been lead to believe?"

Matsuda gulped back his reservations. "Well...I…"

"Please I...I wish to know."

Shd almost sounded desperate. This was clearly something that bore a great deal of significance to Nashala. But he didn't know anything about the Wild Flame, he only knew Jon. The charismatic southern charmer who never took anything too seriously yet always seemed to have the solution to everyone's problems.

After thinking about it for a moment, he finally spoke.

"Jon is...he's impossible not to notice. Sure he's a cool guy at his heart, and when you first look at him you wouldn't think he was terribly threatening…and yet, beneath all that. Beneath what you see on the surface, you get the sense that there's more going on. A LOT more. It's not something you can really see. It's more like something you feel. It drives women towards him like bees to a honey flower. And it makes men like me either furious or terrified whenever we see it. You get the sense that Jon isn't really there when you talk to him. That the real Jon is miles above you, way up in the clouds with the rest of the Gods."

She took in all this information, let it sink deep into her spirit, and finally did something he had yet to see her do.

Nashala smiled.

"I hope one day to meet him." She spoke in a softer tone than what he was accustomed to. "At the very least, I wish that much."

As soon as her smile appeared, it was gone just as quickly.

"Until then, I will paint myself in the blood of his enemies."

Matsuda gulped and nodded nervously. "Sounds...sounds cool. More power to ya."

Nashala pointed towards one of the tents where a large furnace was located. "You will receive your weapons and armor from there. Once you are ready, we will begin."

"Do you really think we will have the time to train me in one day?" Matsuda asked worriedly.

"I already said, I'm not training you. I am freeing you of your weakness." With a wicked, fang covered grin, she then added. "Afterwards, you will do as all Orcish children do, and train yourself on the battlefield."

* * *

While Matsuda trained with the Orcs, Motohama was busy having his ass beaten by a huge angry Russian guy. When his Uncle explained to him that the training they'd be doing didn't involve guns of any kind, he wasn't sure what to expect.

It certainly wasn't this though. Having the absolute tar knocked out of him while Azuka watched from the sidelines.

"Let me ask you something, Kid." His Uncle calmly pulled a cigar from his pocket and lit it. "Why are you here?"

"The fuck do you mean why am I here?!" He shot back at him angrily, his nose bloody and his cheek swollen. "You told me you were gonna train me!"

Motohama then took a swift shot to the gut by the Russian guy's knee, knocking the breath from his lungs and causing him to keel over.

"I said I would get you better prepared for what's gonna be out there." He calmly replied while puffing on his cigar. "If you think you've seen hell now Kid, you haven't seen jack shit compared to what's coming."

"If Mom knew about this-"

"Your Mom's not here!" Azuka barked at him angrily. "You think because you can shoot a gun suddenly you're a soldier? I got news for you buddy boy. Any idiot can figure out how to fire a gun. It's not that hard."

He was about to respond when the Russian guy brought him to his feet and knocked him senseless again.

"How does having some angry Russian guy beat me to a pulp teach me how to be a better soldier?" Motohama asked, still a bit loopy from that last shot.

Azuka chuckled. "This is Scout Sergeant Sergei Voklav. Ex-Spetnez and the best close quarters specialist in my unit. I've seen him do in a week what would normally take months of conditioning. He's your best bet if you wanna pick up on some survival skills fast enough to where you don't become dead weight the moment your team runs out of ammo."

"Okay but-"

Another shot sent him spinning to the ground again. Were it not for the super cells in his body, he was certain he'd be unconscious by now.

"I'd focus less on me and more on him." Azuka suggested while pointing to Sergei with his cigar. "You take too many more of those and you'll be counting sheep. I guarantee it."

Motohama used whatever strength he had left to slowly, shakily, rise back to his feet.

"You spend much time with guns, yes?" Sergei spoke in his thick Russian accent as he approached Motohama again.

"Yeah." He snarled before spitting out a clot of blood. "Put one in my hand and I'll show you how good I am with it."

His trainer chuckled sardonically before pulling out his MP-443 Grach and tossing it to him. "Very well."

Motohama caught the weapon, inspected it, checked for a round in the chamber, flipped the safety, took aim…

...and immediately had his face punched in again. That time for sure he was certain he heard his nose break.

"I am not so impressed." Sergei taunted before expertly disarming Motohama and re-holstering his weapon. "Gun cannot save you when gun is taken from hand, yes?"

He didn't respond. Mostly because he was still nursing his busted nose. His instructor proceeded to pull out a large serrated blade. "Do you know what this is?"

"That's a Kizylar Combat Knife." Motohama recited as if reading from a handbook. "First used by Russian Special Forces during the Cold Wa-"

He was cut off by another blow to the side of his head. "Battlefield is not the same as firing range." Sergei instructed. "Enemy will not wait patiently for you to reload or unjam firearm. Guns can fail you." He drove the knife blade first into the dirt of the training ring they were standing in. "THIS will never fail you. Knives do not jam, they do not run out of bullets, and if used properly, will kill each and every time without fail." He pointed to the ground. "Pick up knife."

Motohama slowly got back to his feet and took the knife in his hands.

"Stab me." Sergei ordered while baring his chest out to him.

"St...stab you?" Motohama stuttered nervously.

"Do not think. Just do." He thumped his fist against his chest and bared it to him again. "Now stab me."

"As in...with the knife?" Motohama looked at the six inch serrated blade and then at the man's chest. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Ah, okay." Sergei nodded in understanding. "So you are pussy then."

Motohama gave him an ugly look. "Wait what?"

"You are pussy." His Instructor repeated.

"No, I'm not a pussy." He argued, starting to get mad now.

"Da. You lack testicles, yes? There is pussy between your legs."

"Look, stop calling me that!" His grip on the knife tightened.

Sergei slapped his pecks and pumped out his chest. "Come on, Pussy!"

Motohama lunged with the knife, intent on stabbing him in the gut. Sergei deftly and expertly disarmed the knife while simultaneously side kicking him. Sending the hapless rookie tumbling into a nearby barrel. Motohama swung wildly with his right hand as the Russian approached. His Instructor responded by grabbing his wrist, slamming it against the top of the metal barrel, and driving the six inch blade through his palm. Burying it to the hilt.

The pain was such that Motohama couldn't even summon the will to scream. His face simply contorted in agony as his brain tried to catch up with what just happened to his hand.

"This is Systema." Sergei explained. "It is close quarters fighting style that makes disarming opponent no problem."

Motohama wasn't listening. He finally found it in his lungs to scream as the knife embedded in his hand was unceremoniously ripped from the barrel. He clutched at his wounded palm while writhing on the ground, oblivious to everything around him.

Sergei sighed in frustration before muttering to himself in Russian. He then looked over at Azuka who nodded. Motohama's uncle then produced a green canteen with a healing cross emblazoned on the front before tossing it to Sergei.

"Show me wound." He ordered while unscrewing the plastic cap.

Motohama had finally managed to regain his senses enough to process what he was saying. Though coherent enough to understand, he was reluctant to show him his palm given what he just did.

"Just trust me. I make better." He assured.

Finally, cautiously, Motohama raised his wounded palm out to him. Sergei proceeded to pour the slightly green liquid onto the gaping wound in his hand and he instinctively pulled away at the sudden sharp pain that followed. He then watched, however, as the liquid traveled into his wound, bubbled like peroxide, and the pain began to fade away. After wiping away the excess bubbles and blood, he found his palm to be completely intact.

"See? Good as new." Sergei declared before offering him the canteen. "Now you drink."

"What is this stuff?"

He rolled his eyes before commenting snarkily. "Is health potion like in your nerdy World of Warcraft. Now drink before I stab you again."

Motohama took the canteen without another second's hesitation and chugged. The taste was horribly bitter as he downed a healthy portion of its contents. But taste aside, once he was done drinking he began to notice something miraculous happening. His head was no longer throbbing. His vision no longer swirled. His nose wasn't sensitive to the touch anymore. And finally, any trace of swelling all but disappeared.

He wasn't kidding, this thing really was a health potion.

"Is good yes?" Sergei asked while offering him a hand up.

"Yeah...I feel a lot better." Motohama admitted while rising up to his feet.

"Good. Then we can resume training."

He blanched. "Wait, wh-"

Before he could finish his sentence, another fist connected with his face. Sending Motohama flying to the ground once more.

* * *

Aika channeled her magic as was instructed to her and held the spell. Surrounding herself in a shield of magic.

"Now focus, Aika." Her instructor commanded. "You can do this. Concentrate."

"I'm...trying…" She strained against the draining effect of the barrier.

Her instructor summoned her own magic and cast a bolt of arcane power at Aika's barrier. The spell hit the shield, shattering it, and sending the hapless girl flying to the floor yet again.

She sighed. "If I had even used a fraction of my true power there you would have been destroyed."

"I don't know Reya. I'm beginning to think maybe my magic just isn't as strong as you think it is." Aika commented while standing to her feet and brushing herself off.

Reya shook her head vehemently. "See, that's the problem right there. You're getting into your own head every time you cast a spell."

She hung her head shamefully.

"Listen, I am not your enemy here." Her Instructor lectured. "Fear, doubt, hesitation, insecurity, these are the things you truly need to worry about. They are a poison that will destroy your ability to cast spells effectively if you allow them to run rampant."

Aika had been training with Reya Kusaka for the better part of the day down in the Honor's House sub-basement. As a direct descendant of the Mythical Witch Baba Yaga, she was in a league almost all her own when it came to pure raw talent with the Arcane Arts. The Sitri Bishop was almost without peer. Her Master and President, Sona herself, being the only possible exception when it came to Mastery over the Arcane. She was the perfect teacher for Aika.

Yet that didn't change the fact that it felt like she hadn't progressed even a little bit since they started. Maybe it was asking too much to see results in a day. But as Reya explained it, most of the things she was teaching her were fairly elementary for a witch. Which just frustrated her even more.

"Magic is something you are born with." Reya explained. "All humans, whether they are aware of it or not, possess some latent form of magical energy inside of them. Normally it's so minute and diluted, however, that being able to use it to cast spells is all but impossible. But due to the unique circumstances of your birth, you possess a far greater reserve of latent magical energy than others. That mutation formula you and your friends inhaled may have brought your potential to the surface, but you've always possessed this gift Aika." She spoke encouragingly. "I can feel the power within you. You just need to learn how to wield it properly."

At that moment, Aika's vision began to swim and her nose started to bleed. "Ugggh, not again."

Reya chuckled sympathetically. "Happens to the best of us." She used her magic to conjure forth a floating table with an ornate tea set resting upon it. She poured Aika a cup of tea before offering it to her. "Drink this, it will help replenish your magic reserves."

Aika sipped on the tea before helping herself to one of the chocolates on the table. Reya then conjured two floating stools and they both sat down.

"Well if there's one thing I can say for sure. I bet the boys aren't having this much fun with their training."

Reya laughed quietly before helping herself to some tea. "That's the spirit. I know things seem hopeless now, but you've actually got a lot of natural talent for this."

"You really think so?"

She nodded. "The fact you were able to cast any magic at all with little to no training is pretty impressive."

Aika smiled though her eyes bore sadness. "Maybe…" She placed her teacup down. "...but I'm nothing compared to Asia."

Reya stopped midsip and set her cup down as well. "You mean the Gremory Bishop? The one with that beautiful golden blonde hair?"

She nodded, a wistful sigh escaping her lips. "That's the one. It was actually seeing her magic that lead me to discover my own. She performed some sort of vanishing spell. I'm not sure what it was exactly but she made it look so effortless. Knowing what I do now about magic, I can't help but be impressed. Her form was so poised, so beautiful." A deep blush set into Aika's cheeks. "Just like her…"

A knowing grin crossed Reya's lips. "Is that a hint of affection I hear in your voice?"

She nodded silently, her face turning even redder.

"Ooo la la." Reya giggled. "How scandalous of you."

Aika chuckled and shook her head. "It's really not that big of a deal. She's a part of Jon's little harem of women." Her expression glowered. "She doesn't see me that way. Not like how I see her."

Reya nodded in understanding. "It's tough isn't it? Seeing her kiss other girls and knowing it won't ever be you?"

She gave the Bishop a curious look. "You know what that's like?"

Reya scoffed dramatically. "You think you've got it bad? Try being the only gay woman in a Peerage of gorgeous ladies who are ALL obsessed with the only male in your group."

Aika was genuinely surprised. She wouldn't have guessed that she was gay also.

"One of our Pawns is a Dragon too." She explained. "Ever since he joined our Peerage the girls have all lost their minds over him. Ruruko was the first, but now even our Queen Tsubaki won't shut up about him." Reya sighed despondently. "The toughest one was our other Bishop, Momo. We used to be inseparable but now she'd rather spend time with Ruruko. We're still close, but it's not quite the same."

Aika frowned in sympathy for her. "I understand how that feels. It's like Asia would rather hang out with Rias or Koneko these days than me." A thought occurred to her. "Hey...have they ever...you know?"

She groaned in frustration. "All the freaking time! It was jarring enough when I saw them kiss, but now I'll walk by their rooms and just hear them...doing it. Just the two of them. Sammy wasn't even around! It was simultaneously confusing and infuriating all at once!"

"I know right?! The first time I saw Asia kiss Rias I wanted to throttle her."

"It's like, girl! You can't just say you wanna stay friends then start making out with our Freshman!" Reya added.

Both girls burst into laughter.

"All joking aside, I really am happy for Momo." She admitted. "I'm happy for all of them. The girls look so unbelievably happy with their Dragon and the Peerage feels so much more alive with him here." Her smile faltered. "But...even so….it kinda sucks knowing…"

"...that you'll always come second to him no matter what." Aika finished glumly.

They both looked at each other for a minute.

"You know, it's really nice getting to talk about this with someone going through the same thing." Reya admitted somewhat bashfully.

"It really is." Aika agreed. "Honestly, it's just nice getting to talk to another gay girl. Err...that is, one who was actually born that way and isn't the product of Dragon shenanigans."

She chuckled. "I understood what you meant."

They spoke at length about their frustrations regarding the Dragons. Reya explained how imprinting worked to Aika. Or at least what little she understood about it.

"So it really is consensual? You're absolutely certain?"

Reya nodded. "The love they feel for their Dragon comes from their own hearts. All the Imprint really does is magically bind them all together. That's how Tsubaki explained it to me at least."

"Still feels weird." She admitted.

"You were born human. This kinda stuff stops bothering you after a few decades as a Devil."

Eventually the conversation shifted to Reya's nature as a Devil. After talking at length about that for awhile, they eventually started talking about past relationships.

"And so she kept going on and on and on about how I was afraid to commit." Aika explained.

"What the hell did she expect you to do?" Reya asked in disbelief. "You were going to college. It's not like you can just put your life on hold because she's a year behind."

"I know!" She exclaimed in exasperation. "That's what I kept telling her."

After Aika finished griping about her exes, it was Reya's turn to open up.

"So that's why I stopped dating Orcs." She explained. "The sex was hot, but they're ridiculously pushy."

"I can only imagine." Aika took a sip from her cup and cast her gaze away awkwardly.

"Plus they live for a long time. It's not like dating humans. If things go bad, you can't just wait it out for a couple of decades until they die. Errr….no offense of course."

"Eh, none taken."

After awhile, the tone of the conversation began to shift.

"I keep telling her, it's not like I can help that I've got self esteem issues, Mom!" Aika sniffed as she began to well up. "They didn't go to my school. They didn't hear the things the other kids said to me. I was bullied almost every day I went to class."

Reya placed a reassuring hand on top of Aika's. "You were better than them. That's all it meant. You were better than every single one of those kids who rejected you."

"Shut up!" She broke down crying.

Things took a dramatic turn again. As soon after Aika stopped crying, Reya broke down.

"Look, it wasn't your fault." She insisted, trying to console a quietly weeping Reya. "They did it because they loved you. They wanted you to survive."

"Shut up…" She replied insincerely. "...if that were true, they would have survived with me."

"You know you don't believe that." Aika held Reya's hand in hers. "Your Coven was your family. And a family always does what's best for their child. That child was you."

Eventually the conversation simmered down again. Both girls laughed at each others jibes towards their overzealous friends and the Dragons they loved until Aika felt her magic reserves return to normal.

"It's just funny to me." Aika snickered. "She makes the stupidest face every time he so much as rolls up his sleeves."

Reya shrugged. "It must be a straight girl thing."

"Were they ever really straight though?"

"Not completely, I suppose." She admitted. "Of course, I could spend hours giving my thoughts on that."

Aika nodded in understanding. "Just as well, I think I'm good to get some more practice in."

Reya set down her tea cup and stood. "In that case, let's get back to work."

The table and stools vanished and they returned to their respective sides in the large antechamber.

"Alright, just like last time." She instructed. "Summon your power."

Aika focused on conjuring forth her magical energy, just like she did last time. Upon summoning her magic, however, something strange occured. Her hair began to float as if caught in a stream of nonexistent water, and her eyes began to glow.

Reya gasped in surprise, a hand over her mouth. "Aika you're doing so much better!"

"I...I am?"

She nodded excitedly. "I'm not sure what you did differently but your power just effectively doubled."

Aika smiled at her, a warm feeling enveloping her being. Somehow, she suspected that her sudden power increase had little to do with her.

And more to do with her marvelous teacher.

* * *

Saya and Rei were taken to Kuoh's biology lab where Tsubaki Shinra was eagerly awaiting them. After doing a routine physical on both ladies, she drew up some blood and ran a couple of tests.

"Interesting." Tsubaki peered through her microscope as she added a tiny amount of the mutagenic virus to their blood. "It seems the dormant devil blood in your veins is the catalyst by which this bizarre mutation occurs."

"So in other words, the fact that we're Demons is what's responsible for those three changing into what they are now?" Saya guessed.

Tsubaki adjusted her glasses and nodded. "Precisely. If my hypothesis is correct, this mutagenic strain reacts differently to Demon cells than it does human cells. We've already tested the effects on Devil blood and found it to be nonreactive. The virus doesn't affect us as it does humans." She then added with a prideful grin. "However, Demon's blood is a different matter. You possess some of the same antibodies as a Devil albeit while still having mostly human biology. It's the reason this mutant strain didn't turn those three into the ghoulish creatures you fought in the sewers."

Rei shivered at the thought.

"So...where does that leave us?" Saya asked suspiciously.

Tsubaki returned to her computer and began pulling up notes to add to them. "We've been working on a permanent solution to the zombie horde problem. And I personally believe the key to success lies within the second strain Valper has created."

"You're trying to find a cure for the zombies?" Rei asked hopefully.

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"But how? Stem cell research?"

She chuckled before wheeling her chair back around. "That's a most promising field, but no. What we're doing here is a bit more radical."

Saya considered everything she had seen and deduced what it was Tsubaki was referring to.

"Cross species genetic modification."

Tsubaki quirked an intrigued brow at her. "That's...actually correct."

Saya stuck her nose up in the air pridefully. "The basic theory is actually rather simple. If you can modify the genetic code of the virus using samples from a species that is immune to the pathogenic properties of the virus you could in theory not only create a vaccine, but reprogram the virus to cure damaged cells as opposed to destroying them. You're essentially trying to retrain the virus to work for you instead of Kokabiel."

The Sitri Queen grinned at her. "Precisely. However we've run into a slight problem on that front. We've tried various combinations of compounds created here in the lab on rodents, but none of them survived. The problem we seem to be having is-"

"The Decay Rate Algorithm." Saya deduced, again much to Tsubaki's astonishment.

"Okay, in english please?" Rei requested.

"It's an equation in microbiology." She explained while cleaning her glasses. "The Decay Rate Algorithm represents a series of continuous steps that has to do with successful cellular regeneration and hybridization of foreign cells. Especially in regards to cells from a species that is different from the host body. The basic idea is that you want to be able to introduce the foriegn genome without causing rapid cellular decline."

Rei stared at her in disbelief. "Okay...what did you say you were studying again?"

She shrugged. "Well technically I'm just here for a business degree. But I already have my double doctorate in biology and physics."

"Y...you have TWO Doctorate Degrees? And you got those while you were still in High School?"

Saya laughed obtusely. "Oh please. I graduated High School when I was thirteen. I've been studying abroad at various Universities around the world."

She stared dumbfounded at her while Tsubaki merely grinned approvingly. "I had heard rumors that the Takaga Family's youngest daughter was a gifted genius. But I realize now we underestimated your academic potential."

"Tends to happen a lot."

"Although…" She continued. "...it could be greater."

They both quirked their heads at her in intrigue.

"As it so happens. We need to run some more tests on this mutagen." She explained while wheeling over to a nearby specimen box. "I've prepared two doses that have been altered to prevent any potentially harmful side effects. Testing your blood after exposure should give us more insight into how we can use this to counter the virus that's spread throughout the city."

"Errr...you wanna expose us to that same thing that changed Aika, Matsuda, and Motohama?" Saya asked nervously.

"Yes." She replied in earnest before pulling two syringes from the fridge and turning around. "Though the dose we will be using is different and the method of delivery shouldn't cause as many side effects."

"But won't it still be dangerous?" Rei asked just as nervously.

Tsubaki nodded without hesitation. "Most definitely."

Saya and Rei both exchanged worried looks with one another.

"Do we have a say in this?"

She blew a breath through pursed lips. "I mean...technically you don't have a say in anything we do. But if you're adamant about not assisting our research I can find other volunteers…" Tsubaki narrowed her eyes at them cautioningly. "...however, you will have to agree to let us erase your memory of the past twenty four hours and join the other humans on campus in suspended hibernation for the remainder of the war."

Saya gave her a sour look. "You Devils and your ultimatums. I guess not everything about your species is a fabrication is it."

Tsubaki snickered at her, seemingly less than bothered by her comment. "It's nothing personal. We're just accustomed to getting our way." She then added with a cheeky look in her eyes. "You of all people should understand that feeling Ms. Saya."

She turned her head away and growled angrily. Saya clearly wasn't used to dealing with people whose egos matched hers. Rei, meanwhile, had already made up her mind.

"I'll do it."

Tsubaki smiled and nodded in approval. "Wonderful." She then turned her attention back to Saya. "Well...what do you say?"

She narrowed her eyes at Tsubaki warily, her arms still crossed. Rei gave her a look as if to say 'Don't worry. We're in this together.' After weighing the pros and cons for a moment, she finally relented.

"Fine, I guess I'm in."

"Wonderful. If you'll both please roll up your sleeves and present your arms."

Saya and Rei each rolled up a sleeve and held out their arms. While they did this, they took it upon themselves to also hold each other's free hand as they braced for what came next.

The injection was quick and virtually painless. After which Tsubaki placed an adhesive bandage on each of their arms as if it were a normal trip to the Doctor.

"There. That should do it."

They both blinked at each other in confusion. As if trying to look for some sort of change in the other person. Yet they found none.

"That's it?" Rei asked

Tsubaki nodded. "I never said the effects would be immediate. It will be a few hours before any physical symptoms manifest and by then you both should be asleep."

"Huh…" Saya commented in surprise. "...a bit anticlimactic if I do say so myself."

"It's science, Dear." Tsubaki insisted. "You should know already it isn't always going to be thrilling."

* * *

Aika left the Honor's House Dorms feeling refreshed and in great spirits. Reya was such an amazing woman in addition to being an incredible teacher and she felt like the brief time they had spent together really helped her grow as a person.

After her training, Aika made her way to the President's House. As it was explained to her, she'd be staying there along with the other members of her group until the mission began tomorrow morning. So long as they stayed out of the Devil's way while they were there, they were free to roam about the place and relax as they saw fit. After everything they'd been through, a good night's rest would do her mind and body good.

As she walked towards the President's House, a familiar face caught her eye.

"Matsuda! Over here!" She waved to him excitedly.

Upon seeing her waving, Matsuda smiled brightly and hoisted the heavy looking rucksack over his shoulder before jogging over to her. It was strange...even though it had only been a few hours, Matsuda looked different somehow. Stronger, more aware.

"Glad to see you're still in one piece." She joked.

"You as well." He commented.

"What's with the new gear?" Aika asked curiously.

He grinned smugly. "Oh that? Just a little going away gift after completing my rite of passage."

She quirked a brow. "Right of what now?"

"There you two are!"

They both turned to see Motohama running up to them. While he clearly had taken a few bumps he seemed to be for the most part intact.

"Man...is it just me or have you gotten bigger, Bro?" He commented upon seeing Matsuda.

"I was gonna ask about that actually." Aika added. "What did they have you do in that camp?"

He frowned thoughtfully. "It sure as hell wasn't easy. Their idea of training is so completely different from anything we might expect from a formal military."

"What did you do, exactly?" Motohama asked curiously.

"We went over a lot of different things. They showed me how to use my new gear. I received this." He showed them all the tattoo on his arm. "Oh yeah...and I also ate a heart."

Aika turned green. "You what?!"

He nodded. "Yeah, that was about my reaction too. Apparently all Orcai youths do it before they become a full blooded warrior. They consume the heart of a Hellspawn from the Lower Pits as a sort of right of passage. Completely raw."

"And you did it?" Motohama gawked at him in disbelief.

"It wasn't easy. The thing burns like acid going down. And my stomach felt like it was lighting on fire." He grinned. "But once I was through it, it felt like my muscles were pumping up and my stamina shot through the roof. They told me if I survived this ordeal, then they might consider actually training me."

Aika grinned pridefully and adjusted her glasses. "Well, MY training session with Reya was an absolute blast. And I must say, I feel a lot more confident as a newly realized witch than I did before."

"Kickass, Bra." Matsuda then turned to his buddy. "So what about you? How was it training with your Uncle?"

Motohama blanched and his brow began to sweat. Without a word he turned around and curled up in the fetal position.

"Uhhh, dude?"

"Rule number one of Mr. Sergei's training! You do not talk about Mr. Sergei's training!" He recited while trembling on the ground.

"You okay?" Aika asked worriedly. "You look a little pale."

"Rule number two of Mr. Sergei's training!" He recited even louder than before. "You do not talk about Mr. Sergei's training!"

"Hey, Saya! They're over here!"

Rei and Saya ran up to join the others after having finally left the lab. While Rei seemed to be in relatively good spirits, Saya was not. Something was clearly bothering her.

"How did it go?" Rei asked the group.

"Better than we expected." Matsuda replied positively. "At least...for the most part."

They all turned and looked at Motohama, who was still trembling on the ground.

Aika stretched her shoulder and yawned. "Well I don't know about the rest of you but I am beat. Between the zombies this morning and the super crazy crash course training we just did, I think it's time we call it a night."

"Agreed." Matsuda added.

"Yeah, some rest would be nice." Rei nodded.

"How can any of you sleep at a time like this?"

All eyes turned to Saya, who was still brooding angrily in the background.

"Don't you realize what's happening?" She spoke up sharply. "We're being drafted into a war! That training you three did today, it wasn't to make you better fighters. It was to make you better soldiers."

"I mean…" Aika ran a hand over her braid. "...yeah you're right. But what's the alternative? It's not as if we have a lot of choice in the matter."

"Exactly! That's the problem!" Saya insisted furiously. "Since the moment we got here everything has been decided for us. We've had zero input regarding anything to do with any of this. From our parents, from the Devils, it's like everything was set in stone before we even got here. Doesn't that bother any of you?"

Rei frowned and clutched at the bandage on her arm. "Maybe a little. It was strange being used as Guinea pigs like that."

"And that's another thing!" She continued. "Where do these Devils get off talking down to us like we're lesser beings? Since we got here they've been nothing but condescending and derogatory towards us in every conceivable way."

"Really?" Motohama stood up and gave her a curious look. "I thought Akeno was rather nice."

Saya scoffed and folded her arms. "She was nice to us in the same way you might be nice to a cute puppy or a newborn kitten. She only acted that way because she found us ENDEARING. She wasn't actually taking us seriously."

"I think you're blowing this out of proportion." Matsuda insisted. "We'd be dead if they hadn't taken us in."

She turned away defiantly and began walking towards the President's Mansion. "If you wanna blindly follow your new Masters like sheep then so be it. Me? I'm gonna have a word with my parents about this sudden lack of equity."

Saya stormed off. Leaving the rest of the group to worry for her. They were all specifically instructed not to cause a scene in there and if there was one thing Saya excelled at it was kicking up a fuss at the worst possible times.

"I'm gonna go check on her." Matsuda declared. "I'll see you guys later."

He knocked fists with Matsuda before taking off towards the Mansion. With him gone, Rei immediately took Matsuda by the arm and pressed herself against him.

"Feeling sleepy yet?" She asked while fluttering her lashes at him.

He chuckled at her before turning to Aika. "I think we're gonna take off. Big day tomorrow and all that."

She nodded in understanding. "Don't stay up too late now."

He rolled his eyes at her before taking Rei on his arm and heading to the Mansion. Leaving Aika all by her lonesome.

"Tough isn't it? Always being the fifth wheel?"

She turned and gasped in surprise upon seeing Xenovia standing behind her.

"Hey." She waved at her with a bright smile on her face. "They finally let you leave the ORC Headquarters?"

Xenovia sighed wearily and shook her head. "Not without an escort, no." She motioned behind her, pointing with her thumb towards Koneko, who was watching her every move like a hawk.

Aika frowned in concern. "I'm sorry they're not wanting to trust you. I can't imagine having to endure all this alone."

"It's of no concern." She assured. "In all honesty, I expected them to be wary of me." Xenovia then lowered her head in shame. "They'd be fools not to be. Given everything I did to them in the past."

"Whatever your past, it doesn't change the fact we're all on the same side." Aika insisted. "If they can't see that then they're just ignorant."

She smiled at her gratefully. "Thanks…"

After a moment, a thought occurred to Aika. "Hey...why DID you decide to join forces with the Devils?"

Xenovia quirked her head at her curiously. "What do you mean? The Holy Swords could not be allowed to fall into Kokabiel's hands, no matter-"

"I get that, but…" She cut her off. "...what I mean is, why not just leave? Find somewhere to keep your head down until this whole thing blows over?"

Xenovia pondered how best to answer before finally speaking. "I can't pretend like my old life never happened. I know too much to ever be accepted back into the order, but I'm still a Hunter. It's what I am. It's all I know. But now? Now I'm a Hunter without a purpose. A weapon with no one to wield it."

She shifted her gaze towards the ORC.

"Just like he was…"

"You mean Jon, don't you." Aika surmised.

Xenovia shut her eyes and lowered her head. "Several years ago, Jonathan Hyodo betrayed our order. He killed his entire Chapter of Hunters and fled for his life. Irina could tell you more about it than I can, she was there when it happened." She shook her head guiltily. "For so long I judged him. For so many years I condemned Jon and those who were like him. Branding them cowards, traitors, heretics." She clutched a hand up to her chest. "I never stopped to consider...how lonely they must have felt."

"And is that how you feel now?"

She smiled and shook her head assuredly. "Not now. But…" Xenovia bit her lower lip thoughtfully. "Jon found a home here. Even after everything that happened to him."

She cast her gaze back towards the ORC once more.

"Maybe...I can too."

* * *

Motohama wandered the halls of the President's Mansion, trying his best to stay out of everyone's way as he looked for Saya. She'd managed to give him the slip before he got inside. And since then he'd been looking for her everywhere.

"Fine then! You're always right! Always!"

It didn't take him long before he heard screaming. As Motohama rounded the corner of one of the halls he bumped into Saya storming off in a huff.

"Hey, what's the matter with you?!" Motohama insisted upon finally managing to find her.

"You don't have to ask like such a prick." She growled bitterly.

He sighed in aggravation before speaking in a softer tone. "Fine. What's the problem? Don't you remember we were told not to cause a scene in here?"

"Maybe prick was the wrong word. I should have said asshole!"

He scowled at her. "What's with you? I'm only trying to help."

Her angry sneer softened into indifferent self pity. "I don't want to talk about it."

She turned and began to storm off again.

"Saya wait!"

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" She shouted back angrily.

He groaned in frustration. What the hell was he going to do with her?

"Sorry you got drawn into our little...disagreement." An older woman's voice spoke up.

Motohama turned to see Saya's mother Yuriko smiling at him politely.

"O..oh! Lady Yuriko!" He immediately bowed his head in respect. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."

Lady Yuriko placed a hand over her lips and chuckled sweetly at him. "Relax, Dear. There's no need to be so formal. I'm a servant of House Gremory same as you. We're kin in that regard."

Honestly, that thought was furthest from his mind right now. If what Saya's Father said really was going to come to pass, this woman was going to be his Mother in Law.

"It's really okay." He assured, suddenly shifting gears. "She yells at me like that all the time too."

Yuriko quietly laughed again. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. She's always been a rather fiery spirit. Ever since she was little."

"If you don't mind me asking, what were you arguing about?"

She sighed wearily before walking over to the nearby windowsill. "Oh nothing out of the ordinary. She's displeased with her Father and myself over our lack of control. She fails to understand we cannot overrule the will of our Lords. The Takaga family has served the Gremorys for many generations. They are the reason our bloodline has prospered. That's not likely to change any time soon."

"I'm guessing she's none too happy about being forced to serve the Gremorys?"

She smiled and turned to him. "Actually...she was mostly concerned about you."

His jaw dropped open and his cheeks flared.

"My daughter appears to be rather concerned about this assignment you've been given." Yuriko explained. "In fact, I'd go so far as to say she's rather beside herself with worry."

"She...she is?"

Yuriko nodded. "If I may make a request. Go and speak with her. Perhaps she will see reason if she hears the words from your lips."

He chuckled nervously. "I think you may give me too much credit Ma'am. She hardly listens to a word I say."

"If that were true, then she would have never followed you out of that mall. Now would she?"

He didn't reply. After all, she had a good point.

"Go and speak with her." Yuriko encouraged. "Your opinion matters more to her than you think."

Understanding what he had to do, Motohama bowed respectfully to Lady Yuriko before proceeding to go find Saya's room. Upon arriving at the correct door he knocked three times before slowly peeking in.

"Hey...it's me."

She kept her gaze turned towards the window, not saying a word.

"I don't see any reason why you should be bothering me."

He shrugged. "Can't help it, honestly. You DID refer to me as your boyfriend in front of your family after all."

She bit her tongue and blushed fiercely.

"I get that you're upset about everything that's been going on. I was too at first but-"

"I'm beginning to think we should leave." She cut him off abruptly.

"Wh...what?"" He was taken aback by her words. "As in...leave Kuoh?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, I meant the room. This one's too stuffy." Saya wheeled around and glared at him. "Of course I meant Kuoh!"

"Saya we can't!" Motohama protested. "Our families are here! Our parents are here!"

"Yeah?! And what good have they done us recently. Huh?!"

Again he was stunned silent.

"I heard about how you were beaten to a pulp." She growled angrily. "You really think your Uncle cares about you? Or does he just need another Scout?" She then turned back around and glared bitterly out the window. "And my parents are no better...they were better off leaving me in the city."

"Saya, stop this." Motohama insisted vehemently. "Stop trying to make our folks out as the bad guys. They saved us. They're the ones with the plan here."

"Who's plan?" She questioned while gripping the sides of her arms tightly. "Ours? Or their Lords? Who do you think they REALLY care about here?"

"They did all of this for us!" He shot back. "So that we might have a better life!"

"A better life…" Her voice began to catch. "...that's a riot. Don't think they won't hold this over our head for the rest of their lives." Tears began to form in her eyes. "Maybe if my parents had been as dedicated to their Daughter as they were to their Lords then I could understand."

"Saya…" He slowly began to approach her.

"God...my Mom's such a fucking bitch." Her whole body began to tremble. "Do you know what she told me? That I should be more grateful about the life I had. That I shouldn't worry about things I can't control and be appreciative for the things I can."

"Maybe she's right." He offered before placing a hand on her shoulder. "Remember what we said at the Flat? Maybe we should see this as an opportunity."

She shook herself out of his grasp and wheeled around sharply. "Did I ask for your opinion?!" Her gaze was cold, spiteful. "My parents, the Devils, this whole fucking place can rot in hell! They're sending you into a warzone ill prepared and unde requipped! Why? So the Lords of Kuoh can get their prized trinkets. A few hunks of iron! That's how much these people think your life is worth!"

"Saya...listen…" He took a step forward.

"And what makes it worse is you're just going along with it!" Her emotions flared as the hurt she felt rose into her voice. "Playing the obedient little soldier like no one will give a rats ass if you die!"

"Saya!" He shouted insistently.

"Did you even stop to consider how I feel?! Did the thought ever once cross your mind?!" She shut her eyes tight as tears fell freely down her face. "You're supposed to be my boyfriend! Good boyfriends don't get themselves killed just for some-"

She was cut off by the very sudden and very unexpected sensation of his lips pressing feverishly to hers. Saya went completely wide eyed at the kiss, her whole body going rigid. Finally, he pulled away from her and she just stared back in utter shock. Her whole face turning bright red.

"The only reason I'm agreeing to any of this is so we can stay together." He spoke completely unapologetically. "Your parents would never agree to us dating if I don't embrace my role as a Demon."

Saya didn't respond. She couldn't get over the shock of what he just did.

"I get that my life is on the line. But after everything we've been through, any life that doesn't include you being in it is not worth living anyway." Having said his peace, he turned his head to the side and offered his cheek. "You can go ahead and slap me or do whatever now. I don't regret what I said, and I don't regret doing this if it means we get to stay together."

But she didn't hit him. After a few moments of bracing, he turned his gaze back to her to find her head lowered and her body quivering again. He thought she would be livid. Instead...Saya was crying.

She rushed into his arms and hugged him tightly to her chest, quietly weeping on his shoulder while he stood there like a log. Unsure how to respond.

"You're such an unbelievable asshole…" She choked out in between pained breathes. "What gives you the right to do this to me? Who said you could make me feel like this and then just leave me?"

He finally hugged her back. Taking Saya by the waist and holding her tightly to him. "I'm coming back. We all are."

"Don't you dare say that." She shook her head vehemently against his shoulder. "Don't you dare give me that hope unless you can promise me. You promise me, dammit! You promise me or I'll never forgive you for this!"

"I promise." He squeezed her even more tightly to him. "We're coming back no matter what."

She continued to softly cry against his shoulder. When Saya finally managed to calm down he tried to let her go only for her to cling tighter to him.

"Could you...stay with me tonight?" She asked pitifully. "Like you did last night?"

He smiled lovingly and nodded. "Of course."

Saya relaxed into him, her whole body finally untensing.

"Besides…" He added with a cheeky grin "...it'll be nice spending some time together where you're not completely smashed."

And just like that her whole body seized up again. This time, however, in rage. Saya raised her head, snarled like an irate banshee, and sank her fang into his right ear, biting down hard.

"YOWCH!"

* * *

Matsuda sat at the edge of the bed staring off into space. Rei had excused herself to go shower and get ready for bed, leaving him alone with his thoughts. As eager as he was initially to go on this mission, he was beginning to have doubts. What they were doing was undeniably dangerous. There was every possibility they may not make it back.

Was he really okay with that?

"Am I really strong enough for this?" He quietly muttered to himself.

"Why so melancholy?"

Matsuda turned to see Rei, a beautiful smile on her face, now dressed in her silk nighty.

"I guess I was just thinking…" He admitted glumly. "...it sure would be nice if Jon was here. Then I could ask him what to do. A mission like this would be a cakewalk for him."

Rei sighed and rolled her eyes before taking a seat next to him. "You put way too much faith in Jon and not nearly enough in yourself. You heard what Akeno said, he's off on some super dangerous top secret assignment. We've gotta handle this ourselves."

"Mmm." He rested his chin against his palm, still lost in thought.

She placed her hand over his and leaned forward into his gaze again. "I've been relying on you ever since this whole thing started. We all have. You've been the bravest and strongest out of all of us."

He chuckled dismissively. "I was just desperate to survive. And besides, Xenovia is the real hero here. Not me."

"She's got training." Rei responded. "And experience. What you have is bravery in the face of adversity. To me, that makes you as much a hero as she is." She blushed. "You'll always be MY hero at least."

His face reddened as well. "You know...it's funny. Around this time two days ago, Motohama, Aika, and myself all broke into the school lab to try and figure out Jon's big secret. Motohama and I wanted to use his power to build our own personal love harem. Now? Now I'm fighting to save the lives of a bunch of random strangers I don't even know." He smiled. "I guess his Golden Rule really did hold strong after all."

She gave him a curious look. "His Golden Rule?"

He nodded. "Yeah, Jon gave us a list of rules to follow when it came to talking to girls. His golden rule always stumped me because he was basically saying I had to make someone else happy before I could ever be happy. Back then, I didn't have a clue what he meant." He cast his gaze lovingly at Rei. "But I think I do now."

After a long pause, Rei placed a hand up to her mouth and began to giggle. This giggling turned into a small quiet laughing fit.

"What's so funny?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing." Rei leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes in relaxation.

"I'm gonna tell you one of the girl's rules." Rei spoke gently while resting against him. "We like the cute boys who are sweet to us and who make us feel like no other girl exists in the whole world."

He smirked at her. "And that's it?"

She nodded, her eyes still closed. "Mhmm, that's it. I don't know much about Devil Girls or Peerages or Dragon's Treasures, but when it comes to us mortal human girls, it's really that simple."

His smile faded somewhat. "I'm not really any of those things though. Am I?"

"Maybe you didn't used to be." She stared up at him adoringly and placed herself completely in his lap. "But you sure are now. You may think it's involuntary or that you're just trying to survive. But you're a fighter, Matsuda. I see that clearly in your eyes."

The look she was giving him at that moment, it made his heart skip madly in his chest.

"Maybe you weren't always that way. But I know that's how you are now. I see the strength in you even if no one else ever did and…"

Her eyes began to glass over as she placed his hand to her chest.

"...and I love you. There, I said it. I love you Matsuda. I want us to spend the rest of our lives together, however long or short they may be."

He was at a complete loss for words. Rather than try to find them at that exact moment, he instead elected to press her down to the mattress and lock their lips together. The two shared a passionate kiss as she splayed out on the bed for him. Finally, he broke away.

"Rei...I...I love-"

At that moment sirens began to blare. They both lurched up from the bed as the city became engulfed in the sound of automatic weapons fire.

Moments before he could confess, the War for the city had officially begun.


	32. Chapter 32

**::Author's Note::**

**So we're not quite at the conclusion yet. But we are getting steadily closer to the end of this Arc. (Finally) Now with that said, I have already been pondering ideas for the next Arc. Some of you have already given me some good suggestions, but I have a question I wish to pose to all of you.**

**What the heck am I gonna do with Gasper?**

**I already have some ideas as to what I want to do with his character but...I can't make up my mind. So I'm asking you guys to help pitch in. Send me some ideas of what you'd like to see come out of his character. I can't promise I'll use all of them, but if I find any that are similar to ideas that I had, it'll give me a better idea of what I inevitably want to do with him.**

**So start thinking of some ideas you'd like to see for Gasper. In the meantime, I give you Chapter 32.**

**::End Note::**

They were everywhere. Those damned creatures. Blocking his way at every turn, constantly forcing him to find a different route. Not just the ones with no arms. There were other abominations in this nightmare. Lumbering beasts with guillotines instead of heads, faceless nurses with machetes and perky breasts. Each creature Kiba encountered looked like something concocted from a fever dream.

But of all the nightmares he found, the one thing he couldn't seem to locate was any of these damn spirits he needed to find. He was beginning to suspect heavily that that bastard shade had been lying to him. Yet his sole companion Mouse continued to push him forward. Ever eager to move on. And so he did. Despite the danger, despite the horror, he pushed on. Crawling through the darkness while feeling as tiny and insignificant as the creature riding on his shoulder.

Until finally, off in the distance, he spotted it. A small glimmer of light in the darkness. Kiba crawled through a hole in the fence blocking him from the shimmering glow in the distance, having just narrowly avoided another harrowing encounter with a monster he had dubbed a Pendulum. Upon crossing over to the other side of the fence, he found himself in some sort of warehouse. Or what was left of it anyway.

Kiba stealthily approached a large shipping container before poking his head around the side to get a better look at what was making that light. A figure wearing a jumpsuit similar to his with the number 1 emblazoned on the back and with a heavy looking metal cone on his head, busied himself stacking boxes into a pile. As soon as he was done stacking the boxes into one pile, he'd start breaking the pile down and stacking the boxes somewhere else. All while moaning woefully, as if he'd been at this for hours, or even days.

"What's he doing?" Kiba whispered to Mouse.

"I have no idea." He whispered back. "Why's he stacking boxes like that? What's the point?"

"Should we talk to him?"

Mouse scratched at his ear nervously. "I don't know...maybe? Whatever you do, just be careful doing it."

Kiba cautiously approached the phantom, ever wary of its intentions. Every other shade in this damned place had tried to kill him. He had no reason to suspect this would be any different.

"I'm so tired…" The figure moaned as he proceeded to carry another box from his current stack to the new one he was building.

"Excuse me." Kiba nervously spoke to the figure. "Can I talk to you?"

"I hate this job." The figure complained wearily. "I want to go home."

"So then why don't you?" Mouse asked.

"They said I could go home today once I was done." The figure explained. "They said that yesterday too…"

"Listen, we're trying to find a way out." Kiba explained a little more insistently now. "Can you help us?"

"Help? No one can help us here. We are all prisoners in this place. All of us." He struggled with another heavy box before panting in exhaustion. "The warden will never let us leave...never."

"What if we helped you?" Kiba offered. "What if we worked together and helped each other escape?"

At last the figure designated as Prisoner 1 stopped stacking boxes and turned around. It was impossible to tell what he looked like considering his face was completely obscured by the metal cone, but the look in his eyes told the story of one who was tired beyond belief.

"If you really think we can navigate the darkness...I will help you. I don't have much hope that we will succeed...but at least this gives me a chance to rest."

Prisoner 1 became enveloped in light as his body vanished, leaving behind a small light filled wisp. The wisp merged with Kiba's chest and he absorbed its power.

A familiar looking steel sword appeared in his right hand.

"You...you did it!" Mouse marveled in complete disbelief. "You actually regained some of your lost power!"

"But...how exactly?" Kiba inspected the sword in his hand. "Who was that guy?"

"I don't know...but I have to admit I'm a little jealous." Mouse spoke glumly. "I've been wandering this place for so long, and I've never found anything like what you just did."

After inspecting the sword, an idea came to him. "I think I can use this to find more spirits like that one."

"Really? How?"

"My swords are all created by magic." Kiba explained while pointing the blade out in front of him. "Thus, they resonate with magic produced from the same person. If these spirits represent something I've lost, then I should be able to use this to guide us to them."

"Brilliant!" Mouse cheered. "My friend, I truly am happy I found you."

The sound of heels clacking against the concrete ground interrupted them. Kiba turned to see another one of those Bubble Head Nurses as Mouse called them, lumbering towards him with a machete in her hand.

A wicked grin crossed his features.

"That's not all we can use this thing for."

The creature lunged for him and...with one fell strike, Kiba cut the thing down and it slowly crumbled into ash. Finally, he was back in control.

"Alright, no sense wasting time here." Mouse insisted. "Let's find those other spirits."

Kiba held the tip of his sword out in front of him and channeled his magic. Or what little he could produce anyway. Though it was still weak, he was able to conjure forth enough will to produce a beam of light that resonated with another nearby spirit.

They found it hiding behind a stack of shipping containers, gasping for breath and huddled up in the corner. It looked terrified, as if it had been running from something. On its jumpsuit was the number 2, and on its head was a burlap sack.

"I...I think I'm finally alone." Prisoner 2 gasped. "They've stopped chasing me. They won't find me back here. No one will ever find me again." She began to cry pitifully. "So why can I still hear them?"

Kiba knelt down and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "If you come with me, I'll protect you from the creatures in the dark."

The spirit didn't speak, instead, it merely vanished into a wisp same as the one before. More memories and more power returned to Kiba and the journey continued. The next one he found was Prisoner 3. This one was located in a massive trench where bodies were most likely meant to be discarded. In other words, a mass grave.

"Aren't you scared?" The mangled soul in front of him asked. His arms and legs had been hacked off and his face was covered in bloody bandages. "Your life is meaningless, empty. You've forsaken your friends, your peerage, and your mind. And soon, it will be your turn. Aren't you scared?"

The more Kiba remembered the more anxious he got. Prisoner 3 brought back memories to the surface he wished it hadn't. One of a fight that ended with him abandoning the ones who took him in.

"Wh...what did they mean by that?" Mouse asked nervously.

"Forget it." Kiba insisted. "Let's just move on."

Next was Prisoner 4. Whom they found resting against the trunk of a dead tree. His face was obscured by thick leather belts that covered all save for his left eye.

"I've counted the grass blades in this field." It calmly explained as they approached. "Every single one. There is a specific quantity for everything. An ideal." Prisoner 4 then turned up towards the tree he was resting under. "This tree for example has ten leaves on it. No more than ten leaves only. Absolutely no more than ten. That is all it has is ten. Ten. Ten. Ten. Ten. Ten. Ten."

As the spirit began to repeat itself over and over again, Kiba reached out with his hand and absorbed it. Returning more memories and more power. With more power at his disposal, fighting against the nightmares in the dark slowly became easier and easier. So he pressed forward until arriving at Prisoner 5. This one was wearing a white sheet over its head similar to the sort of thing worn by those who were about to be executed.

The small melancholy figure sighed before gazing up at the water tower it stood next to. "Nothing matters anymore. Getting up is a chore. I have nothing to look forward to. They've already given up on me. And I gave up on myself a long time ago." After a moment of gazing at the water tower she then spoke again. "This one looks tall enough."

"If you're going to quit that easily…" Mouse spoke up. "...then at least make yourself useful to us."

Kiba absorbed the spirit, gaining enough power to cut through just about anything in his way. As his confidence surged, he continued his journey. Though in the back of his mind, something about these shades was making him nervous. Specifically, it was their voices. They sounded so familiar to him, and that disturbed him greatly.

But with encouragement from Mouse, he pressed on. Eventually, they stumbled upon Prisoner 6. They found him desperately shaking the door handle to the inside of one of the bunkers, refusing to turn around.

"Doorslockeddoorslockeddoorslockeddoorslocked! No no no no no no no! I didn't mean to go! I didn't mean to leave! It was only for a second! Forgivemeforgivemeforgivemeforgivemeforgiveme!"

This spirit refused to acknowledge Kiba's presence or even talk to him. He just kept banging on the door, shaking and jerking at the handle, and even clawing at the metal, trying desperately to get back inside. Not knowing what else to do, the Knight absorbed the spirit just as he did the others before moving on.

Prisoner 7 proved easier to find than the others. As it had inadvertently found them while they were in the midst of fighting off a small group of nightmares. He ran past Kiba and Mouse, shrieking hysterically as a trail of blood leaked out from his feet.

"Oh God! No no! They'll see the blood!" He cried hysterically while running to nowhere. "They'll know it was me! I can't hide! The trail follows me everywhere! Their blood follows me everywhere!"

Kiba managed to grab the quickly fleeing spirit and absorb him before he could alert any more nightmares to their presence. More memories came flooding back and a thought occurred to him.

"I think I know you…" He spoke to Mouse.

"You...you do?" Excitement etched into Mouse's voice. "What do you remember?"

"You were a part of my Peerage once. In fact I believe you still are." He explained. "But...something happened. I can't remember what but you...died. No...no that's not it. You didn't die. But you were gravely wounded."

"Do you remember anything else?" Mouse asked hopefully.

He shook his head apologetically. "No. Beyond that I can't recall. I'm sorry."

"Then we just have to keep moving. The more spirits we find, the more you should be able to remember."

They moved on. Continuing to search the compound for any sign of more spirits. At last they stumbled upon Prisoner 8 as he came out of one of the ruined bunkhouses. He was wearing a surgical mask and his eyes were bloodshot.

"I haven't slept in three days." The muffled voice spoke to them while wheezing through the mask. "I've checked the back door three times." He pointed sharply at nothing. "There! Did you see that? Quickly...close your eyes. He can't see you if you can't see him."

"Close your eyes." Kiba commanded. "We will hide you from him."

The spirit did as instructed and Kiba absorbed him like the others. After finding their eighth spirit, the sound of coughing and retching caught their ears. Kiba ran behind the bunk house to find Prisoner 9 hunched over a metal barrel, vomiting blood. The top half of her head was covered in a white cloth that had been tightly bound to her face, leaving only her mouth visible which was covered in blood and bile.

"I wretched up my insides…" She explained in a sickly voice. "...in place of all the things I never said." Again she vomited into the barrel. "All I can taste is blood...all I ever taste is blood...blood isn't so bad."

As Kiba absorbed this spirit, more dark, horrifying memories returned to him. Memories he refused to say aloud. What was happening to him? Why did these voices disturb him so? Where the hell was he?

He just had to keep pressing forward. Kiba's sword eventually guided him to a hole in the wrought iron gate that lead to the woods outside of the compound. It was no safer there than it was inside, as many nightmares of various shapes and sizes awaited them both in the forest. But at last, he came upon Prisoner 10. She was curled up in a ball next to a small creek bank, quietly sobbing to herself. Her long messy hair obstructed her face as tears leaked into the water freely.

"I'm so tired." She wept. "I've never been this tired." Her tears dripped into the stream and floated away. "I'm so empty...I've never been this empty. Maybe this river can carry me far away."

Pain stabbed at Kiba's heart. Why? What was the reason? Who were these people to him? If they even were people. The more spirits he absorbed, the more lost he felt. The memories coming back to him didn't hold answers, only more pain. Faces of loved ones now deceased, an ever building rage in his gut. He absorbed her quickly and moved on, returning back to the compound where he encountered Prisoner 11.

"Disgusting. What an insignificant creature." The spirit whose head was locked in a metal box spoke with snide contempt in his voice. "Do you realize your own disgusting insignificance? Disgusting creatures deserve the mud, so keep squirming in the mud, little insect."

"Shut up…" Kiba growled angrily before absorbing the spirit the same as the others.

He was running now. Following the sword blindly to his next target like a man possessed. These memories...these spirits...they weren't answering any questions, only bringing more pain. What was this? What the hell was going on?

Prisoner 12 had no head. They found him leaned up against the fence and mistook him for a corpse. But he was still very much alive. And even more bafflingly, able to speak.

"I want to live inside of you…" The headless stump spurted yellow chunky blood as it spoke. "...like a tapeworm. You could pull, I'd never leave you."

He didn't even have a choice this time. Prisoner 12 merged with him almost immediately after making his speech.

"What the hell are you?"

He kept going. Mouse remained eerily quiet throughout this entire ordeal. Leaving Kiba's racing heart as the only source of companionship he possessed. Prisoner 13 was not far behind Prisoner 12. She was laying in a pit of dirt and mud, laughing maniacally as maggots crawled through her rotten flesh.

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha! The woooorms! So warm in my belly!" She cackled like a maniac. "The only comfort I have left...when I am empty." Her eyeless sockets turned warily towards Kiba. "Problem?! What problem?! They need me more than I need them!"

"Get away!" He cried as another spirit was forcefully absorbed into his body. "Leave me alone!"

He didn't want to do this anymore. Kiba was running away now. Where were the nightmares from before? Why had they all suddenly disappeared? As he ran from these terrifying memories, he rounded a corner only to bump into Prisoner 14.

Or rather, the two separate halves of Prisoner 14.

"We remember them." The first half spoke.

"The guilt split us in two." The second half spoke.

"It's your fault!" The first half pointed at the second.

"No, it's YOUR fault!" The second half pointed at the first.

"You were the one who ran!" The first argued.

"It was your job to protect them!" The second argued.

"Now they're gone."

"Now they're gone."

"Because of you."

"Because of YOU!"

Both halves turned to Kiba and spoke.

"Because of HIM!"

"STOP THIS!" He shouted hysterically before drawing his sword and swinging. The spirit entered his body and he collapsed to his knees, clutching at his screaming head.

"NO! NO MORE!" He cried desperately. "MAKE THEM STOP! PLEASE JUST MAKE THEM STOP!"

And then all went silent. Kiba was alone. The nightmares, the spirits, they were all gone. Without a word, Kiba grabbed his sword and ran for the lab where this whole nightmare began. He busted down the metal doors and dashed down the long black hallway, returning to the lab with the fan. His breathing was wild, the look in his eyes that of a mad man. With his hand shakily gripping his blade he spoke towards the ceiling.

"I know where this is!" He shouted half in fear and half in anger. "I know where I am! Take me back! Take me away from this place! Answer me, damn you!"

"Christ, you really are clueless aren't you, Fynn?"

Kiba turned white as a sheet and his breathing stopped. The voice of the Shade they met in the courtyard spoke to him, only this time, it was coming from his shoulder. He slowly turned his head to where Mouse was sitting…

...and saw two glowing red eyes staring back up at him.

"To think you still haven't figured it out. Honestly, how thick can you be?"

"Get away!" Kiba swatted Mouse off his shoulder who vanished in a puff of smoke. Only to reappear a moment later on a nearby surgical table.

"My, but it never ceases to amuse me just how horrified you look whenever I do that." Mouse snickered to himself. "Your memories may be coming back faster but your wits sure aren't. Not that that matters. Those aren't what are keeping you trapped here. I am."

"Who are you?" Kiba asked in terrified anger. "Just who in the hell ARE YOU?!"

Mouse sighed in disappointment. "Very well then. If you're not going to make it interesting for me, I suppose I'll pull back the curtain at last."

His body began to glow and Mouse grew to the size of a man. As the light disappeared and Kiba beheld what lay in front of him, his blood ran cold.

He was looking at an identical version of himself. Only dressed in his ORC uniform and bearing two black orbs with blood red irises instead of eyes.

"I...I don't understand." He trembled at the figure before him and backed away slowly.

Mouse rolled his black eyes at him and sighed in weary resignation. "And of course you STILL haven't figured it out. I'm not sure why any of us expected anything different from you, Fynn. I keep telling them it's always going to be the same. Yet still they cling to hope that maybe, just MAYBE this time you'll figure it out and release them. But it's as I keep saying. You're not wallowing in the dark because you're lost…" He narrowed his eyes at him hatefully.

"...you do it because you're afraid of what we are."

Kiba felt something burning in his belly. He clutched at his aching gut as what felt like bile began to rise to the back of his throat. He opened his mouth to vomit only for a bright light to burst forth from his open jaw. This spectre flew off to the side and landed, revealing himself to be Prisoner 1.

"I am Burden." The spirit declared. "Each day I work tirelessly. Pretending my worthless existence means something. I carry your world on my shoulders. I'm so tired. Don't make me carry it all, Fynn."

His mouth opened up and another spirit was painfully expelled. Prisoner 2 landed next to Prisoner 1 and spoke.

"I...I am Reclusion." She gasped painfully. "I am everything you ran from. Every unpleasant thing shoved back inside. They can't climb my walls. They can't find what I've stored in this shell. But YOU can, Fynn."

Another spirit leapt from his mouth. Prisoner 3 landed next to Prisoner 2, slowly forming a semicircle around him.

"I am Self Loathing." The mangled body in front of him declared both bitterly and painfully. "I am your years of hateful blame. That have left me a mangled wretch. You do not deserve to leave this place after what you did to me, Fynn!"

Next came Prisoner 4, who calmly stared down at Kiba with his one good eye in disappointment. "I am Neuroticism. I am everything you tried to control that you had no control over. Everything had to be perfect but it never was. All I see around me is chaos." The spirit shook its head and tsked. "Chaos, chaos, chaos. So many flames. Too many flames. Only you can put out the flames, Fynn."

As Five emerged the pain from his belly only grew. Kiba collapsed to the ground, clutching at his aching stomach as the shades of his past all continued to introduce themselves.

"I am Hopelessness…." Prisoner 5 declared pitifully. "...I am everything you gave up on. I am the lovers you left behind. I am the people you could have been." The spirit reached out to him pleadingly. "But now there's nothing left. Nothing left but you. You must have hope left for me somewhere right? Please, Fynn!"

Prisoner 6 emerged next, his hands covering his face as he immediately crumbled into a ball. "I am Regret. Please! Let me back in! I never meant to go!" The Spirit shook its head over and over again as it begged. "Please open the door, Fynn!"

Prisoner 7 was next, and Kiba's belly and throat continued to burn. As he landed next to Prisoner 6, the blood seeping from its feet began to pool on the floor.

"I am Panic!" It shouted hysterically. "Oh God! No no no! I failed them! You failed me! And now we both must pay, Fynn!"

Upon Prisoner 8's arrival, his bloodshot eyes immediately began darting about the room fearfully. "I am Paranoia." He pointed at nothing. "There! Do you see them? Every fabricated lie. Every story you concocted to hide your past from those who didn't know. They swarm around my head ceaselessly." His bloodshot eyes turned to Kiba desperately. "Why won't they leave me be? Make them leave, Fynn! Please!"

Prisoner 9 appeared beside Prisoner 8 and immediately wretched up her insides onto the floor. "I am Suppression. I taste every feeling you've swallowed. I feel them clotting my throat. I can feel them burning my belly. All so you can pretend to be normal." She clutched at her aching stomach as she coughed painfully. "I think I am dying. You are killing me, Fynn. Why?"

Kiba convulsed painfully as Prisoner 10 emerged, she especially felt horrible coming up.

"I am Resignation." She declared before curling into a ball and weeping. "I am every time you almost gave up on EVERYTHING. Every sadness you couldn't bare. Every time you almost ended it all. I am being swept away. This can't be the end!"

Prisoner 11 immediately followed Prisoner 10. He cast two hateful eyes at Kiba and spoke with a sharp biting tongue. "I am Self Denial. I am every feeling you blocked out. Every joy you denied yourself. I am more alive than you will EVER be!"

Kiba needed this to stop. He could barely take it anymore. Yet still they came. Prisoner 12 appeared from his throat and spoke through the bloody stump where its head used to be.

"I am Decay. I am waiting for you, Fynn."

Prisoner 13 felt absolutely disgusting coming up. More so than the others he wanted to puke immediately after vomiting her up.

"I am Addiction." The rotted corpse declared. "I am everything you used to forget." She laughed maniacally. "I am the alcohol, those alchemic drugs you concocted for yourself, I am even your RAGE. Everything you used to pretend you were alive. What have you brought for me today, Fynn?"

And finally, mercifully, Prisoner 14 appeared. Both halves, split straight down the middle, introduced themselves.

"I am Guilt." The first half declared.

"As am I." The second half added.

"I watch the people you love most suffer over and over."

"And then I watch them die over and over."

"And I watch you do nothing."

"And I watch you do nothing."

"Over…"

"And over…"

They then spoke in unison.

"Only YOU can decide to be whole again, Fynn."

Kiba slowly looked around at the circle of spirits, at the pained looks on their faces. The guilt, the fear, the overwhelming raw negative emotion bore down on him like a thousand pound weight.

"Do you finally get it now?" Mouse asked, peering down at him as if boring through his very being with his eyes. "You've been crawling through your own filthy mind this entire time. Only to come face to face with YOURSELF."

The Knight tried to find the strength to stand.

"That's right. I'm YOU. The real you. The one that you've kept locked away in here with the rest of this drudge." He motioned to the other spirits. "You're so pathetic. Don't you realize what's going on here? What these things you've been so feverishly collecting truly are?"

He gripped his sword and raised it in front of him.

"Are you really too stupid to figure it out?" Mouse grinned sardonically. "Or perhaps you simply don't WANT to figure it out."

His hold on the weapon faltered and it began to tremble in his hands.

"These spirits around us?" Mouse explained. "They're your THOUGHTS. Each one is a manifestation of your guilts and your obsessions." His eyes bore a grave intensity with his next words. "And they all HATE you! They hate you for what you've done to them! They hate you for keeping them trapped in this wretched place! You've kept them chained here all this time. And now it's your turn. So long as you're trapped in this dream with us, we will NEVER let you return to the world of the living."

"You're wrong." Kiba growled, using anger to replace the fear. "Valper is to blame. He's the one who-"

"HE IS NOT THE ONE WHO HAS LEFT US DOWN HERE!" Mouse bellowed in unbridled rage. "Valper may have put the thoughts in your mind but YOU are the one who continues to obsess over them! Even after all these years you still refuse to let go. You can NEVER let go, can you?"

He remained silent, unable to answer.

"That's what I thought." Mouse's grin returned. "You've obsessed over your petty vengeance for so long even your own MIND has turned against you. Because your thoughts can longer rely on you they now cling to ME."

All fourteen spirits turned into whisps and entered Mouse's body. He now bore the full brunt of Kiba's power while the Knights sword turned into a rusted piece of scrap.

"You really intend to challenge me?" Mouse chuckled sinisterly while holding the Holy Eraser to his side. "I'm the one in control here, not you."

He vanished without a trace, moving at speeds Kiba couldn't possibly hope to track. Only to moments later get sliced completely in half. Or at least, that's what it felt like as he was knocked to the ground. Yet after getting over the initial pain he looked down to realize his lower half was still attached to his body.

Mouse sighed in disappointment. "Because we are still technically in your mind, I can't actually kill you." That same cruel grin spread over his lips again. "But I CAN cause enough pain and suffering that your subconscious resets itself again." He pointed with his sword over at the operating table. "You'll wake up strapped to that table, forced to endure all these nightmares again and again and again. Each time as if it were the first."

Kiba struggled to stand up, it still felt like his lower half had been separated from his top half, causing pain to surge through his body with every step he took.

"Until you get it through that thick skull of yours that you will never leave this place, I'm going to keep torturing you just like this."

Mouse raised his sword to strike him again.

"Welcome to the hell that you've created."

* * *

For the city of Kuoh, the illusion of peace had been well and effectively shattered. Two opposing forces now clashed for control of the cities very soul in a massive all out battle in its streets. Brutish warriors wielding massive chainsaw rifles that breathed hellfire with every pull of the trigger clashed with cold steel and white hot plasma in the form of cybernetic infantry. Undead of all shapes, sizes, and mutations fought against elite commandos. Tanks, helicopters, and armored vehicles dotted the landscape as lines were drawn and boundaries established. As one side unleashed the full brunt of its wrath, the other dug its heels in deep and stood its ground. Slowly, methodically, absolutely, the city was torn completely apart.

Needless to say, Matsuda and Motohama barely slept that night. They'd never had to rest under the constant blare of heavy gunfire and loud sirens before. Rei and Saya were both out like a light and they didn't even wake up the next day to see them off. The boys were worried for them at first, but after seeing the glowing green veins pulsing along their skin, they understood well enough what was going on, and decided that rest and recovery would be what was best for them.

If the girls really wanted to hear their true feelings, then that just meant they had to come back from this no matter what.

Motohama dawned the custom Scout Armor he had been gifted by his Uncle before loading himself down with nearly all the weapons from his locker. The Shotgun, the Sniper, the SMG, and finally a .357 Magnum as his sidearm to complete the arsenal. After gearing up and loading himself down with enough ammunition for a small platoon, he waited patiently in the Scout Officer's tent for the rest of his party to join him.

"I gotta say, Kevlar suits you."

Motohama turned around to see Aika leaning against the doorway, a smarmy grin on her face. She was wearing a purple trench coat decaled with stones and crystals often associated with enhancing magical properties, and on her head was a towering witch's hat. The crossbow and bolts were still strapped to her back as well as a personal wand on her belt.

"And you're looking like something straight out of Soul Eater." Motohama replied.

She snickered at him. "Pretty sweet huh? Wait till the zombies get a load of THIS." She twirled for him in dramatic fashion.

At that moment two heavy metal boots came clanking into the tent. Aika and Motohama both turned and went wide eyed at the figure standing in front of them.

"Sup guys." Matsuda waved at them in a friendly manner.

"Dude…" Motohama gawked at his buddy in disbelief.

Matsuda was wearing the same battle armor the massive Orcs were sporting, albeit slightly smaller to accommodate his size. The armor he was wearing was actually a modified version of the female armor with a custom breastplate in place of the standard one. Though the design was originally intended for female warriors, it still looked imposing on Matsuda. The blood red plates that composed the armor were forged from Palladium. A metal found only in the Lower Pits of Hell, and boasted engravings that depicted battles of the past that the Orcai Clans fought in.

"Jesus Christ you look like a fucking Space Marine in that thing." Aika commented bluntly.

He chuckled awkwardly. "It's a bit much, isn't it."

She smiled and shook her head. "Actually, I think it suits you pretty well. Don't you agree Motohama?"

Motohama wasn't paying attention. As imposing as the armor was, he was far more interested in what was strapped to Matsuda's back.

"Bro…" He pointed at the weapons on Matsuda's back. "...what...the fuck...are those?"

Matsuda looked back at the handle of his rifle before turning and grinning wickedly at Motohama. "Wanna see?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

He reached up and unhooked his rifle from the magnetic clamp it was attached to before shouldering the weapon. Motohama, meanwhile, had hearts in his eyes and was already drooling.

"This is the Mark II Lancer Rifle." Matsuda boasted pridefully. "This bad boy weighs in at thirty seven kilograms and can fire six hundred rounds a minute."

His buddy was staring at his rifle the way he used to stare at a girl in her underwear. "W...what kind of ammunition does this thing fire?" He asked while still drooling.

Matsuda hit the button for the catch release and pulled out the magazine. "Depleted uranium shells with a sulphur charged core. The magazine holds sixty rounds in total." He then popped the magazine back in place.

"Is that a friggin chainsaw on the end of that thing?" Aika asked, slightly wary of the terrifying looking weapon.

He nodded. "This is a standard Chainsaw Bayonet. It consists of razor sharp carbide tipped blades powered by a variable torque motor. No armor can hold up to it. This thing could cut through reinforced steel if need be."

She quirked a brow at him. "Man, you sure know a lot about this thing considering you've only had it for a day."

Motohama turned and shot her a fiery look. "Every good gun owner knows his weapons inside and out! That's fundamental to carrying a firearm!"

She snickered at him and rolled her eyes. "If you say so."

Matsuda put his Lancer Rifle away and pulled out a short barrel stockless lever action shotgun next.

"Ooooo, gimme gimme gimme!" Motohama begged.

He chuckled before throwing it to Motohama. "Suit yourself."

Motohama eagerly caught it before nearly losing his balance as the ungodly heavy weapon hit him in the chest. The thing had to weigh at least sixty pounds.

"That's the Gnasher Tactical Shotgun." Matsuda explained. "It's considered the light option for advanced forces in the Assault Tribes."

"THIS is light?!" He asked incredulously.

Matsuda nodded before taking the weapon back. "This thing fires eight 12 Guage 'Inferno Rounds' in addition to armor piercing slugs. I don't know much about the ammunition it fires, it's some sort of crazy alchemy shit. But I do know this gun has a unique nickname." He grinned at them. "Dragon's Breath."

"Man…" Motohama whined indignantly. "...if I tried to shoot that thing it would probably dislocate my arm."

"Probably."

"And you're seriously taking those things into battle?" Aika gave him a worried look. "You aren't exactly a weapons expert. Yesterday was the first time you had ever even fired a gun."

"That's the best part, I don't have to be terribly accurate with these things." Matsuda explained cheerfully. "They're designed for aggressive, up close and personal combat."

"Raw firepower is all fine and well." Motohama suddenly spoke up a little more seriously. "But accuracy and precision are a must for any seasoned marksman."

Matsuda nodded in agreement. "And that is where you have me soundly beat, Bro." A thought occurred to him as he shouldered his shotgun. "Oh yeah! I do have one more thing." He pulled out a familiar looking vintage slugger now wrapped in razor sharp barbed wire. Shamanic runes had been carved into its surface and the bat pulsed with dark magic.

"That's...interesting." Aika adjusted her glasses and peered at the weapon more carefully. "The reinforcements I made to that thing are nothing compared to this."

"Yeah, the Orc who was responsible for crafting my weapons also juiced up the bat as well. He said my club was a little skinny for his taste but he did what he could." Matsuda chuckled gleefully and gripped the bat firmly in his hands. "I think I'll call her...Lucille."

Aika quirked a disbelieving brow at him and placed her hands on her hips. "Really? Was calling it the Negan Special not obvious enough?"

"Hey, we're going up against actual zombies here. What else am I gonna call it?" He protested.

She laughed at him. "God you are such a freaking NERD."

"This coming from the Harry Potter Otaku herself." Motohama responded with a chiding grin.

She stuck her tongue out at him while flipping the bird in response.

"Good to see you three haven't changed too much in the last twelve hours."

They all turned to see Xenovia standing in the doorway. As always, she was dressed in her battlesuit, ready to go at a moment's notice. However, in addition to her SMG, she had added one new thing to her arsenal.

Motohama smirked at her. "One gun wasn't enough, huh?"

She pulled the Armsel Striker from her back and shouldered it. "Speak for yourself, Motohama."

He snickered in delight. "Armsel, huh? Very nice indeed."

"If the rest of you are here, then I guess that means we're just waiting on our Team Leader." Xenovia deduced.

"Any idea who this mystery guy is?" Matsuda asked curiously. "All we got told was that it was a Devil with experience in modern war zones."

She grinned at him. "I know exactly who it is."

"You do?" Aika asked curiously.

Xenovia nodded. "We've worked together before. Trust me, this guy knows what he's doing."

As if on cue, the tent curtain opened up behind them and a tall man with large biceps and dirty blonde hair made his presence known.

"So...you four are my squad, eh?" Sammy spoke in his thick Boston accent. "Well alright then. Grab ya shit, gear up, and move out. We leave in five."

* * *

The city of Kuoh was in ruins. That much was obvious. It was one thing to hear the battle raging on from the safety of the Academy's fortified military base. But seeing it with their own eyes from the seat of a helicopter? That was something that Matsuda, Motohama, and Aika simply weren't prepared for.

"It's horrible." Aika turned her head away at the grisly sight. "Everything's pretty much gone."

"Hey Matsuda...look…" Motohama pointed somberly towards a large crater where a building once stood. "...that's where we went for Karaoke with Jon and Asia that one time."

"Shit…"

"Alright! Eyes up front, ladies!" Sammy barked at them, having stood up in the middle row of the passengers cabin.

All four of them turned towards their Team Leader, giving him their undivided attention.

"For those who may not know me personally, I am your Team Leader Master Sergeant Sammy Genshirou. Now I don't wanna here none of that SIR crap outta any of you on account of I actually work for a living. So from this point forward you may call me Sergeant, or Sarge. Take ya pick but remember it good."

They all nodded in understanding.

"I hereby welcome the four of you to Delta Squad." He declared, his voice full of authority. "As of this moment, we are a part of an advanced taskforce that is currently trying to retake Joynton Square from the Fallen. Once we make touchdown, we will cut our way through any opposing forces and begin making our way towards the objective marker. I shouldn't need to remind yous four why ya here. But just in case you suffered brain damage in the last twelve hours, our primary objective is the retrieval of the Holy Swords still located within the old Church on the outskirts of town."

"Jyonton District is as close as we can get?" Xenovia asked nervously.

"Afraid so. The enemy has set up mounted AA Guns in strategic positions around their areas of influence, which right now unfortunately encompasses most of the city. These guns are armed with plasma based weaponry of an unknown design and have proven to be INCREDIBLY lethal to our birds. Until the Assault Tribes can take em out, I'm afraid we're walkin fellas."

"Hey, at least that's something we're really good at." Aika joked in a blithe manner.

"Will we have any kind of ground support, Sarge?" Motohama asked hopefully.

He laughed at that. "What, are ya kiddin me? You ARE the support for this OP, Rookie."

Matsuda and Motohama both gulped instinctively. Suddenly, their stomachs didn't feel so great.

"Once we make contact with the ground, my President will be providing us with intel on the current objective." Sammy continued.

"Sona Sitri is out in the field?" Aika quirked her ear up in intrigue.

He nodded. "She sure will be. So you best put on a good show. Word has it she's considering you for our Peerage should you do well on this assignment."

Her jaw damn near hit the floor. Matsuda and Motohama meanwhile, were staring at her in absolute disbelief. If this went well, Aika was going to have the chance to be turned into a Devil.

"Now don't go making assumptions just yet." Sammy cuationed. "That's just what I overheard."

"What about us, Sarge?" Matsuda couldn't help but ask. "Did she say anything about Motohama or me?"

He shook his head. "You two are already promised to the Gremory Clan. We've got no say over what happens to ya after this assignment is over with. You'd have to ask the President of the ORC."

"Sergeant, we'll be making touchdown in thirty seconds!" The pilot declared.

"Alright, you heard the man. No more bullshit questions. Fall in and smile for the cameras." He then added with a weary groan. "Oh and...try not to piss off, Sona. She's a Pureblood from a very prestigious family even by Devil standards. If she doesn't like what you have to say, it'll be my ass that gets tanned for it. Capice?"

"Understood, Sergeant!" Matsuda declared boisterously.

The Chopper's landing gear unfurled and it landed in the middle of the square. As Delta Squad exited the helicopter they were greeted to the sight of Sona Sitri standing in the middle of the road surrounded by Scouts and with two members of her Peerage at her side. Her Knight, Tomoe Meguri. And her Rook, Tsubasa Yura. They were dressed in their Honor's Committee Uniforms as usual and stood with perfect poise amidst the absolute chaos that surrounded them.

"Hell of a party you're throwing here, Boss." Sammy joked blithely.

Sona adjusted her glasses and nodded curtly. Her demeanor unflappable as always. "They're getting bolder. We've received reports of Cyber Infantry as close as Pomey Street."

"Damn...that's just down the road." Motohama commented nervously to Matsuda.

"Well then I guess it's a good thing the cavalry has arrived." Her Pawn boasted before shooting Tsubasa a playful wink. The Sitri Rook turned her head away and blushed, while Tomoe simply rolled her eyes and chortled.

"I take it your squad has been properly equipped?" She turned her attention to the four standing behind them, each of whom, save for Xenovia, dropped their guns and stood at attention like complete idiots.

He groaned in exasperation. "They have, but those three are still barely even Trainees."

"And green as grass by the looks of things." Tomoe couldn't help but comment. Her eyes narrowed upon seeing the blue haired girl in the grey battlesuit. "Wait a minute...isn't that Xenovia Quarta, Ms. President? What is she doing here?"

Xenovia glared at the Sitri Knight. "You know my name?"

An amused smile appeared on Sona's face. "My Knight was once a Holy Sword User same as you. In fact, she was once the wielder of your Ex Partners blade, Excalibur Mimic."

Her eyes went wide as she suddenly realized who this Knight was. "Wait a minute...you wouldn't happen to be Tomoe Meguri, would you?"

She grinned and spoke up proudly. "The one and only. I was Excalibur Mimics previous wielder."

"The Order thinks you're dead." Xenovia commented warily.

"And they can go on thinking that." She spoke disinterestedly. "Now I don't know much about this Irina chick, but I've heard she can only use two weapon types. Is that true?"

She nodded. "Yes. Irina is still relatively new to the Excalibur Five."

"In that case, if you see her again, tell her she's got a LONG way to go if she hopes to catch up to me."

Xenovia bit her tongue and turned her head away. "I'll...keep that in mind."

Sona turned her eyes back to the three still standing at attention. "And these must be the three lab rats we caught sniffing at our equipment. My but how you have changed in the past few days."

"Thank you, Ma'am!" Motohama's voice cracked as he tried hard not to start sweating.

"Oh for fucks sake, at ease ya dolts! We ain't that polite out here!" Sammy shouted at them.

All three of them visibly relaxed. Sona calmly approached Aika and inspected her thoroughly. "It's...Aika Kiryu, correct?"

"Y...yes, Ma'am." She stuttered nervously.

Sona smiled at her. "You know, it was my Mother your parents formed a pact with so that they may have you. Her Arcane Spellcraft is almost unrivaled among the remaining Pillars of Hell. That same magic now courses through your veins."

Aika blanched at the thought.

"I'll cut to the chase." She spoke professionally. "Perform to my standards on this assignment and I have three open Pawn Pieces with your name on them. Are we clear?"

Sammy gawked at his President. "Ya gonna use all three on her?"

She nodded. "Do not disappoint me, Ms. Kiryu. I'll be keeping a close eye on your progress even if I am not immediately present."

Aika was too stunned to respond. This was a lot for her to take in. By the looks on Matsuda and Motohama's faces, it was clear they were just as bewildered as she was.

"Sammy I want you to take these three with Xenovia and train them in the field." Sona commanded, her eyes still cast sharply on Aika. "Whatever crash course practice they received yesterday will hardly be sufficient."

"We cleared out one of the sidestreets away from the brunt of the enemy forces. Mostly just zombies and mutants remain." Tsubasa explained, she then bit her lower lip in worry. "But...there could be Cyber Infantry as well. Just be careful, okay?"

Sammy sighed wearily. "Lucky me…"

"I'm expecting one hundred and ten percent from you, Aika." Sona spoke severely. "Do not disappoint me."

* * *

Delta Squad made their way down the deserted street they were ordered to use. During this time, Sammy instructed them on how to properly move as a Squad. His instructions were incredibly bare bones given what little time he had to actually train them, but he was hoping their powers would make up for their lack of experience.

"Man...must be nice to know you're gonna be all set up with a cushy position in Sona's Peerage after this huh?" Matsuda marveled at Aika.

"I guess once this is done we'll be referring to you as Lady Kiryu or something pretentious like that." Motohama jibed at her playfully.

She shoved him and chuckled in exasperation. "I'll always just be Aika to you two bozos."

"Rookies! We can talk about the future after we save it!" Sammy called back to them. "Right now I need you focused on ya training. I don't need you three turning into Priests on us out there."

Motohama gave him a weird look. "Uhh, pardon Sarge?"

Xenovia quirked a brow at him. "Hole-y?"

"Oh! Right!" He laughed awkwardly. "Full of holes. I get it."

"Now listen up!" Sammy called to all of them while having the group march at half pace. "First things first, you should stay focused on your environment at all times and remember the Golden Rule."

"Oh! I know this one!" Matsuda spoke up eagerly. "The Golden Rule is...it ain't always about-"

"Not out here it isn't, Rookie." Sammy quickly cut him off. "Golden rule of a war zone is...take cover or die."

Sammy helped the group work through some basic cover drills, moving from wrecked cars and cinder blocks while explaining the ins and outs of cover based combat.

"Head down...eyes open...check your surroundings." Motohama chanted to himself as he moved in and out of cover. Remembering everything Sergei taught him.

Up ahead, a group of zombies lumbered aimlessly on the streets. Sammy ordered for the Squad to stop.

"No way we can go around them, so we'll have to go through." He spoke quietly from behind cover.

Aika nudged Motohama who was in cover next to her and motioned towards the group of zombies. "Hey, check out this shot."

She aimed her crossbow and fired, sending an arrow silently through the head of one of the zombies without alerting the others.

"Nice." Motohama complimented. "I'll see that and raise you five." He switched to burst rounds on his SMG and aimed. The silencer on his weapon dispersed the noise and made it so the horde could not get a fix on their position. Five zombies fell before his clip was spent.

"Alright then, my turn." Sammy pulled out the chrome rifle he had on his back and took aim from behind cover. He let loose a sharp whistle and the zombies all turned towards him. They charged, some of them brandishing pipes and two by fours much to the Rookie's confusion.

Regardless, Sammy opened fire on them with his weapon, letting loose a stream of green precision plasma bolts on the remaining horde. The plasma rounds melted through their ranks like wax, completely decimating the remaining zombies.

"That was sweet!" Motohama exclaimed. "Where do you get a weapon like that?"

He smirked somewhat arrogantly. "Like it? I had this beauty made after bringing back one of the Cyber freaks guns to Tsubaki. It's basically the same as their weapons...only better."

"Those zombies were carrying weapons." Aika commented worriedly. "I didn't think they could do that."

"They can if they're being instructed to." Xenovia spoke up. "Now that the invasion has begun, these zombies are under direct control of their Master's Necromantic power." She turned her attention back to the downed horde. "But that's not all we have to be wary of."

One of the zombies stood back up, despite the fact its head was blasted clean off by plasma. A fleshly tentacle burst from its neck stump with a bone scythe on the end of it.

Xenovia immediately blasted it with her Striker, downing the creature for good this time. "Now that the virus has had time to gestate. We're going to see a lot more of these specialized zombies wandering about. So be careful."

They continued to make their way down the street before dipping into a side alley. The sound of something snarling caught their ears and they looked above them to see several figures jumping from roof to roof.

"What was that?" Matsuda aimed his rifle at the skyline. "It looked like one of those weird...monkey dog things we saw in the sewers."

Xenovia quietly chuckled. "You mean the mutants?"

"Those things tend to travel in packs." Sammy warned. "Be on your guard."

They vaulted over a concrete barrier that had been erected in the alley, with Motohama going as far as to roll over it like how Sergei showed him.

"Nice mantle, Rookie." Their Team Leader complimented. "That ain't an easy maneuver to pull off with all those guns strapped to ya."

"There's nothing in the alley." Xenovia pointed out. "They must have gone back out to the street."

Delta Squad moved through the side alley and appeared next to a large abandoned parking complex.

"Sarge, look." Motohama pointed towards the third floor of the structure. "Two O'clock high. A mutant."

The snarling mutant lowered its head from cover and disappeared. Sammy grinned before nodding in approval. "Good eye." He then turned to Matsuda. "What did ya call that thing? A monkey dog?" He then produced a black grenade from his belt. "Well...I got a special ball for it to chew on."

Sammy pulled the pin with his teeth and tossed it. The grenade flew up to the third floor before detonating in a massive blast twice as strong as any normal fragmentation grenade.

"Nice!" Matsuda exclaimed.

"Oh shit! Two more of them!" Motohama pointed out.

Two more Mutants appeared on the wall several yards away from the blast radius. Matsuda aimed his weapon and smiled.

"My turn."

He unloaded on the creatures with rounds of pure hellfire. The rifle sprayed depleted uranium shells at the creatures, shredding both of them to bits as they harmlessly fell to the ground. While not the most accurate weapon by any stretch of the imagination, the level of damage it did more than compensated for the rounds that missed.

With the mutants dealt with, the team made their way into the parking structure and up to the third floor. From there, they had a pretty good view of the surrounding area. Including the Church nestled up on the hilltop that they needed to reach.

"Man...from here it almost looks peaceful." Matsuda commented.

"Almost being the operative word." Aika added.

A siren began blaring off in the distance, alerting them to the presence of explosions and machine gun fire that appeared to only be getting louder and louder as they progressed. On the road in front of them, several armored vehicles carrying Assault Tribe warriors raced towards the sound of battle.

"Well that can't be good." Motohama spoke glumly.

Sammy slung his weapon over his shoulder. "Looks like vacation's over boys and girls. We are officially about to enter the suck."

* * *

The sirens could be heard for miles. Whatever omens they carried with them, it had the survivors of the Church scared. She could see it in their eyes. Irina had been doing her damndest to keep this group together. She, along with Aldin, had given it their all for these brave souls. They'd fortified the church with makeshift barricades. They'd placed razor wire on the ramparts and mounted machine guns at designated positions. She'd used up the last of her C4 placing traps for whatever elected to attack them, and had armed every able bodied man and woman with rifles and shotguns while all those too young, sick, or feeble took shelter in the massive sub-basement below the altar.

But still, she knew it wouldn't be enough. Not with what was awaiting them.

"They're not gonna survive this." Aldin spoke bluntly as he looked at the sea of worried faces in the Church as they readied the last of their meager defenses. "Not with this moral."

Some were crying, already saying goodbye to loved ones and praying for their souls.

"Noah's Ark held for forty days and forty nights amidst the flood that God had sent upon mankind." She responded.

He chuckled. "That was just water. We're up against an army."

"The Ark was just wood." She immediately retorted. "Not a Gallion or a Frigate, just a humble vessel made by a wood carver who had no clue what he was doing. And yet it held against the mighty tsunamis that God sent."

"Your point being?"

She clutched at her Mother's cross. "My point being, humankind has stood in the face of overwhelming odds before and lived. This is just another one of those times."

Irina felt a gentle tug on her arm, she turned to see Alice staring up at her with curious brave little eyes.

"What are you doing here, Sweetie? All the other children are downstairs." She smiled gently at her.

"Ms. Irina…" Alice gulped back her fears and gazed up at her with fierce determination. "...I want to fight!"

She gasped slightly in surprise, not sure how to respond to this.

"Everyone else is being so brave and trying to protect us." Alice continued, her mind resolute. "Daddy gave his life trying to protect me. I...I want to protect everyone too."

Aldin couldn't help but crack a grin at the child. "She's got guts, I'll give her that much."

Irina knelt down and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Alice. But this time, you'll have to let me protect everyone."

She frowned at her dejectedly. "But...but I'm strong! I promise I am! I'm not a crybaby like those other kids. I'll fight real hard and protect everyone too!"

The Holy Sword User kissed the small child on the forehead, much to her surprise before smiling down at her lovingly.

"I have no doubt that you could fight harder than most of the adults here with that kind of bravery." She assured in as gentle a voice as she could muster. "But you're still too young for this, my Dear."

She folded her arms and pouted in rejection. "Being weak sucks…"

Irina gave her a surprised look.

"I couldn't do anything to help Daddy...I can't do anything to help you." Tears began to form in her eyes. "I wish I was like you. I wish I wasn't so weak."

She didn't know it, but young Alice had just given her an idea. Irina turned and looked once more at the beleaguered, hopeless faces of the men and women who would be defending their only bastion of safety.

They needed to hear the truth. It was the only way that any of them were going to come out of this alive.

"Stay with the child." She commanded Aldin before making her way up to the altar.

"Ms. Irina? Where are you going?" Alice asked curiously.

Irina climbed the stairs up to the altar and turned to face the crowd. With a sharp whistle she got their attention. Each of them turned and looked up at her with curious eyes, much the same way Alice was currently doing.

It was time for the Shepherd to lead her flock. Irina took a deep breath and addressed them.

"My fellow survivors." She declared, her voice resonating throughout the church. "Many of you don't know who I am, or why I have fought so feverishly to defend us. I wish I could say it was purely out of the goodness of my own heart but…" Her expression darkened and she sighed guiltily. "...the truth is...I've been lying to you. The enemy that threatens us. The one that has engulfed this city, and all its people, it cares little for any of you." She pointed to the basement. "The only thing that it's after, is what I have hidden away in that cellar down there. Weapons with the power to slay biblical monsters. That is my true objective. To safeguard them from wicked forces." With a steely look she continued. "But that ends here. I swear to each and every one of you, not as a woman of God, but as a fellow survivor, I will hide nothing from you anymore."

They all perked up their heads and gave her their full attention now, dropping whatever it is they were doing in the process.

"The world we live in is not as it seems." She continued. "For eons, Planet Earth has been the theatre of a massive war between cosmic forces beyond our comprehension. A war fought for the very fate of our souls and indeed the soul of this great planet itself. My Order, and Orders very much like it, have fought for centuries to keep these dark forces at bay." Her head lowered at her next words. "But times have changed, and we can no longer safeguard humanity the way we once did. Many have lost their faith in us, and have allowed evil and corruption to seed its way into every facet of our society." She raised her head up again. "So I ask you now. Is it because humans were always destined to go extinct? Is it our leaders who failed us? Is it because, in the grand scheme of things, we are the lowest form of life on the totem pole compared to those who would claim our spirits? Are we destined to die like cattle before the might of our Dark Lords?"

They all looked around at each other as if not quite understanding where she was going with this.

Anger formed in her features as she clenched her fists tight. "Not a chance! No way! In the ancient times, Angels, Devils, and Fallen fought amongst each other in a never ending cycle of war! And we not only fought amongst them, we lived to survive to this day!" She raised her hands up to them. "Have you never once asked yourselves, how is it that this whole planet has come to be ruled by humans? Why is it that the three races seek to claim ownership over our souls, over our planet? Is it because of our violent nature? The Devils and the Fallen are just as violent and far more powerful. We do not possess a shred of their strength, their magic, or their longevity. So then...what made us able to conquer this planet? We must have been warriors right? Nay, my friends. We were able to survive and conquer this planet because...

The Survivors looked up to her expectantly. Waiting for her answer.

"...we are weak." She finished.

Their expressions glowered and they all hung their heads. That was not the answer they were hoping for, yet still she continued.

"In every era of human history, the strong have sharpened their fangs and gnashed their teeth at us. Meanwhile, WE have sharpened our intellect. We forged an Empire on this small desolate rock. A HUMAN empire, from the sacrifices of our forebears. So why then are we in such dire straits now?" She spoke to them with strength. "It's because our rise to prominence has broken the fangs of the strong, and forced them to sharpen their minds out of necessity. Just as we once did."

They remained silent, their heads bowed in mournful resignation.

"Now the strategies, the wisdom, the intellect that we once monopolized, the power to beat all the odds, the strong has gained them all! That is what has brought us to this state!" With another deep breath, she looked upon their forlorn faces, a radiant grin forming on her features. "Now answer me this...what makes you bow your heads like that?"

The survivors all raised their heads up at her curiously again.

"I'll ask again. Why do you bow your heads?!" She placed her fist against her heart. "You should be PROUD to be weak! We are the weak! Just as we have always been! Don't you see?! Nothing has changed at all!"

Energy and fervor slowly returned to the room.

"True the strong may imitate our weapons, our strategies, our technology, but they will NEVER Master them as we have! Why?! Because at the heart of our strength lies a fearful anxiety of our most humiliating weaknesses! This fear has not only given us the insight to escape from the strong but to learn their secrets! It has given us the wisdom of experience, because we must predict the future to survive! I say it once more, be proud to be weak! We are the noble weak who have, throughout history, torn out the throats of those fools who sit idly by and boast of their strength!"

She summoned her Katana and raised it into the air.

"As God as my witness, this Church will not fall to the strong who pray upon our doorstep! Together we shall do as humanity as always done and survive as the weak! Protect our weak brethren! And use our wisdom to make the strong bow before us! You are, each of you, a part of a proud legacy! The wisest of the races! The ones who can become anything…"

Power surged through her being.

"...because they were born with NOTHING!"

A thunderous cry punctuated the Church as humanity raised their weapons into the air and cheered. Let the flood come, for they would weather this storm.

* * *

He was in agony. Sheer, unbridled agony. How many cuts had Kiba received? Too many to count. And though he couldn't die, that somehow only made it worse. His whole body was racked with pain to the point he couldn't even move. Meanwhile, Mouse continued to taunt him while pacing around like a feral animal.

"Do you finally understand?" Mouse sneered at him with derision. "There is no going back for you. You've lost everything, Fynn. Everything in your life that once had meaning. Your family is DEAD because of you. Because of your cowardice. And soon, the only ones who took you in will turn against you as well."

He slowly approached the wounded Kiba and aimed his sword down at him. "Which is why you should just give up and let ME take control. This mind no longer obeys you. What once was your strength now belongs solely to me."

Kiba found it in him to slowly reach for his sword.

"You flounder in your guilt and anger." Mouse continued. "And have let yourself rot beyond the point of return. Every chance at a life worth living has passed you by, Fynn."

He gripped the handle of his rusted weapon.

"You're afraid to be alone with your thoughts. So you tried to drown them. What you don't realize though…" He picked Kiba up by the scruff of his hair and glared into his half dead eyes. "...those voices that you've tried so hard to block out...will scream more and more loudly. Scream until your ears bleed."

Mouse prepared for the coup de grace.

"So just keep covering your ears, Fynn. Because soon you'll sink so deep that you'll never hear anything agai-"

"No…"

Mouse stopped upon hearing the quiet whisper speak back to him.

"I...I won't live this way…" Slowly, Kiba willed his sword hand to move.

Mouse's eyes went wide in disbelief. "You...you actually intend to resist? Even after all you've endured? You cannot possibly hope to-"

"JUST SHUT UP!"

He was completely floored. Where was this sudden energy coming from? What was this strength in his opponents eyes?

"I don't want to hear it anymore!" Kiba grabbed hold of Mouse's arm and with his free hand and held fast. "You don't rule me! I don't have to live like this! I don't…"

Kiba's sword began to glow.

"...have to live like YOU!"

He plunged his blade deep into Mouse's heart. The expression on his doppleganger's face was less dismay and more just sheer shock. Slowly, his body began to crack as if composed from glass.

"You...you actually did it." He spoke in complete disbelief even as his whole body cracked apart at the seams. "But I was...so...very...close…"

Mouse shattered into a million pieces and Kiba fell to the ground, gasping for air as the pain ebbed from his body. Though the wounds of his ordeal had vanished, the weariness of his spirit had not. It took every last ounce of strength he had to stand up.

At that moment, the facade of the compound he was standing in began to break away and float off into the wind. Kiba was left standing in a great black void, with only a single ray of light off in the distance as a landmark.

Slowly, painfully, he walked towards the light. The closer he got, the more he could hear what sounded like a child singing.

And then he saw it, a little girl with brunette hair playing in a small patch of grass and flowers. The small ray of light in the darkness providing her only source of illumination. As Kiba approached, the little girl turned and peered at him with two curious eyes before smiling brightly.

"Well well well, can it really be?" She giggled sweetly at him. "It certainly has been some time, Fynn."

He knew her. Not as a spirit, or some faceless spectre, Kiba knew this girl, as he did all the faces of his friends, his family.

The ones he left behind.

"Emile." He whispered breathlessly before collapsing to his knees in the grass.

She walked up to him and placed her tiny hands on his cheeks. "You seem to be tired, Fynn. You must have had a long journey trying to find me."

His voice trembled at her touch.

"There's no need to be scared, Fynn." Emile assured sweetly. "This place is safe. Nothing can hurt you hear." She then hugged him tightly before looking up into his eyes. "It's so good to see you again. How does it feel to be back amongst your old memories?" Her expression glowered somewhat as she looked around the black empty void. "This place has changed much since you left us here, Fynn. As you can see it's...gone to the dogs." She laughed slightly, though it had no real depth or meaning behind it.

He couldn't speak. The words wouldn't form.

"Do you remember how it was before the darkness?" She asked like a curious toddler. "Do you remember how it used to be? Before our family was broken apart?" Emile's bright smile returned. "You were almost as little as me, back then. And you used to visit us all the time. We were your best friends."

His lower lip began to quiver ever so slightly.

"Don't you see, Fynn? We are you. And you are us. That's how it was when we were alive, and that's how it still is now. You were our family." She cast her gaze away. "We loved you once...and we still do. But some of us are terribly confused and frightened. That phantom who's been wandering the darkness...calling himself you. He's been keeping you from the truth with his vicious lies." She cast her gaze back up at him resolutely. "Without you this darkness...this darkness suffocates us. It has warped us all into something you can hardly recognize. Something...monstrous."

And yet again, that bright ray of sunshine in her eyes returned.

"But we are still yours, Dear Fynn. And we long for the light. That warm light that once shone on us every day. Back when you used to love us…"

She wrapped her arms around him and hugged Kiba yet again.

"...back when you used to love YOU."

His voice caught as the tears slowly built up. As each one rolled down his cheek, it hit the soft grass beneath him, creating another flower in the tiny meadow.

She peered up at him curiously. "Why are you crying, Fynn? You should be happy." Emile pressed her cheek tightly to his chest again and sighed. "You know what you have to do now. You have to forgive yourself. You have to forgive yourself for what those bad people did to us. Only then can you live your life fully."

She shut her eyes tight.

"Until then...we will all remain here. Crying out for the warmth of the light."

Kiba wrapped his arms around her and hugged the small girl tightly to him, silently sobbing out decades worth of pent up anger and pain. Watering the small meadow and causing it to grow in size.

"I've missed you." He whispered in between shaky breaths. "I've missed you all so much. Don't worry. I will try harder...and I won't give up."

He finally let her go and stood, turning his eyes up to the beam in the sky.

"You will all see the light again."

Kiba's wings unfurled and he sored up towards the bright orb above. The light enveloped him like a shroud…

...and his eyes opened once more.


	33. Chapter 33

**::Author's Note::**

**I don't know why, but this Chapter was like pulling teeth. It didn't help that work was crazy busy but for some reason I was having writer's block again as I was working on it. Not the horrendous kind I had a few months ago where I had no clue where the story was going. It was more like...I've got all these loose ends I need to tie up and I wasn't sure what order they needed to be tied up in. Jon needed to get back in the game, Delta Squad's story needed closure, and the final stage of the war needed to get under way. **

**This Chapter was a strain to get out so I apologize if there's too much Lemon filler, but what's important is that I finally got the story where it needed to go.**

**I shouldn't have this issue in the future, because from here on out, I know exactly where we're going. So please sit back and enjoy the rest of this crazy ride with me. I now present Chapter 33.**

**::End Note::**

Asia was tired of waiting. She'd prayed for as long as her head would allow it, and now sitting there in the ORC Headquarters, alone, was becoming maddening. She wanted to go back out into the field and help tend to the wounded some more, but Akeno insisted she take a break. And so long as Rias was away, the Queen of the ORC was in charge.

Still, this was miserable. How many times was she going to have to wait for days just to know whether the people she loved most in this world were dead or not?

"You're worried about them too, huh?"

Asia turned her head to see Koneko standing at the doorway to the Chapter Room, a concerned look on her face. She smiled at Koneko and patted the spot on the couch next to her.

"Wanna join me?"

The Rook nodded and took a seat next to her. Her features were droopy and her whole demeanor melancholy.

"Is it always like this?"

"Is what always like this?" Asia asked in response.

Koneko shrugged. "Waiting for him to come back."

She frowned deeply while her thumbs fidgeted nervously together. "Unfortunately."

The Rook's expression darkened even more. "I think I preferred it when I didn't care."

At that Asia smiled and shook her head at her. "I don't believe you."

"That's fair."

"No, you misunderstand." She quickly corrected. "I don't believe you used to not care. You've always held Jon and Rias both in your heart, even if you never showed it."

"It's scary feeling like this." Koneko admitted. "It's scary feeling things in general."

Asia nodded in understanding before taking Koneko's hand in hers. "It is scary. But it's a little less scary when you share the fear with someone else."

She tried to smile up at her. "No matter what happens, you'll never leave right?"

"Never." Asia assured.

The two Treasure's kissed and at that exact moment, a portal behind them opened.

Koneko quickly pulled away and gasped. "Asia look!"

Both girls shot up from the couch and ran over to the red portal that formed behind them. A lone figure proceeded to step out of the red glowing circle and enter the Chapter Room.

Lady Grayfia bowed to both of them respectfully.

"Where are they?" Asia asked nervously while Koneko squeezed her hand for support.

After a moment, a small smile formed on Grayfia's lips and she stood off to the side.

Another figure appeared from behind the portal, slowly walking into the Chapter Room while clutching something in both arms.

Jon slowly walked through the portal, beaten, battered, and burned, his expression was blank and his steps heavy. In his arms he carried Rias. Most of her clothes had been burned and blasted away, and her body was just as battered as his was.

She wasn't moving.

"Rias!" Asia quickly ran up to Jon and immediately began using her Twilight Healing. She breathed a sigh of relief and her heart steadied. "She's alive."

Upon hearing her President was still breathing, Koneko turned her attention to Jon next. "So...did she do it?"

He slowly cast his gaze to her and grinned.

"Yep...she sure did."

* * *

Asia worked diligently on Rias in the President's room while Jon informed them of what happened. The two of them had fought each other for nearly two days straight, pushing the limits of their power and holding absolutely nothing back.

It wasn't until nearly a day and a half into their fighting that it happened. Rias's Blood triggered her hidden power and Jon was forced entirely on the defensive. It cost him almost all of his magical energy and she very nearly killed him more than once.

But together, they did it. Rias was now in control of her Mother's Blood. The President of the ORC had access to her full power.

"It'll take some time for her to recover." Asia announced. "At least a day."

"So what does this mean?" Koneko asked Grayfia curiously. "Is Rias as strong as Lucifer now?"

She shook her head. "No. Just because she's tapped into her full power does not mean she has Mastered it yet. With time and training, however, she will prove one day to be his equal, I have no doubt."

"Those are two luxuries we don't have right now." Jon commented glumly, wincing in pain as he nursed one of his fractured ribs. "The whole point of this was for Rias to gain enough power to match Kokabiel."

Grayfia smirked at him. "You misunderstand. Rias may not be as powerful as Lucifer yet. But with you at her side, she should have enough power to confront Kokabiel."

At that moment Akeno came bursting into the room, a worried expression on her face. "I came as soon as I heard. How is she doing?"

"She'll be fine." Asia assured. "But her magic reserves were completely depleted. She needs a full day's rest and plenty of healing magic."

She nodded in understanding before attending to the next order of business. Akeno immediately rushed to Jon's feet and dropped to her knees with her head bowed. "Master, please let me tend to your wounds."

"I'm fine, Ju'kara." Jon assured. "Rias is the one who needs attention."

She shot him a pleading look to which he sighed and shook his head in exasperation.

"Very well. If not for my sake than for yours."

Akeno smiled and nodded approvingly before standing up and sitting next to him on the bed. She immediately began inspecting the damage with her magic.

"Some of these burns are really bad." She observed woefully. "Rias really did a number on you didn't she, Master."

He nodded. "Once she awakened her Mother's Blood it was like I was fighting something else entirely. The Rias I knew and loved ceased to exist. Replaced with that...thing."

"What thing?" Asia asked nervously.

He shook his head. "It'll be better if Rias explains it." He then turned to Akeno who was still tending to his wounds. "For now, I'd like to hear about what's been going on since we left."

Akeno smiled at him and bowed her head. "As you wish Master. Asia, if you would do me a favor when you get a chance and bring me my medicine kit, I'll take care of Jon while you tend to Rias."

Asia retrieved Akeno's medicine kit for her and she immediately began applying ointment to Jon's injuries before bandaging them up. As she did this she caught him up to speed on everything that had been going on in the city. As well as mentioning how Matsuda, Motohama, and Aika were currently fighting in the city with Xenovia and Sammy to retrieve the Holy Swords as well as rescue Irina and the remaining survivors.

He took the news about as well as they could have hoped.

"I have to go help them." He immediately tried to get up only to be pushed back down by Asia and Akeno.

"Absolutely not!" Asia huffed at him like a fussy mother. "You're in no condition to help anyone right now, you need to rest and recover."

"Please Master." Akeno pleaded with him insistently. "You mustn't overdo it. Your body needs healing just as much as the President's."

"I'm not gonna just sit here while my friends get themselves killed." Jon spoke stubbornly. "Sammy doesn't know them as well as I do. It should be me leading that mission, not him."

As he attempted to stand up, Koneko grabbed Jon and roughly slung hin back down onto the bed with her massive strength.

"Don't be an idiot!" She growled. "If you go out there now you'll only get yourself killed and put all of them in mortal danger."

"I know how you must feel about this, but please try to see reason." Grayfia implored. "If you leave now, Kokabiel will flood the streets with Fallen Angels looking for you. A small squad of Demons is far more effective for a task like this."

"I know it hurts to hear this, Master, but right now you'd really only be getting in their way. This is THEIR mission. They must see it through to the end."

His whole body tensed up and he slammed his fist down into the sheets. "Dammit! I can't stand this!" Smoke flared from his nostrils. "There's a war going on out there and I haven't done anything to help."

"You just helped give us the decisive advantage over Kokabiel's forces." Akeno insisted. "Rias could never have pulled this off without you." A small grin formed on her features. "And besides. You haven't seen what your friends have become. They're not the same humans they once were."

He sighed. "I believe you, Ju'kara. That doesn't stop me from worrying."

She giggled sweetly at him. "Well Master...I can think of you things to keep you distracted until...until…" Her head started to swim and she was suddenly very woozy.

"Hey, are you alright?" Jon asked her worriedly.

"I'm fine, Master." She assured while clutching her head. "Just...a little worn out."

"When's the last time you ate?" Koneko asked sternly. "Or slept? You need to go lay down."

"I'll be fine." She insisted though it was clear she was indeed quite tired. "Someone has to…" Akeno yawned drowsily.

"You should listen to them Akeno." Asia encouraged. "It's not good to push your body to its...to its…" A dizzy spell washed over her.

"Oh dear…" Akeno giggled at Asia. "...perhaps you should speak for yourself, Hun."

"No no, I'm fine." Asia yawned. "I've just been...using a lot of healing magic lately."

"Alright, that does it." Koneko spoke up insistently before pointing to the door. "Both of you out, now."

"But…"

"Uh uh." The Rook shook her head vehemently. "Whatever you're gonna say, save it. You two need rest. Nothing good will come out of both of you collapsing alongside Rias."

Asia and Akeno both exchanged worried looks with each other before sighing in resignation.

"I suppose she has a point." Akeno admitted

"A nap might do us both some good." Asia added.

Grayfia nodded in agreement. "I will watch over Lady Rias. You should all take some time to recover."

"Thanks, Grayfia." Jon smiled at her appreciatively.

"Alright, enough stalling. Off to bed you two." Koneko snapped her fingers and pointed towards the door.

Once Asia and Akeno had both kissed Jon and were out of the room she gripped him by the lapel and pulled him away.

"And you...you're coming with me."

* * *

Koneko shut the door to her room the moment she and Jon were both inside. A nervous flutter formed in her heart that he almost immediately picked up on.

"Everything okay, Kani?" He asked sincerely. "You ain't usually in the habit of letting me come in your room."

She fidgeted in place, her cheeks flushing as she stared at the ground with uncertainty.

"Wait a minute…" A knowing grin slowly formed in his features. "...don't tell me this was just an excuse to spend some time alone together."

"So what if it was?" She mumbled, her face turning even redder. "You got a problem with that?"

That was a shock. Jon immediately regretted his choice of words as it was clear he had completely misread the situation. To be fair, Koneko was always incredibly difficult to read.

"So...you really did just want to spend some alone time with me?"

"Don't make me say it again, Dummy." She grumbled once more. "You and Rias could have died back there...I'm just happy to see you're okay."

Well crap...this was certainly out of nowhere. Not that it wasn't appreciated, quite the opposite. But now Jon felt like a damn fool. He knew how difficult stuff like this was for Koneko and he joked about it without considering her feelings whatsoever.

He placed a hand on her cheek and peered lovingly into her catlike eyes. "Kani, I'm sorry that we haven't gotten to spend much time together. What with how chaotic things have been the past few days." Jon gave her one of his award winning smiles. "But don't worry, I intend to spoil you rotten the moment all this has blown over."

She scoffed at him and rolled her eyes, yet was still grinning all the same. "Listen to you, trying to butter me up like that. Don't think that southern charm will win me over so easily, Hyodo."

He snickered at her in response and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Ah hell, it was worth a shot."

Koneko sighed contently into his hand. "Look...I'm not like the other girls, okay? I'm a free spirit. I enjoy my space and don't need constant twenty four hour attention.

Despite this, Jon did not move away.

"That's all fine and well." He assured while continuing to pet her. "But you're still one of my beloved Treasures. I made a commitment to you as I did to them. I don't ever want you thinking you're bottom of the barrel just because you were the last one to open up to me. Because nothing could be further from the truth."

He stopped petting his Kani long enough to guide her over to the bed and sit her down in his lap. Koneko didn't seem to mind, in fact she leaned into him as they both sat on the mattress.

"I'm happy to hear you say that." She rested her head on his shoulder, a content look on her face. "But a few moments like this are all I need. Just a small reminder of how you feel."

Jon needed to get his act together. It wasn't going to get any easier from here. And there were three other girls who needed to feel just as loved and important to him as he was trying to make Koneko feel. The affection couldn't be a one way thing.

"Hey...Jon?" Koneko suddenly looked up at him with nervous eyes again. "If you really wanna spoil me then…"

A thought occurred to her and she suddenly smiled again. Koneko shifted around to where she was facing him before straddling his lap and placing her hands on his cheeks.

"Actually, never mind. A Treasure shouldn't have to ask her Dragon for something like this."

Koneko shut her eyes and brought her lips to his. This wasn't like how Koneko normally kissed him. This was far more reminiscent of the first time she kissed him for real. The sensation was soft, gentle, and just a bit timid. Her small thin lips continued to peck at him, as if exploring the different ways she could kiss Jon. Soon, her petite tongue made its way into his mouth. All while Koneko moaned and purred in between each and every kiss.

"Your taste...your smell…" She panted quietly as she kissed him. Meanwhile Jon pressed her tightly against his body, his hands resting on the small of her back, before inserting his tongue into her small mouth.

"Mmm...Jon...ha…" She finally pulled away, slightly out of breath and her face flushed with arousal. The strength drained from her arms and she fell into his chest.

"I like the way we kiss." She spoke in a small, heated voice. "When we REALLY kiss. It's like all the barriers come down. What I can't tell you in words, I can tell you through my lips touching yours."

"You'll find it in words someday." He assured. "In the meantime, I'm going to do everything in my power to make you feel like you can trust me completely."

She sighed in a melancholy tone, her expression darkening. "I DO trust you completely, Jon. You're not the problem anymore."

He quirked a brow at her. "So then...what IS the problem?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She glared up at him sadly. "It's me...I'm the problem. I've ALWAYS been the problem. I'M the one I don't trust."

He frowned at her worriedly. "I wish you would open up about it. Just a little bit."

She sat there quietly for a moment. He could hear her heart racing but it wasn't from arousal anymore. This was fear he was sensing.

"When you...helped Rias unlock her power. What was it like?"

He felt his stomach twist at the memory. While certainly not the worst ordeal he had ever had to endure for the sake of gaining more power, it certainly wasn't easy to think about.

"We were trying to kill each other by the end of it." He spoke in a dull placated tone. "It was nearly two days of nonstop fighting, during which time we said and did things to each other that…" Jon shook his head at the memory, casting the dark thoughts away. "...we had to break our bonds apart, cast away all doubt and reservation, and commit fully to fighting each other to the end. Only then did we get her Mother's Blood to trigger."

"Yet somehow...you came through it?"

His smile returned and he nodded. "It was those very same bonds we had to break that saved us. Turns out...if you love someone deeply enough, there's nothing you can say or do that will completely destroy the ties you forged."

"How did you do it? How the hell did you manage to bring her back from that."

Jon pointed to the scar on his chest. "Rias put an enchantment on my heart to prevent her from stopping it during the fight. Once I was certain she had fully awakened her Mother's Blood, I undid the enchantment."

She sat up straight and glared at him in disbelief. "You did what?!"

He nodded in confirmation. "It's crazy, I know. She had gained so much power and had fallen so far into her own darkness. I knew the only way I could bring her back was with a choice. So I undid the enchantment and told her if she really wanted to kill me, all she had to do was command me to die and I would." Jon smirked. "And that's when it happened."

"When what happened?"

"She came back. Rias clawed her way back into her own head and retook control. Just like that, she had tamed the wild magic of the Power of Destruction."

She blinked at him several times, as if not quite believing his words. "That's all it took?"

"It wasn't easy." He assured. "Not by any stretch of the imagination. But in the end...Lucifer was right. This was the only way we could have done it."

Jon placed his hand behind Koneko's head and rested his forehead against hers.

"Sometimes love can break you. I've felt what that's like first hand. But if there is one thing you girls have taught me it's that love can also save you from yourself."

She let his words sink in. Truly sink in, down to the very core of her being.

"Jon...could you…" She swallowed her fear and asked her question. "...could you do that for me one day?"

"Do what?" He asked curiously.

"Help me face my darkness." She blushed. "The way you helped Rias."

He smiled and kissed her lips tenderly. "Do you even have to ask?"

She sighed against his chest again, content to simply hold onto him for awhile. Until at last that loving look appeared in her eyes again.

"It's strange...I haven't always known you." She commented. "It's getting harder to picture a time before we met."

"Must have been pretty bad." He replied with a shit eating grin. "Try not to dwell on it."

She chortled and rolled her eyes at him derisively. "Oh yeah. It was pretty dramatic, all the years I've spent without that giant ego of yours."

After a moment, her expression softened again.

"I love you, you know?" Koneko admitted with a flush of embarrassment. "I know I said it before but we were all drugged up on Loa Dust then. I just...wanted you to hear it while I was sober."

He chuckled and kissed her lips again. "Guess I should say it for you too then. I love you, Kani."

"Damn…" She laughed happily. Though she was trying to be coy it was clear by the smile on her face she was elated. "...and I didn't even have to get naked for you, this time."

"We could always fix that." He offered in his usual, not so subtle way.

Koneko sighed in exasperation before chuckling at him. "How did I know you were gonna say that?" Her smile faltered somewhat. "Jon, I owe you a bit of an apology. The truth is, part of why I insisted Asia come with us on our date for Halloween was because I wasn't ready to be completely alone with you." She then quickly added. "Don't get me wrong. I love you and I love her. I don't regret what we did, it's just-"

"Kani." Jon spoke insistently before cutting her off yet again with a kiss. "You don't have to explain it to me. I understand. If you ain't ready then that's all there is to it."

A sultry look formed in her eyes and a playful little grin spread across her lips. Koneko pushed him down on the bed and pulled open his shirt.

"Who said I'm not ready?"

Koneko fell onto him and their lips found each other again. Feverish, furious, kissing followed. She broke long enough for Jon to pull her blouse over her head, revealing the blue polka dot bra she was wearing underneath. They kissed wildly for a moment longer before Jon rolled over on top of her.

As he leaned down to kiss her again she slapped him. After shaking off the brisk encounter he looked down at her in confusion. There was a coy look in her eyes as she stared back into his. Koneko slapped him again, a little harder this time.

"What are you doing?"

She shrugged, that same coy look in her eyes as she slapped him yet again. That's when it finally clicked.

"So that's how we're doing this, huh?" He growled at her.

Koneko responded by slapping him again. Smoke flared from Jon's nostrils and he pinned her wrists down into the mattress. She quickly wrapped her legs around his waist and used her strength to roll herself on of him, assuming the dominant position. Before she could pin his arms down Jon lurched up and bit her ear. A surprised gasp escaped her lips as her whole body went rigid and she proceeded to moan reflexively. Jon held her tight to his chest and bit down her neck while unhooking her bra. He then tossed it away before hooking his arm under her leg and rolling her onto her back again. She kissed him roughly, biting his lower lip until it almost drew blood before digging her nails into his back and clawing all the way down.

Their primal sides took over as they continued to wrestle with each other. Koneko played the cornered prey well and pretended to resist, biting, scratching, and clawing him whilst not even trying to conceal how turned on she was. Jon, meanwhile, continued to play the dutiful Dominant and put her in her place each time she fought back. They played this little game of cat and mouse with each other until finally she surrendered to him entirely.

Jon flipped her over on her belly and tugged her skirt completely off her body. Revealing her gorgeous ass and a pair of matching polka dot panties which he quickly did away with. She mewled as he proceeded to force himself roughly inside of her and start thrusting. Koneko gripped the sheets in a tight ball with one hand while gripping the back of his neck with the other. He then pulled on her hair roughly and she arched her back for him, moaning in heat as he fucked her good and rough.

Jon then grabbed her thigh and laid her on her side with her back pressed against his chest. He spread her right leg high into the air before proceeding to piston in and out of her like a well oiled machine.

"That all you…*gasp*...got for me…" She challenged in between shakey breaths. "Come on, fuck me harder! I wanna-Nyah!"

Her words were cut off by his teeth digging into her ear. Suddenly she was a mewling kitten in his hands again. That right ear of hers was definitely Koneko's weak spot. Going a step further Jon silenced her for good by gripping her throat and squeezing from behind as he pumped his full length in and out of her over and over again. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she came hard against his cock. He let her ride the wave of her orgasm but he did not let up on her throat until she was done. Only then did he finally let go, permitting her to gasp in fresh air before flipping Koneko on her back and holding her down by her throat once more.

Jon began squeezing again and she gripped his wrist with both hands, her eyes firmly locked to his. She completely trusted in him not to push her past her limit while choking her, and the steely grip of his strong hand pressing her into the mattress was such a turn on it sent her over the edge once more. Her orgasm was completely silent as she convulsed in the sheets, her eyes bulging out of her head.

With an animalistic roar his nostrils flared and he slammed his full length into her, pumping his seed into Koneko until her belly bulged. Only once he was completely spent did he release her neck and collapse next to her.

Koneko gasped and choked out her next few breaths as she sucked precious oxygen into her system. Jon quickly sat up to check on her.

"You alright?"

She collapsed her head back into the mattress and gave him the thumbs up, too tired and too loopy to respond with words.

Jon chuckled at her. "You keep riling me up like that and someone's liable to get hurt."

Koneko finally found enough air to speak back. "Oh relax. I know you'd never intentionally hurt me."

He winced in pain as his bruised ribs suddenly began to protest the sudden unexpected exertion. "Yeah...I wasn't really talking about you." His side flared up and he layed back in the bed. "Dadgumit."

"Are you okay?" She sat up and looked at him worriedly. "I didn't push you too far did I?"

"Nah." He grinned and shook his head assuredly. "I'll be fine."

"Good." She laid herself on top of him. "Because I expect your friend to wake up and play with me again in the next five minutes."

* * *

Aika's head was swimming. A high pitched ringing in her ears was the only thing she could hear. All around her was the chaos of battle and all out warfare. Not that she had any clue where she was or what was going on. Between the tinnitus and possible concussion she received, it was a miracle she even still knew what planet she was on.

Their mission had been doing fine up until they got to the next district. The path they had to cross was right in the thick of some of the heaviest fighting in the city and Delta Squad was forced into the middle of a firefight they weren't prepared for. Most of their time was spent running from one piece of cover to the next and praying to whatever God might be listening that a mortar didn't hit them.

A figure ran up to Aika as she lay their completely discombobulated before pulling her to her feet. The ringing in her ears slowly dissipated and her hearing returned.

"...to move...we need to...move now!"

Suddenly, she remembered where she was. It was Sammy yelling at her, and she was still very much in the line of fire.

"Move!" Sammy ordered before tugging her along with him.

As they ran through the street, keeping their heads down while mortar shells and gunfire went off around them, all of Aika's focus was on keeping her feet moving. It wasn't until Sammy shoved her through a door and slammed it shut behind them that her senses returned completely.

They were in a hospital. The rest of Delta Squad having already made themselves comfortable resting in the front entrance.

"That was too fucking close." Motohama gasped for breath as the adrenaline slowly wore off. "Holy shit, I thought we were goners out there."

"Did you see all that shit out there?" Matsuda was pacing back and forth, equal parts angry and panicky. "Their were dudes crawling around with no fucking legs! This whole situation is so fucked man! Fucked!"

Aika was a million miles away. Nothing could have prepared her for this. She thought the zombies were bad but compared to this those things were a joke. Seeing men get torn to shreds by machine gun fire, blasted to pieces by artillery, cut down by mutants and devoured, the whole city had gone completely to hell.

"Aika? Aika, are you with me?"

She felt a strong, reassuring hand grip her shoulder. Aika jumped and aimed her crossbow at the one who touched her.

"Woah woah woah." Xenovia raised her hands up defensively. "Aika, listen to me. It's okay. You're just a bit shell shocked. Just try to focus on breathing. You need to calm down."

Aika's trembling hands slowly lowered her weapon as she slowed her breathing and her heart rate returned to normal.

"That was some quick thinking." Xenovia complimented her after seeing she was finally in her right mind again.

"If you hadn't thrown up that shield we would have all been in serious trouble back there."

The events of what happened before she briefly lost consciousness slowly began to come back to her. They were running through heavy gunfire and artillery strikes towards Kuoh General Hospital where they planned to cut through en route to the outskirts of the city. A shell dropped on their position and it was all she could do to throw a barrier up before they were hit.

They had barely gotten out of that with their lives. The Scout Battalion around them, however, was not so lucky. Seeing their mangled bodies littering the streets like that would haunt her dreams for the rest of her life, she was all but certain of it.

Matsuda continued to pace around like a feral animal, getting himself more and more worked up. Finally, he kicked over a trashcan unable to keep his emotions in check anymore.

"Fuck this shit, man!" He exclaimed angrily. "Did you see what those bastards were doing to our guys out there?! These fuckers are Nazis! They ain't even human!"

"That's exactly the point." Sammy growled at him, getting right in his face. "These guys ain't human. They never WERE human. That's the kind of enemy you're up against. Monsters."

Matsuda flared, his temper was raging out of control.

"Now you need to get a grip before you give away our position."

"Am I not allowed to be angry about this?" He was fuming, the redness in his face made that readily apparent.

"I didn't say don't get angry." Sammy insisted. "Angry is good. Angry gets shit done." He thumped Matsuda's shoulder with his fist. "But you gotta channel it. You can't let it bottle up in ya and blow up on ya squad. Hone that anger, and turn it against your enemies."

Finally he seemed to calm down. Or rather, Matsuda simply internalized his feelings to better prepare him for the conflict ahead.

"When you were facing zombies you didn't think about what you was killin." Sammy explained to all three of them. "The dead were trying to eat ya so you fought back. Zombies are easy to kill. Soldiers are a different matter. Seeing the monsters responsible for all this death is gonna get inside ya head one way or another. How you handle that battle fatigue will dictate whether or not you survive this mission."

Motohama nodded in understanding. Surprisingly enough, out of the three Rookies, he seemed to be handling the stress of this ordeal the best. "Understood, Sarge."

A shell hit the hospital, shaking its foundations and causing the lights to flicker.

"It ain't safe here. Let's get moving." Their Team Leader ordered.

"Umm...Sarge?" Aika spoke up timidly for the first time since they got in the hospital.

"What is it Rookie?"

"We will see our families again...right?"

He looked around at the three worried faces staring back at him. They all wanted an answer to that question. After a moment of thought his gaze turned sharp as he addressed them.

"Let me make something clear. I will NOT allow you to die." He growled, black smoke flaring from his nostrils. "I will NEVER allow someone in my squad to die."

He turned around and shouldered his weapon.

"...never again."

They all peered at him curiously. Before they could say anything, he ordered them to keep moving.

* * *

The Hospital was in ruins. Whatever staff or patients were once here were gone. Trash covered the hallways and the ceiling was in danger of collapsing in several areas.

"What the hell do you think happened here?" Motohama asked nervously as they made their way through the halls. Doing their best to ignore the constant shelling from the enemies and sounds of gunfire.

"It's basic laws of causality." Xenovia explained. "During an epidemic of this scale, the Hospitals are always the first things to go."

"All of the citizens who were initially infected were most likely taken here." Aika deduced. "After they...turned, it's likely the zombies left to go infect other people."

"Man...I would NOT have wanted to be here when the outbreak hit." Motohama looked around at the abandoned wreck of a hospital.

"Dammit!" Matsuda seethed. "I'm gonna kill these bastards…"

"Let's move." Sammy ordered. "Focus on clearing the combat sight."

They continued to move as a unit from corridor to corridor. Barring the occasional zombie there wasn't much left in this blasted out husk of a building. Aika took care of each straggler silently with her crossbow while the others cleared every room just like how Sammy showed them.

"Everyone stop." The Team Leader ordered. "Up ahead."

Several figures off in the distance darted down the end of the hallway one by one.

"Eyes up front and stay focused. Looks like we might have some targets that'll fire back."

"Why would the Fallen forces come in here?" Motohama pondered.

"Maybe they're looking for us." Aika cautioned nervously.

"Or…" Sammy offered with a grin. "...maybe our boys are hittin em harder than we thought."

They made their way down the hall and into the bleachers of a large auditorium. An abnormal sound caught Sammy's heightened senses and he ordered them to stop.

"Alright, everyone find cover and wait for my signal." He commanded before hunkering down behind one of the rows of seats.

They all took cover and waited for whatever signal Sammy was referring to. Down on the main stage, a group of fallen forces armed with shotguns and AK-47s entered the large auditorium from one of the lower doors and began making their way across the room.

"NOW! Smoke em!"

Delta Squad popped up from out of cover and fired. Aika hit them with a massive blast from her magical arrow while the others sprayed them with automatic weapons fire. The Fallen forces were completely decimated by the surprise attack, reduced to a pile of bloody bullet ridden corpses.

"Now that's how you do it." Sammy complimented.

"Hey, Sarge! One of them is still alive!" Motohama pointed towards one of the creatures of the Underworld who was still crawling on the ground, blood gushing from multiple wounds.

"I've got this." Matsuda growled before descending the steps of the auditorium and approaching the wounded enemy.

"Matsuda?" Aika called to him worriedly but was stopped by Xenovia.

"Let him be." She insisted. "He needs to work through this."

Upon seeing him approach, the creature pulled a handgun from his pocket and fired. The bullets pinged harmlessly off his body armor as Matsuda proceeded to kick the downed creature onto its back.

"Eat boot." He snarled before bringing his foot up into the air and down on his enemies head. Smashing it to paste.

With the last enemy felled, all was clear in the auditorium.

"What's gotten into him?" Aika asked Xenovia worriedly. "He's not behaving normally."

"War can change people in different ways." She explained in a calm detached manner. "Some can't handle the stress of combat as well as others."

Sammy shook his head. "That ain't it."

They both peered at him curiously.

"I know what battle fatigue looks like and this ain't it."

"Then what is it?" Aika asked curiously.

"Whatever those Orcs did to him." He explained. "I don't think eating that heart was purely done for ceremonies sake."

At that moment, a Mutant burst into the auditorium and roared.

"Matsuda, look out!" Aika screamed.

As the creature lunged for him, Matsuda revved his chainsaw and cut diagonally into its midsection. Shredding it in half and spraying blood all over the place.

Despite now being covered in mutant gore, Matsuda seemed less than bothered.

Sammy grinned. "Like I said. It ain't fatigue. I've seen this before."

Matsuda turned his eyes up at them, fangs like a saber tooth were protruding from his mouth.

"It's bloodlust."

* * *

Koneko nestled up to Jon on the bed and rested her head on his chest while he gently stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. She loved the way he did that. And he loved the way she almost seemed to purr like a Kitten whenever he did.

"You know what?" She smiled with her eyes closed. "You're okay."

He smirked playfully. "That's what I've been trying to tell you this whole time."

She sighed, too tired to do anything but mutter at him. "A bit of an egotist...but still okay."

Koneko summoned the will to move and peered up at him.

"When Rias first talked about you, I had no idea what to expect. But it wasn't this." The Gremory Rook frowned thoughtfully as she tried to come up with the right words for how she felt. "What I'm trying to say is...I think you're awesome. And…umm…" She blushed before burying her face in his chest and groaning in embarrassment. "I don't know what I'm trying to say here."

He laughed at her cute little gesture. It was rare to see Koneko flustered like this. "It's alright, like I said, you'll find the words eventually." Jon rested his fingers beneath her chin. "Until then, let MY lips do the talking."

They kissed sweetly for a moment when the two lovers were suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Never fails…" Jon grumbled as they were forced to part.

"It's open!" Koneko called to the door after covering herself with a sheet.

Lady Grayfia entered the room and bowed to both of them. "She's awake."

Jon and Koneko both looked at each other before jumping out of bed, now fully awake. Grayfia quickly diverted her gaze as they both proceeded to throw on their clothes and head for the door.

"How's she doing?" Jon asked as they made their way back to Rias's room.

"She's alert and talking." Grayfia assured. "Rias insisted she speak to you as soon as she was awake."

"I'll go let the others know." Koneko left to go wake up Asia and Akeno while Jon continued to follow Grayfia to Rias's room.

The President was waiting for them patiently in her bed. Sitting up on the mattress, her expression was calm and poised as always.

"Rias." Jon rushed over to her side and knelt down, taking her hand in his. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay." She leaned her forehead against his. "A little tired, but no worse for wear."

He sighed in relief before kissing her fiercely. "Rias...what we did...those things we said to each other...I-"

She placed a finger up to his lips. "It's over now. Our bond pulled us through, just as you knew it would." Rias kissed him back, more gently this time. "I love you more than life itself. Whatever we may have done during that fight, it's behind us now."

"I…" He finally allowed the dark thoughts to leave his mind and relaxed into her. "...okay. You're right. It's all behind us now."

At that moment, Asia came bursting through the door.

"Rias!" The President's Bishop ran up and leapt onto the bed, landing in her love's outstretched arms. "Thank God you're okay." Asia began to tear up as she held her dear Master close to her. "We were so worried about you. About BOTH of you."

Rias kissed her Bishop tenderly before finally speaking to her. "Honestly, you're going to worry yourself to death one of these days, Love. Worrying over us the way you do so."

"I can't help it." Asia sobbed like a small child. "The two of you mean the whole world to me."

Jon wrapped Asia and Rias both in his arms. As he did so, Akeno and Koneko made their way inside.

"Good to see you awake, Ms. President." Akeno bowed respectfully.

Koneko nodded in agreement, a bright smile on her face.

"As much as I hate to put a stop on this reunion, I fear time is not a luxury we have." Grayfia spoke up. "Lady Rias, there is much your Vice President needs to catch you up on."

Akeno nodded in agreement. "Yes. A lot has happened since you've been out, Ms. President."

Rias nodded in understanding. "I'll hear the pertinent details in the Chapter Room."

She then raised a finger in the air.

"AFTER I've had a shower."

* * *

While Rias left to go bathe, Koneko went to go check on Kiba. Leaving Asia and Akeno alone with Jon in Rias's room. His Treasures finished inspecting Jon's wounds to make sure they were healing well before treating their Dragon to an energy massage to encourage more rapid recovery.

While Akeno oiled up her hands and massaged his shoulders, Asia proceeded to drop to her knees without saying a word and remove her top and bra before pulling down Jon's pants. The Bishop then applied a fragrant oil to her healthy breasts and placed them between his fully erect cock. She finished by placing her mouth on his head and beginning to suck while bobbing her breasts up and down along his length with her eyes firmly locked to his.

"I swear, what has gotten into you ladies tonight?" Jon groaned in pleasure as she worked on him. "Between the two of you and Koneko you'd almost forget there's a war going on."

She popped her mouth off his head and stared up at him with desperate eyes. "Jon…you don't understand how much it kills us every time you have to put yourself in danger like that. Koneko and I were so worried." Asia continued to pump up and down his shaft with her heaving mounds as she spoke. "I know there's a war going on and I know that there's probably a million other things we should be doing right now besides this, but I can't help it. I just...need this. I need to show my love for you." Asia licked his head and swirled her tongue around it.

Akeno giggled at the overtly eager blonde beauty. "It's not without reason, Master. We need you back in top shape as soon as possible and there's no faster way for a Dragon to recover then to be served by his Treasures." She continued to rub oil into his shoulders as she spoke. "Asia has naturally submissive tendencies same as me, Master. Though whereas I happily identify as your submissive, I believe our Bishop is a little different."

Asia blushed deeply at Akeno's words. "I...I want to be your housewife, Jon."

His heart skipped. "My what?"

Her face turned even more crimson. Somehow this was more embarrassing to Asia than what she was currently doing to him. "It's...what I've decided to call it. I'm not exactly comfortable doing what...Akeno does. I can't really do pain or chains or anything like that." She licked up his shaft and kissed his head before pressing her breasts between him again. "But I still want to submit to you. Belong to you."

"In BDSM, there's a type of play known as 1940s Household, Master." Akeno explained. "One that emphasizes gender roles and household etiquette. Asia has been very interested in exploring that with you."

She nodded. "Instead of a collar, I want a ring. And maybe a ceremony to go with it. Instead of Master I want to call you Darling or Honey. I want to cook for you, clean for you, help you relax after a difficult hunt by performing my wifely duties in the bedroom. If I do well I want to be praised and if I do poorly I want to be spanked. Rias once said I'd make a good housewife and that's what I want to be for you."

Hearing all this while she was squeezing her tits against his cock was too much for Jon to bare all at once. With a pleasure filled growl he came all over his beloved treasures face and breasts. Asia responded by opening her mouth and sticking her tongue out as he did so, a heated look on her face.

Akeno snickered in amusement at his reaction. "I think he likes the idea, Love."

"So...will you do it, Jon?" Asia stared up at him with doe eyes, still coated in his sticky seed. "Will you let me be your Housewife?"

He smiled at her and nodded. "Of course, my Love. If that's really what you want then you will have it."

She beamed at him before clapping her hands excitedly. "Ahhh! I can't wait to tell Rias!" A thought occurred to her. "Oh! And don't tell me when you get the ring. I want it to be a surprise."

He chuckled at her enthusiasm. "My lips are sealed."

"And you absolutely must spank me if I mess up! No matter what!" She forced herself to say the words despite her face turning scarlet again. "Don't go easy on me just because I'm in training."

"You've got it, Honey." He offered teasingly. Just hearing the word made her melt.

"Asia, sweetie, he still looks very pent up." Akeno pointed to his still very erect cock before standing up and heading for the door. "Master, with your permission, I'd like to go check on Rias."

He nodded. "That'll be fine, Ju'Kara."

She bowed her head submissively to him. "Thank you, Master. I'll leave you in the capable hands of your Housewife in Training. Asia, you know what to do."

She nodded in understanding, a determined gleam in her eyes. "I understand." Asia took his shaft in her hand and licked from the base all the way up to the tip just like how Akeno showed her. "You need to relax as much as possible, Darling. It's important you're properly recovered before the next fight."

"You're really going all out for this, aren't ya?" He commented, an amused grin on his face.

Asia pouted at him. "Of course I am." She stood up and removed the rest of her clothes before laying herself down on the bed and spreading her legs. "When I became your Treasure, I did so with a heart full of fears and insecurities. But...by wearing your ring, by becoming your housewife, I'll have my own identity in the Peerage. My own place within your heart."

"Asia, you know I'll always-"

"I know Jon." She gazed up at him lovingly with two emerald eyes. "You make me feel so special and so loved every single day. But I don't want to just FEEL special, I want to be BE special. For me, that means becoming your housewife and expressing my love for you as only I know how."

She spread her glistening folds open for him.

"There's one more thing…" Asia spoke softer than before, biting her lower lip nervously. "...the greatest duty of a housewife is to bare and raise her man's children."

He felt his stomach do a flip upon hearing her say that.

"From now on, Jon, whenever and however you decide to make love to me, I want you to do so with the intention of getting me pregnant." She spoke in earnest. "More than anything I want to have your child."

He was floored. Sure he always knew he'd have kids someday. But Asia wasn't just thinking about it anymore. She was ready to go.

In all honesty it was a miracle none of his Treasures were already pregnant. He hadn't exactly been conservative with where exactly his seed landed during his alone time with the girls. And given the frequency of their alone time, the fact that none of them had woken up with morning sickness yet was a little baffling.

This wasn't the first time he had thought about this. Jon had brought the issue up to Rias once before and all she said in response was "Don't worry about it." Something that was much easier said than done.

But this was what Asia wanted. And above all else, his Treasures would get what their hearts desired most. So long as it was in Jon's power, he would commit to fulfilling their every wish. If Asia wanted a ring, she would have a ring. If she wanted a ceremony, she would have a ceremony.

And if she wanted his child, she would have his child.

"Okay." He nodded. "If you're ready to take that next step, Darlin, then so am I."

She was elated. For a second she looked like she might cry but Asia fought it back. Instead, she bit the tip of her finger and spread her folds wider for him.

"I'll take care of you however you want me to. I only ask that you cum inside me next."

He spread her legs back and slowly lowered himself down onto her, pushing his full length deep inside Asia while she moaned his name.

"Whatever the Misses wants, she gets." He teased sweetly into her ear.

Jon kissed her passionately and she surrendered completely to him.

* * *

Delta Squad managed to fight their way out of the hospital and reach the outskirts of the city before they finally encountered their first Cyber Squadron. Just as the Rookies had feared, these advanced infantry were every bit as deadly as Sona warned. Their plasma rifles were no joke, and not even Matsuda's armor could hold up to them. As Motohama quickly learned, they were also deadly accurate with those things. Meanwhile, Aika almost learned the hard way that her magic barriers didn't hold up as well to plasma based weaponry as they did to normal bullets.

Yet despite this Sammy was still pushing them through. Xenovia helped to pick up the slack and lead the charge against the squads of Cybernetic Husks and they eventually managed to push the enemy back and send them into a retreat after she unleashed her Holy Excalibur Destruction upon them.

And from there, things got eerily quiet. The closer they got to the Church, the more nervous they felt. Considering how near they were to their destination, the enemy sure wasn't putting up much of a resistance. In fact, the city felt unsettlingly calm considering it was a bullet blasted hellhole not but a few hours ago.

The fight couldn't have been going THAT well. There was no way they were that lucky.

As the group made their way up the hill towards the Church, a tense awkward silence hung in the air.

"Ethical dilemma for you all." Motohama spoke up, finally breaking the ice. "Let's say your mother and your girlfriend switched bodies, and the only way to switch them back was to sleep with one of them. Who would you choose?"

The whole group collectively groaned.

"See...this shit right here is why my parents stopped inviting you on roadtrips dude." Matsuda griped at him.

"Alright, enough small talk you two." Sammy ordered. "We're almost at the Church."

"About freaking time." Aika groaned. "This has been the longest hike of my entire adult life."

As they neared the crest of the hill, they passed what looked like a scene from a war movie. The entire cliffside was burned, bullet casings were everywhere, and the corpses and metal scrap of the Fallen Forces littered the ground. Clearly, they were not the only ones who had seen action in the past few hours.

"Damn." Motohama sucked a breath in through his teeth. "This place got blasted to hell. I hope the survivors are okay."

Through the clearing in the trees they spotted the Church. Though it had clearly been hit with plasma rounds, it was still standing. Makeshift barricades had been erected around the churches perimeter that had clearly seen gunfire as well.

All was deathly quiet.

"You think anyone's still alive?" Aika asked worriedly.

As if on cue a human popped out of cover and fired his shotgun. While it didn't hit anyone the blast did come close enough to startle all of them.

"Cease fire!" Sammy barked before muttering quietly. "...Dibshit."

"Hey...these guys aren't monsters." Another survivor spoke up after popping out of cover.

"Really? What gave THAT away?" Matsuda commented sarcastically.

"Sorry about that." The guy who almost shot them apologized profusely. "Are you guys Survivors too?"

"Nope." Sammy shook his head. "We're the ones whose gonna save your asses."

Their faces lit up.

"A rescue team?!" One of them asked excitedly.

"Quick! Come speak to Irina. She's the one in charge."

The survivors beckoned them inside. Xenovia felt a nervous pit form in her stomach as they were guided inside. Would Irina see reason? Or would this be a repeat of the convenience store?

Delta Squad made their way inside the Church, where a man with dirty blonde hair and a well groomed beard was waiting for them inside.

"So...you did come." The man commented with a wicked grin. "Irina warned us the other side might send someone here."

Sammy cocked a brow at him. "So you know who we are?"

He chuckled. "I don't just know who you are. I know WHAT you are."

Xenovia gave him a sour look. "And just who might you be?"

"Names Aldin Zefford." He spoke indifferently. "No one important, I assure you." Mr. Zefford then pointed with his shotgun down towards the basement. "She's down in the cellar tending to the wounded."

As they moved to head to the cellar, he suddenly stopped them.

"If you're planning on sticking around, we could use you in the next firefight. The sun will be down soon, and the beasts out there get stronger at night." He then added with a grin. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

They didn't comment. Xenovia lead the group down the stairs to the massive underground cellar beneath the Altar. Below, thousands of civilians were grouped together in makeshift tents and bedspreads. Their tired, beleaguered faces belying the nightmares they had endured over the past two days.

"These poor people." Aika spoke solemnly at the sight.

"Say what you will about Irina, but she did good saving this many." Matsuda commented, a hint of respect in his voice.

Delta Squad eventually reached what appeared to be a makeshift clinic. A corner of the cellar had been sectioned off as a space to bring the wounded and deceased from the past battles. Amongst the survivors acting as nurses they eventually spotted Irina speaking with the Doctor in charge of the clinic.

As she turned around and caught sight of them, her expression immediately soured into one of contempt. Xenovia raised a hand up to stop her squad from moving any further.

"I'll handle this."

Sammy and the others elected to stay behind while Xenovia approached her former partner. The two eyed each other warily for a moment, neither one saying a word to the other.

"I must say, I'm impressed, Irina." Xenovia looked around at the survivors camp. "To do all this in so short a span of time, it couldn't have been easy."

"Give me one reason I should listen to a word you say." Irina replied coldly.

"I'm not the one who lied to her partner." She challenged. "You switched the cases on me before we left."

"I couldn't let you do it." Her ex-partner insisted. "Those swords are humanity's only hope of overcoming the creatures of the Underworld. You would be handing the forces of Hell a decisive victory over the human race by relinquishing them into their hands."

"Better they should end up in the hands of the Fallen?" Xenovia was starting to get angry now. "Kokabiel and his men would see the entire human race exterminated if he had his way. Say what you will about the Devils but they aren't trying to commit genocide."

"So what? We offer our souls to them? Become slaves of our Dark Lords in exchange for being allowed to live another day?" She shook her head defiantly. "I don't know why you came here, Xenovia, but you're wasting your breath. My stance hasn't changed. I will NOT make any more deals with the Gremory Peerage."

Xenovia sighed at her stubborn headed partner. "Irina, see reason. You can't possibly hope to defend the Holy Swords and these people all on your own."

Irina clutched at her Mother's cross. "I am NOT alone. So long as-"

"ENOUGH!" Xenovia barked.

Irina was taken aback by her sudden outburst. All around them, the camp went deathly quiet.

"How far will you go just to avoid seeing him again?" She seethed. "These people are going to DIE without our protection."

Irina glared at her hatefully, she wanted to argue but she couldn't.

"You and I both know what's coming." Xenovia warned severely. "The final stage of the invasion is almost here. When it arrives, every single one of these people will be slaughtered and the swords will fall into Kokabiel's hands. UNLESS you surrender them to us for protection."

She clenched her fists tightly.

"How many more have to die? How many more innocent lives have to be lost before you finally admit that you can't keep going on like this?"

Irina's expression fell as she turned to see, off in the distance, a young Alice helping one of the nurses tend to the wounded.

"That girl deserves to have a future." Xenovia spoke, seeing the look in Irina's eyes.

"What kind of future are you talking about?" Her voice trembled. "A world run by Devils? A godless land where profit and power rule over everything? If I do this I'm forsaking everything you and Jon once stood for. Everything my PARENTS stood for." She stomped her foot, cracking the ground beneath her feet. "What kind of future is that?!"

"The kind where that little girl lives to see her next fucking birthday." Sammy growled, having officially heard enough. "Look, I get you ain't thrilled about seeing us again. But at this point, you're just being an idiot." He shook his head. "Actually no, fuck that. You're not being an idiot, you're being a CHILD!"

Irina flared at him. "Wh...what did you just call me?!"

He walked in front of Xenovia and got right in her face. "You act like you're the only one who's suffering right now. You think we all don't have skeletons in our closet? I've got plenty of stories for ya, Doll. Most of which end in, _and then they died horribly."_

She was about to speak when he cut her off again.

"And before you start whining about your parents, or Jon, or Xenovia again, take a moment to consider what THEY have gone through. All the same suffering, all the same grief. We've ALL felt the loss you feel."

Irina resigned herself to silently glaring at him.

"Yet you think you're better than everyone else here. Simply because you never had to make an impossible decision." He observed. "Yet there you stand, the pious holy woman doing absolutely NOTHING while true evil triumphs.

Her whole body began to tremble and fresh tears leaked down her face.

"But as your rigid dogma crumbles around you and everyone you've sworn to protect dies, at least you can say you stuck true to your ideals...you were a COWARD until the very end."

All was silent around them. Alice watched off in the distance as Irina slowly began to break apart at the seams. As she broke down, Xenovia slowly approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder, finally smiling at her again.

"I fear not that I will die, but that all I have come to love will perish with me."

Irina cast her gaze up at her, now more unsure than she was angry. "I'm not familiar with that verse…"

She shook her head. "It's not one. See...a smart girl once helped me realize there are words beyond our scripture that hold wisdom."

Her voice quivered and Irina ran into Xenovia's arms, hugging her tight. At long last, she had seen the light.

"Irina! Irina!"

She broke away from the hug as one of the Survivors manning the barricades ran up to her.

"What's wrong?"

"Something's happening in the sky!"

Irina and Xenovia both looked at each other nervously before running up the stairs along with the rest of Delta Squad. They ran outside to see, up in the sky, a giant rift forming, behind which lay another plain of existence. From this chasm in reality, hundreds of what looked like black birds came pouring out.

"What...is that?" Matsuda asked nervously.

"That…" Sammy gulped. "...is seriously not good."

* * *

Asia's breasts bounced in perfect rhythm as she bobbed up and down on her Dragon's manhood. Her breath heaved and huffed as she moaned in fits of arousal, her face flushed and the look in her eyes one of pure passion. The Blonde Beauty arched her back and moaned louder and louder as her climax approached.

From below, Jon groaned loudly in pleasure as he erupted, sending her over the edge. Her toes curled and her thighs shook as she rode yet another wave. Finally, Asia collapsed onto him. Out of breath and completely spent.

The two lovers kissed each other passionately when a knock on the door broke them out of the moment.

Jon sighed in frustration. "Yet again..."

The door opened and Akeno stepped in, a nervous look in her eyes.

"Sorry Master, but we need you both back in the Chapter Room. Something's come up."

Asia and Jon both lept out of the bed and got themselves dressed as quickly as possible. They made their way into the Chapter Room to find Rias sitting at her desk, fully dressed and no worse for wear.

"I hope you're nice and recovered, Jon." Rias then shot a devious little grin at Asia who blushed and turned her head away. "Because I fear our moment of respite is officially over."

"The Fallen Angels have officially made their presence known." Grayfia explained. "They've arrived in force intent on wiping out our ground forces and halting our attempts to retake the city."

A steely look formed in his eyes. "So in other words...we're back in the game."

Rias nodded. "It's time for the ORC to officially join the war front. We've spent enough time on the sidelines."

He couldn't agree more. Jon was fired up and raring to go. "Just give me the word, Rias."

"There's...one more thing." She continued before turning towards Koneko who had a deep set scowl on her face.

"What is it?"

Koneko flared angrily. "Kiba is gone. He's awake and he left the Headquarters."

Jon went wide eyed at this revelation. "He WHAT?!"

Rias nodded, her hands folded in front of her, as calm and poised as ever.

"Yes...and we have a pretty good idea of where he's heading."

* * *

The sound of gunfire resonated throughout the underground cellar as the survivors nervously coward amongst their friends and family. Up above, Sammy, Xenovia, Irina, Matsuda, and Motohama were fighting a desperate last stand against Kokabiel's forces while Aika worked on creating a portal to link the Church back to Kuoh Academy. The process was taking a while due to her lack of experience and the temporal distortion caused by the barrier.

They didn't want to admit it, but Delta Squad was running on borrowed time. It wouldn't be long before their position was overrun by Fallen Angels.

Motohama fired a high velocity round through the helmet of a Cyber Soldier, hitting it right in its ocular lense and downing it in one shot. Matsuda, meanwhile, took shots at everything that managed to reach the barricade with his shotgun. Blasting the Husks into bloody scraps of metal with every shot. Upon running out of ammo, he switched to his bat and began swinging for the fences. Using his super strength and enchanted club to smash in their heads while he roared in bloodlust. Sammy unloaded his Plasma Rifle on the charging Cyber Husks. Mowing each one down as it came over the hill.

Meanwhile, Irina and Xenovia manned the frontlines. Switching to their Holy Swords Excalibur Mimic and Destruction respectfully as they proceeded to cut through the ranks of the advanced infantry. Despite everything the Fallen threw at them, the five of them were successfully holding their ground.

But they couldn't keep this up, Delta Squad was bound to run out of gas at some point.

As the last of the Cybernetic Husks fell, two figures clad in priests robes appeared over the crest of the hill. Unlike the infantry, they were not running. Instead, they walked with a calm, unbothered stride. Completely ignoring the carnage around them.

Irina and Xenovia both flared in anger upon seeing them. It was Freed Sellzen and Valper Gallilei.

"I'll give you this much, Irina, you've not made it easy for us!" Valper called out to her, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "But your efforts here are futile! Surrender the swords and we may just let the vermin cowering in that Church live!"

"Or don't!" Freed cackled in maniacal glee. "That works for us too!"

The Holy Sword Users responded by readying their weapons and preparing to attack.

Valper's sadistic grin widened as he raised his hands into the air. "Very well then. It makes little difference either way."

Up above them, a swarm of fallen angels descended upon the church. Matsuda and Motohama both fired on the flock as it swooped down from the sky.

"Everyone back into the Church!" Irina called.

Delta Squad fell into a full retreat back into the halls of the Church before shutting and barricading the door.

"That won't hold for long." Xenovia pointed out with severe emphasis.

Sammy nodded. "Right, both you two back downstairs." He commanded Matsuda and Motohama.

"But…"

"That's an order!" Their Team Leader barked. "These things are beyond you. You wouldn't even last long enough to pull the trigger of your guns."

They both looked at each other nervously before nodding. The duo made their way downstairs while the three heavyweights remaining readied themselves for battle.

"I hate to say it guys, but we're in real trouble here." Irina commented as she readied her Katana.

"Eh, we've been in tighter spots." Xenovia smirked before readying her massive two handed sword. "Still, as much as I hate to admit it, we could kind of use Jon right about now."

Sammy summoned his Sacred Gear, conjuring two black gauntlets to his hands and two black boots to his feet. His face became covered in the Dragon's Mark and two horns grew on his forehead. Finally, a pair of black and purple Dragon's Wings appeared on his back.

"Don't worry. You've got all the badass Dragon you need right here." Black smoke flared from his nostrils as he brought his full power to bare.

They stood in a triangle, each of them guarding the other's back as they braced for the inevitable.

The iron frames of the shattered windows were smashed to pieces as Raven Winged Warriors swarmed into the Church. Some appeared from the holes in the ceiling while others just blasted through the already crumbling walls. Finally, the door smashed in as even more angels swarmed in. They charged the three warriors making their last stand with Lances of Light and the fight was on.

Sammy, Irina, and Xenovia clashed with the Fallen Angels. Cutting down each one as it tried to overwhelm their position. Blasting with hellfire, cutting with blade and whip, and annihilating with energy produced by Excalibur Destruction. The titanic clash shook the Church to its core as one angel after another fell. The stone cracked and the foundations gave way…

...revealing hundreds more Fallen Angels waiting for them as the Church crumbled for good. They were hopelessly outnumbered. It was over.

Six Angels descended upon them and aimed their lances at the surrendering trio, keeping them in place. Valper and Freed calmly stepped over the rubble that was once a Church and approached, smug, victorious grins on their faces.

"A most noble attempt." Valper taunted. "Yet ultimately fruitless." A sardonic look shone in his eyes. "If it's any consolation. We were never going to spare the survivors."

Freed reared back and cackled psychotically. "Alright boys and girls! Once you're done butchering this lot, the scavenger hunt will begin. Men's heads are worth one point, women's heads are worth two, and children's are worth three. And if any of you find the Holy Swords...you win!"

The six angels surrounding Irina, Xenovia, and Sammy readied their lances…

...and their heads went flying off their shoulders. The six headless angels crumbled to the ground much to the utter confusion of the three would be victims. They each took it in turns to look around at what mysterious force saved them but found nothing.

"Wh...what the fuck?!" Freed took a step back.

A yellow blur cut through the ranks of the Fallen, severing the heads off of each Fallen Angel surrounding the group while they desperately tried to figure out what was going on. By the end, dozens of heads and headless bodies fell from the sky.

Standing in the middle of the it all was Kiba, his sword at the ready.

"So…" He commented dryly. "...how many were those worth?"


	34. Chapter 34

Aika continued to channel her magic into the summoning circle she had drawn on the ground. A crowd of curious onlookers had gathered around her as she worked, chiefly of which was the young girl Alice.

"So what is that orb thing you're making?" The young girl asked curiously.

"It's a portal that will allow us to summon our friends here and rescue you guys." She explained, her attention remaining on conjuring the portal.

"So here's what I don't get." Matsuda, who was helping to keep the crowd back while Aika worked, finally spoke up. "If we can teleport these people to the school, why couldn't we have just teleported to the Church? Saved us all this trouble?"

Aika shook her head. "It doesn't work like that. The barrier that's being produced by Lucifer is causing some sort of temporal distortion effect. At least...that's how it was explained to me."

Motohama groaned. "Man...why does this stuff have to be so complicated? I always thought magic was all about saying a few hocus pocus words and just making shit appear."

"The Laws of Magic are just as set in stone as the laws of nature. It can only bend the rules of reality, not break them entirely. Every action you make, whether it's breathing or casting a teleportation spell, requires some form of energy in response. Nothing can be gained from nothing."

Matsuda and Motohama both turned to see that guy with the dirty blonde hair standing next to them.

"Hey...you're that dude we met at the entrance." Matsuda observed. "Zefford was it?"

"Call me Al." He insisted before inspecting her magic circle while she continued to channel energy into the orb above it. "Nice patterns, but I think I can make the flow rate a little sharper." He pulled out a piece of chalk and began adding his own sigils to the ones already on the floor.

"How is it you can do that?" She asked in disbelief.

"What, change the permutations of the spell? It's not that difficult if you know what you're doing."

"While I'm still casting it?"

He nodded. "You just have to learn to work 'around' the flow of energy."

As he made modifications to her magic circle, Aika found that channeling the magic was becoming easier. This guy obviously knew what he was doing and it made her suspicious.

"You seem to know a lot about this stuff."

"Maybe a little." He admitted after finishing his work. "It was my job to know it...a long time ago."

"Are you a part of Irina and Xenovia's order?" Motohama asked curiously.

He shook his head. "Not exactly. Though...we used to run in similar circles."

"So what's your story then?" Matsuda asked warily.

Aldin smirked at them and placed his hands back in his pockets. "Truthfully? I don't have a story. Never did. I like it that way. Stories are complicated messy affairs that usually only end in one of two ways. Tragedy or Comedy. There's never any middle ground. Me? I'm just another face in the theater. The guy watching the aftermath of a car crash. The one holding up the phone during a bar room brawl." Taking it a step further, he then began reciting poetry. "To see a world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour."

The group gave him confused and suspicious looks. What the heck was this guy's deal?"

"I'm just an observer." He continued. "Here to watch this Tragedy unfold."

"What's happening isn't just a tragedy it's a fucking disgrace." Matsuda replied sharply. "This ain't no damn theater, Bro. People's lives are at stake."

Aldin laughed heartily at Matsuda's youthful exuberance. "See enough shit in your lifetime, kid, and you'll learn that something like this is just par for the course for the beings you've joined up with."

Matsuda glared back at him in annoyance. This guy was starting to piss him off.

"I should clarify though. I don't consider what's happening here to be JUST a Tragedy. It's a lesson. One that the arrogant pricks fighting this war are long overdo for."

"What lesson?"

"The very same lesson I just taught you. That nothing can be gained from nothing. The Angel of Stars and the Great Lord Lucifer may be two very different beasts but they share one thing in common. Neither one of them wants to admit when they've lost control." He picked a piece of lint off his grimey lapel and used his shotgun like a cane. "Now that said, Lucifer would prefer if everyone just stood back and let him play CEO of Planet Earth in peace whereas Kokabiel would be content to let the whole world burn to the ground so long as he gets to rule over the ashes. This war is going to teach them both a lesson in the value of exchange."

His expression suddenly darkened.

"But a lesson without pain is no lesson at all. You cannot gain anything without sacrificing something else in return. I learned that one the hard way."

They just stared at him as he turned and walked away.

"It's a cruel and random world we live in...but the chaos can be beautiful, if you learn to appreciate it."

As he walked off, the group gave each other weird looks.

"So what was his deal?" Motohama asked.

"Dude's got a screw loose if you ask me."

Aldin smirked upon overhearing them before mumbling to himself. "You have no idea, Kid."

With that, he then found a nice quiet corner and warped away. He'd seen all he needed to see here.

* * *

Wind blowing through the trees around them. That was all that could be heard as Kiba stared down his archnemesis and the Fallen Angels who supported him. Valper glared back into Kiba's steely gaze searchingly. This was not the same Knight he remembered facing in the Lab. The man standing in front of him was completely in control of his emotions.

"So they managed to keep you alive after all." Valper spoke indifferently before pulling out the blood red crystal from his robes once more. "No matter." He channeled his magic into the crystal and it began to glow bright red.

Kiba smirked at him, completely unphased by the spell. "Looks like you need a new trick, Valper. That one's getting old."

The old man scowled nastily at him. He did NOT like this new development whatsoever. After a moment, however, he quickly calmed back down.

"So you broke free…" Valper shook his head at him with his eyes shut. "...and I suppose you think yourself invincible now. Oh but how you do entertain me, my dear boy." He turned his attention up towards the Fallen Angels in the sky. "Kill him."

The Fallen Angels around him summoned their Light Spears and charged. One by one they swooped down and stabbed at him before flying back into the sky and diving back down. They repeated this process over and over again, flying around like birds of prey diving onto a wounded animal.

Yet Kiba never moved once. The lances passed completely through him with each attack. A few yards back, Irina, Sammy, and Xenovia all stood in stunned silence at the spectacle in front of them.

"What's with him?" Irina asked, not quite getting what it was she was seeing. "Why isn't Kiba making a move? And why aren't they attacking him?" She turned and looked at her friends. "Xenovia what's going-"

Their faces said it all. Xenovia and Sammy were clearly seeing something she wasn't. What it could be, she had no idea, however.

One of the Fallen Angels landed and hurled their Spear of Light at him. The weapon seemed to pass completely through his body before coming out the other side. Yet still, he wasn't phased and no damage was done.

"What is this?" Valper snarled in annoyance. "What is he doing? Why is he just standing their and-"

As he turned to get confirmation from Freed, he stopped mid sentence. There was something in Freed's eyes that made him nervous. Genuine unbridled excitement. The normally unphasable psychopath looked to be, at that moment, at a complete loss for words as his insane grin grew wider and wider.

"If I wasn't seeing it with my own eyes…I wouldn't believe it." His voice quivered with unbridled glee.

"Seeing what?! Tell me!" Valper demanded angrily.

"Enough of this!" One of the Fallen Angels charged. "I'll not be made a fool of by a Devil Charlaton!"

The Fallen Angel passed right through Kiba before bursting into limbs, having been seemingly cut to ribbons in the fraction of a fraction of a second it took for him to pass through the Knight. Yet still, Kiba never once seemed to move.

More Fallen Angels attacked and more joined the pile of limbs forming around him.

"How is he doing this?!" Valper demanded. "Is it Illusion Magic? A trick? Tell me!"

Freed slowly shook his head, a newfound sense of admiration for the Knight in his eyes. "It's not a trick Valper. What you're seeing is the real deal."

He glared back at Kiba in disbelief. On the other side of the fight, Irina's group continued to marvel at the Knight.

"I don't get it." Irina was still confused. "Kiba doesn't seem to be fighting back but the Fallen Angels can't touch him. What kind of magic can do that?"

"It's not magic." Xenovia clarified. "Kiba is moving faster than your eyes can track." She then added with astonishment. "I can barely see his movements myself...and my reflexes allow me to keep up with creatures who can break the sound barrier in a single step."

She didn't need to explain any further. While it was impossible to calculate just how fast Kiba was going exactly, it was safe to assume it was far faster than anything any of them could possibly hope to match.

Kiba raised his blade and pointed it at Valper. "This is your only warning. Hand over that gemstone and get out of my sight. Otherwise, you'll share the same fate as these poor sods."

Before Valper could retort Freed stepped in front of him and drew his Excalibur Rapidly. "Hold up there, Blondie. I think you may be getting a little ahead of yourself. You seem to forget there are three of us in this marriage." An aura of power enveloped his body. "I'm curious to see who's faster. You or me."

"You don't want to do this, Freed." Kiba warned severely. "This is between me and him."

"Oooo." Freed cackled in delight. "Look who suddenly thinks he's hot shit. Don't think you'll scare me, Asshole. I've wiped the floor with that pretty face of yours once already."

The Knight quirked a brow at him. "You sure you wanna do this? Last chance."

"Oh fuck off!" He barked angrily, suddenly losing his patience. "I've heard enough talking out of you! Either shut up and fight or lay down and die with the rest of these scum!"

Kiba chuckled and shook his head. "Alright then. Have it your way. Just remember…" A vicious gleam shown in his eyes as he readied his blade.

"...I gave you an out."

The opposing forces vanished. Moving at speeds the others couldn't possibly hope to track as their duel to the death began.

* * *

"So that's it then? You're sure?" Asia asked Rias worriedly.

The President nodded in confirmation. "Kiba's at the Church. No doubt hot on Valper's trail."

"And he didn't try to contact you or anything?" Jon asked incredulously.

"Nope...not even one time." Akeno replied with a hint of annoyance.

"The good news is I don't think this will be like last time." Rias assured. "If the Torpor was successful then Kiba should at least be immune to Valper's Phylactery."

"Phylactery?" Asia quirked her head at the President. "What's that?"

"It's a form of necromancy that houses the souls of the deceased into an object of some sort. Usually a blood gem, or some sort of vial." Akeno explained. "Most Necromancers use this sort of magic to turn themselves into Liches, undead spirits with incredible power."

"But there are others uses for Phylacteries as well." Rias explained. "Necromancers can also use them to perform incredibly potent curses. Such as the one used on our wayward Knight."

"Even still, we need to get to the Church as quickly as possible." Jon insisted. "Not just for his sake but for the others as well. Matsuda, Motohama, Aika…" Pain gripped his heart. "...Irina."

His Treasure's frowned at him in concern.

"Our friends are out there fighting OUR battles for us. It's time we jumped in and helped them out."

Rias nodded vehemently. "I couldn't agree with you more, Jon." She then added with a devious little smirk. "Which is EXACTLY why I sent my familiar to track him down. At this very moment she's assisting the Survivors at the Church on opening a portal that will allow us to warp directly to them."

"How long before they can get it open?" Jon asked insistently.

"It shouldn't be much longer." She assured him. "The barrier my Brother has erected is causing a great deal of temporal distortion, but with my familiar assisting in the spellcasting, it won't be long before a connection can be established." Her expression darkened somewhat. "But Jon...I have to make a request of you. One I'm almost certain you're not going to like."

He felt a nervous pit form in his stomach. "What is it, Rias?"

She looked at him with sincere, apologetic eyes. "I need you to stay here while I deal with the situation at the Church."

Jon winced at her words. "How did I know you were going to say that?"

"I apologize Jon, but I fear I am partly to blame for this decision." Grayfia spoke up. "With the arrival of the Fallen Angels our ground forces are in mortal peril. Lord Phenex is currently working on efforts towards a counterattack and I need you to assist him."

"You want me working with Blue Blood?" He groaned at the very idea of it. "Rias, tell me this is a joke?"

"Please, Jon. I can handle the situation at the Church myself, but you are far more suited for assisting Riser. There's no point in us both being there."

"What if Kokabiel happens to show up?" He retorted.

"The Angel of Stars will not risk leaving his precious missile improperly guarded." Grayfia assured before turning to Rias. "However...there is a chance that his children, Tamiel and Ramiel may very well show up...if they have not done so already. Are you prepared to take them both on, Lady Rias?"

A devilishly confident smile spread over her lips. "I'm more than capable of taking care of a couple of Gen-Z wannabe brats." She then turned her attention back to her Peerage. "Asia, you will be accompanying me in order to help with the wounded."

Asia bowed respectfully. "Understood, Rias."

"The rest of the Peerage will be going with you, Jon. Leave the Holy Swords and the safety of your friends to me."

Every nerve in his body was telling him not to accept this. He hated being assigned somewhere else while so many people he cared about were in imminent peril.

With a heavy sigh, he smiled at his President. "Alright Rias. I'll do it. I already disobeyed you once, I ain't about to do it again. You have my word, I'll help Riser out. Just...promise me you'll get them all back alive? They're bozos but...they're MY bozos, life would be a hell of a lot more empty without them."

She nodded in understanding, a bright smile on her face. "You have my word, Jon. They'll all make it back alive."

"Alright, we best not delay." Grayfia insisted. "You all know what you must do. It's time for the ORC to join the offensive."

* * *

Freed Sellzen fell onto his back as he was knocked down yet again by Kiba Yuuto. At first it seemed like they were evenly matched. But as the fight dragged on it became clear that the Gremory Knight was simply far too nimble even for his Excalibur Rapidly to keep up with. As the wounded Stray Hunter slowly rose back to his feet, blood dripped from the many open wounds on his body he now possessed.

"So how many cuts do you think we're up to Freed?" Kiba taunted with a slick grin.

His opponent was fuming, never in his life had an enemy managed to get the better of him like this.

"I'd say we're up to twenty seven."

"DIE!" Freed bellowed before charging yet again. Swords clashed and sparks flew as Kiba proceeded to knock him down to the ground once more.

"Oh right... the Excalibur Rapidly. We don't want to leave without that, now do we?"

"This doesn't make sense." Valper was completely taken aback by the display. "How can a mere Devil stand up against the power of a Holy Sword?"

"Yeah, that blade is really only effective if you can actually HIT what you're aiming for." The Knight called out to Valper. He then turned his gaze back to Freed. "I'll admit, you were a good first test of my new abilities." Kiba then calmly stepped over Freed and raised his sword at Valper. "But now...it's time for the main event. Hand over that gemstone, Valper."

He was furious. To think that Kiba could gain this level of power in so short a span of time. Where did he go wrong? At what point had he so drastically underestimated the potential of his Sacred Gear?

Yet despite all this, Valper began to laugh. The one eyed Priest bellowed with mirthful vigor at Kiba before glaring at him with fiery rage. "You want to challenge ME, Boy?! To see my true power firsthand?! So be it!" Dark lightning appeared on his palms as he summoned forth his terrible power. "I'll teach you the hard way what it is to make an enemy of Valper Galilei!"

The Priest cast lightning at him which Kiba easily dodged out of the way of. Knowing an attack was imminent he raised his hand to cast a barrier to protect himself with...and received a deep gash in his arm for his trouble.

"What?!" Valper cursed in pain as he clutched his wounded arm.

Kiba reappeared in front of him, his sword at the ready, still calm and composed.

"What's going on?" He seethed as blood soaked the arm of his robes. "My guard was up, my barrier should have stopped you."

Kiba simply grinned at him in response. "Ready to give up yet?"

He growled in rage. "Enough of this!" Valper went to conjure another barrier whereupon he received another gash on his other arm.

With both his arms wounded, it was all but impossible for him to cast magic.

"HOW?!" He bellowed. "How is it you're doing this?! I know I cast the spell correctly! Why aren't my barriers stopping you?!"

"Oh it's not that your barriers aren't holding." Kiba calmly corrected. "It's just that I'm able to move faster than your spell does. It doesn't matter if the spellcasting is instantaneous, if the magic itself can't keep up with me it's a moot point. Your spells are simply too slow."

Valper blanched in terror. If what he was saying was true, then this fight was over before it even began. It didn't matter what magic he used to defend himself with, Kiba could simply attack in the miniscule amount of time between him casting the spell and the spell actually forming successfully.

He had no chance against an opponent like this.

"Do you get it now, Valper?" Kiba aimed his sword at his heart and slowly approached. "This was never going to end any other way but badly for you."

"S...stay back!" Valper backed away from him, tripping over his robes and falling to the ground in the process.

A few yards away, Irina, Xenovia, and Sammy watched as Kiba prepared to extract his vengeance.

"It's over." Xenovia spoke with finality.

Kiba raised his sword and Valper prepared for the end.

With a clean slice, he severed the blood gem around his neck from the chain it was attached to. The gem went bouncing off onto the ground but beyond that, Valper was not harmed in any way. As Kiba walked over to the gemstone and picked it up, the confused Priest silently glared at him.

"That's it?! After all your talk of vengeance you don't even have the guts to finish the job?!"

Kiba completely ignored him as he held the gem in his hands. There were so many emotions welling up inside him at that moment. Completion, understanding, pain, loss, grief, agony….peace. THIS was what he really wanted. THIS was his true objective. The thing that his own darkness tried to keep from him.

The Phylactery containing the souls of his lost friends. At last...he had found them.

"Come now, Valper." The Knight calmly spoke as he pocketed the gem and turned back towards his wounded prey. "We both know you don't truly fear death, you welcome it." He sheathed his sword and walked back over to him before kneeling down to speak to him face to face. "Death doesn't mean the same thing to a Necromancer that it does to us. For you, death is just a natural evolution, the next stage in your Psychotic Lord's grand plan. Which is why your punishment must be more severe."

"Torture then?" Valper laughed at him. "Do your worst boy! With the death magic I have at my disposal I can feel no pain!"

"Oh you will be tortured alright." Kiba spoke in a cold sadistic tone. "But it won't be of the body." He tapped his finger against his temple. "It'll be of the mind...same as me."

Valper was rendered silent.

He chuckled unsettlingly. "I know you well enough to know that death is not what you truly fear, Valper. What you fear...is insignificance. The idea that you could vanish from the face of the Earth and no one would even remember your name, THAT is what you fear most. That is what drives a man like you, Valper Gallilei. The Hope of being remembered for all time. That is what I will use to break you. By turning your hope...into despair."

The ruins of the Church were silent as the grave as Kiba continued his speech.

"It was my friends who taught me the truth of despair. A lesson I now intend to remind you of." He stood up and stared at the starlit sky. "Despair is not the absence of hope, it is the FEAR of it. Burden, reclusion, panic, guilt, self loathing. They showed me all of these things. There's a reason why the prisons we create in our minds are considered the worst form of hell a man can endure. Hope...ever dangling above their heads, yet just out of reach." He closed his eyes and breathed in the cold night air as if breathing it for the first time in decades. "Every man, woman, or child, who has ever felt the pain of Despair has gazed up at the light of hope and imagined climbing to freedom. So easy...so simple…"

He opened his eyes and cast his gaze back at Valper.

"And like shipwrecked men turning to seawater from uncontrollable thirst...many have DIED trying to reach that light." Kiba clutched at the gem in his pocket. "But thanks to my friends...my family...I have succeeded. I have reached the light." A sadistic grin formed on his features. "But I also acquired a very powerful weapon along the way, Valper. I learned how to turn a man's hope into despair."

The Knight towered over him like a shroud of death while the Priest trembled on the ground below.

"Such as the hope you kept us in for all those years. The hope of salvation, that our deaths would hold some meaning, even as you strapped us down to dissection tables and tore out our insides one by one, we STILL held onto that hope. And THAT was how we truly learned what it means to despair."

He knelt back down at his next words.

"I'm going to teach you how to despair just as I have. As we tear everything you and your conspirators have worked for apart, I will poison your minds with the very same false hope you once poisoned me with. I will let you believe you can survive, and delight in watching you clamor over each other to stay in the light."

Valper's blood ran cold and his face became clammy.

"And you, Valper? You will live through it, just as I have. Everything you care about, all your ambitions, all your dreams, everything that keeps you in the light...I will burn it. Your plague, your weapons, your legacy. I will burn it all. And you will watch me do it. You will watch as EVERYONE forgets who you are." His eyes turned towards the city. "And when it is done...when all your hopes and aspirations are nothing but ashes and you feel that very same level of despair as I have...when you are certain that you could vanish from the face of the Earth and not a soul will remember you...THEN Valper...and only then…"

He took one final breath and stood up.

"...will you have my permission to die."

With that he walked away, stepping over an angry Freed once again before rejoining his comrades.

From behind him, the sound of someone clapping slowly brought Kiba to a halt. A chill ran down his spine as he turned around to see who it was who was clapping.

"I've gotta say, that was quite the speech." Ramiel continued to clap his hands as he walked in front of Valper. "Wouldn't you agree, Sis?"

Tamiel kept her eyes on her phone as she walked next to him. "Ten out of ten. Would watch again."

"Oh shit…when did they get here?" Sammy took a step backwards as did the others.

Ramiel placed his hands on his hips and shook his head, tsking Kiba like a disappointed Father. "Kiba, Kiba, Kiba, Kiba, Kiba, Kiba, what are we to do with you? Lying to our faces, blowing up our lab, and now scaring the hell out of our stooges. We're going to have to have a word with Mommy Rias about your behavior young man. I just don't think you're playing nicely with the other children."

"Lord Ramiel...I can explain." Valper pleaded.

"Save it." Tamiel yawned indifferently as she sent out another text. "You two are donezo."

Ramiel nodded in agreement. "You had ONE job, Valper. Get the swords back. But you couldn't even manage that without cocking it up spectacularly. So now the grownups have to step in."

"For the record...I thought his plan was stupid too."

"Oh shut it, Freed!" Valper growled.

"I tell you what…" Ramiel reached in his pocket and pulled out a vape pen before addressing the four heros still defending the Church. "...we fucked up. I'll admit that. Sending Valper and Freed here alone with a detachment of Two Winged Angels was a major oversight on our part. You got us. Congratulations." He took a hit off his vape before continuing. "So...if you agree to bring us the swords right now, we'll leave. No questions asked, no more fighting, it'll be a done deal. All the survivors you've got hunkered down in that grimey basement will live to see another day." He then pointed with his pen at Irina and Xenovia. "Of course they'll have to surrender their swords too."

"And unlike these two idiots, we will stick to our word." Tamiel added. "We've got PLENTY of zombies, we don't need any more. Plus this way, we won't have to waste more time trying to figure out where the hell you hid them."

Kiba drew his sword and took a combat stance again, this time drawing upon the power of his Holy Eraser. "How long before that portal is ready?" He mumbled to his allies.

"It shouldn't be much longer...I hope." Sammy responded nervously.

Ramiel rolled his eyes at the gesture. "Tamiel, I think our generous offer is going to go unaccepted. You wanna deal with this one? I'm really not feeling it right now."

She shrugged. "Meh, it's not like I have anything better to do." Tamiel walked in front of Ramiel and faced Kiba, her nose still buried in her phone. "Go ahead and...attack or whatever."

Kiba gripped the hilt of his sword tighter and charged. As he went to swing his blade through her neck, however, he felt a sharp pain in his side and collapsed, sent tumbling across the ground. His own speed now acting against him.

"Kiba!" Irina called worriedly.

He tried to stand when another sharp pain hit him. Kiba clutched at his side to find he was very much bleeding.

"Not again…" The Knight grumbled as he struggled to stand up.

Ramiel whistled in mock impress. "Hey, you've gotten faster."

"He's almost as fast as you are, Bro." Tamiel commented while still playing on her phone.

"But that's…" Xenovia shook her head in denial. "...I didn't even see her move. That's impossible. There's no way in hell she's that fast!"

Ramiel shook his head assuredly. "Oh no no, you completely misunderstand. It's not that she's necessarily all that fast. In fact, getting her to move at all can be a chore sometimes."

She flipped him the bird while still texting.

"Right back at you, Sis!" He called to her before turning his attention back to the group. "See, it doesn't really matter how fast Homeboy is. Because my sister happens to excel at Time Dilation Magic. It's the one thing she's decent at that doesn't involve dicking around on her phone."

"You're just jealous because I actually have a social life."

He ignored her in favor of speaking with the group some more. "Look, you've gotten pretty good at swinging that sword around, I'll admit. But like...what the fuck is the point if you're going up against her, am I right? You can be the Devil equivalent of Barry Allen, it won't make a difference. Everyone Tamiel fights is only as fast as she wants them to be."

Irina took a step back and whispered to Xenovia. "Can you stall them?"

"Why?" Her partner asked curiously. "What are you doing?"

"Playing the only move we have left." She explained before running down the stairs towards the cellar.

Unsure what else to do, Xenovia turned and addressed Tamiel. Putting on a brave face. "So then why was it we were able to get away from you back in that underground bunker?"

"Oh that one's easy." She explained nonchalantly. "See...we're not used to doing the grunt work around here. If we have to lift a finger it's usually because something went wrong."

"Or because of gross incompetence." Ramiel spoke through gritted teeth, aiming his words at both Valper and Freed.

"So in other words...we got to ya." Sammy retorted with a slick grin.

He shook his head. "No, not really. Though I'll admit you've come the closest. Now you're actually in our way. That's certainly a new one."

"Why thank you." Xenovia added graciously.

He shook his head at her, a mean look in his eyes. "That wasn't a compliment."

"Liar." Tamiel teased him.

"Okay, you're right. It is." He laughed, his expression immediately softening. "But the flirting is over, Sweety. Daddy's had enough now." Ramiel slowly approached them and the group backed away. "We've shown you what we can do. So you know there's no hope in hell of you beating us. Really, right now, your best bet is to just go ahead and fork over those swords. The survivors will all go free, you have my word."

"Why should we believe you?" Xenovia responded coldly.

"Oh come on." He insisted with an insincere smile on his face. "Hasn't this been fun? Playing war. Moving human lives around like pieces on a chessboard." He pointed at Kiba and Sammy. "You two are Devils so you should totally know what I'm talking about."

"Thousands of people have died." Sammy growled.

"Oh Jesus Christ, that is what people DO!" He yelled.

"Ramiel, they're stalling." Tamiel commented bluntly.

The group all felt pits form in their stomachs.

He turned back towards his little sister. "They're what?"

She shrugged indifferently. "Just thought you ought to know. They've got a mage down their right now who's working on a teleporter. It's likely they've been at it this whole time."

Upon hearing this Ramiel reared back and laughed. "Good!" He nodded to the group approvingly. "Very good! I'll admit, you almost had me there. I see why your Masters like keeping you around." He then sighed in disappointment. "Unfortunately this does mean you've used up the last of your time. So I'm going to count to five and if the Holy Swords don't appear in my hand, we're going to make you watch while my Sister and I proceed to slowly tear each and every human down there apart."

That was it. They had no more cards to play.

"One." Ramiel counted.

"Any bright ideas?" Sammy whispered nervously.

"Two."

"I've got nothing." Xenovia insisted.

"Three."

Kiba tried to stand back up but couldn't.

"Four…"

"Take them!"

Everyone turned to see Irina standing at the top of the stairs, having successfully run down and grabbed the case containing the Holy Swords before making her way back up.

"Irina...what are you doing?" Sammy whispered severely through gritted teeth.

"Just trust me." She whispered back before turning her attention to Tamiel and Ramiel. "You promise not to hurt the civilians if we turn the swords over?"

Ramiel took a long hit off his vape before blowing a perfect smoke halo in the air. "You have my word as a gentleman."

Tamiel laughed derisively. "A gentleman? That's a bit of a stretch."

"Eat me, Sis."

Irina lowered her head solemnly before dropping the case to the ground and kicking it over to him. Ramiel caught the case with his foot before picking it up and opening it.

"Well shit, they're actually in here." He spoke in amazement. "You weren't even going to try a bait and switch on us or anything? I'm actually a little disappointed."

"If you give my partner a moment we can fork over our Excalibur Blades as well." Irina promised.

"Actually, that won't be necessary."

The group sharply turned around to see Tamiel now standing behind them, on her phone as always.

"We'll just take them off your corpse once we're done."

"You lying snake!" Xenovia seethed. "You swore to us-"

"That we wouldn't harm the CIVILIANS." Tamiel finished for her. "You guys are a different story."

Ramiel laughed heartily. "Oh right! So sorry, everyone. I have a tendency to paraphrase when I'm negotiating. It is a weakness of mine...but then again it is my ONLY weakness."

"You can't be allowed to report back to Lucifer." Tamiel calmly explained. "You just can't. My brother and I would try to convince you that this whole crusade of yours is futile, but everything we have to say has already crossed your minds, hasn't it?"

Despite the threat of their imminent destruction, Irina smiled.

"If that's true, then our rebuttal should have already crossed yours."

For the first time since she got there, Tamiel looked up from her phone. "Huh?"

She was then blasted in the back with a bolt of red and black lightning. Tamiel went flying into the air before landing hard right next to Ramiel.

From below, an aura of terrible power slowly ascended the stairs, flanked by a young blonde woman and a familiar with bat wings.

"My name is Rias Gremory. And I believe you have something that rightfully belongs to me."

* * *

Jon had almost forgotten how fun it was flying. Considering he was used to teleporting almost everywhere, actually getting to stretch his Dragon Wings out and fly around the city was a rare treat for him.

Koneko and Akeno, however, did not seem nearly as thrilled as he was.

"You never think about how much you miss teleporting until it's suddenly ripped away from you." Koneko groaned.

"This IS a tad tedious." Akeno admitted.

"Ah come on you two. Don't be like that." Jon insisted, clear excitement in his voice. "When do we ever just get to fly around the city like this?"

"We don't." Koneko replied bluntly. "The Underworld tends to frown on Devils just randomly flying around major population centers."

"Exactly!" He spoke enthusiastically. "Maybe this is boring for you, but I'm making eight year old Jonathan Hyodo very happy right now."

Akeno and Koneko both looked at him, then at each other, and then back at him again before bursting into a fit of giggling.

"What's so funny?"

"You know, Master…" Akeno continued to giggle as she spoke. "...you never cease to surprise us. One minute you're the most stoic, straight faced person in the room, and the next minute you say things that are just so completely adorable."

He turned away and scratched his head in embarrassment. "Ah hell, I don't know about all that now."

"It's true though." Koneko nodded in agreement. "Just admit it, Jon. Underneath all that tough guy talk you're a big old softie on the inside."

"You know damn good and well that ain't true." He argued indignantly.

"Softie." Koneko insisted.

"Tough guys are allowed to enjoy flying, dammit!"

"Softieeee." She teased him mercilessly.

He increased his speed. "This is me flying away."

Akeno and Koneko both snickered amongst each other once again.

"How long do you think before we drive him completely insane?" Koneko asked playfully.

"Give it another five or six years. He'll be in a padded room by then." Akeno replied just as playfully.

Off in the distance, hundreds of Fallen Angels soared around the city, doing battle with...explosions, apparently? It was really hard for Jon to make out from so far away, but they didn't actually seem to be fighting with anyone. They were all just sort of dancing around aimlessly while blasts of magic went off around them.

"There's Riser." Koneko pointed to a figure floating a few yards away, she then narrowed her eyes at the figure floating next to him. "Ah fuck…"

"Play nice now." Akeno insisted in a motherly voice.

Ravel turned to see Jon flying towards her and lit up into an ecstatic smile. She tugged on her Brother's coat sleeve before zooming over to the Red Dragon Emperor. Riser reluctantly turned around and groaned. He was nowhere near as happy to see Jon as she was.

"You made it!" She flew straight into Jon's arms and spun them both around. "I was so worried about you going on that risky assignment with Rias."

He chuckled awkwardly at her. "It's nice to see you too, Ravel."

Koneko cleared her throat abruptly and glared at her.

Ravel's elated expression immediately soured. "Oh...you brought HER with you."

The Rook smiled at her angrily and waved two little fingers at her. "Hiya, Bitch."

She scoffed at her in disgust. "As needlessly crass as ever, I see." Ravel then took Jon by the arm and tugged. "Come now, Darling. Let's leave this savage girl behind and go fight Fallen Angels together. I would so love to see how your prowess as a gunslinger has improved since I last saw you fight."

Koneko swooped over and took Jon's other arm. "Unfortunately Jon's already agreed to fight with me. Tough break, Chicken Girl."

"I'm sure he only said that so that he didn't hurt your feelings." Ravel spoke through gritted teeth while pulling on his arm. "Johnny clearly wants to fight with me."

"Make the right choice here, Jon." Koneko growled before tugging much more sharply on his other arm. "You've seen what I'm capable of doing to a man's testicles."

"Now you're threatening him?" Ravel tugged the other way. "Honestly, I don't know what he sees in a Barbarian such as yourself."

"Funny, I'm still baffled by the fact he would imprint such a self absorbed little brat like you." She retorted before tugging on his other arm again.

As Jon became the rope in an impromptu game of tug of war he cast a look back at Akeno that screamed _help me. _The Gremory Queen could place a hand up to her head and laugh nervously, clearly at a loss as to what should be done. Meanwhile, the two small women continued to bicker loudly amongst each other.

"Ladies, that's quite enough!" Riser spoke up sharply before clapping his hands together. "Ravel, stop this!"

The young lady peeped indignantly before letting go of Jon's arm and regaining her composure. Though her face was still bright red.

"Have you no sense of personal pride?" He lectured her sternly. "You're still a Pureblood of House Phenex, try to behave like such." Riser then turned his ire towards Jon. "And you...if this is the sort of company you keep around your person then you can forget ever coming near my little sister again."

"Watch what you say around, Kani, buddy." Jon's nostrils flared black smoke as he narrowed his eyes sharply at him. "Your Queen already hurt her once. I won't tolerate you insulting her in my presence."

Koneko grinned victoriously before casting an equally sharp gaze at Ravel. "I've been meaning to pay her back for that, by the way."

"Everyone, please!" Akeno finally spoke up. Attempting to be the voice of reason. "Now is simply not the time for this. Master, I understand how you feel but we must at least try to get along with the Phenex Peerage."

Jon took a breath and calmed himself down. "You're right, Ju'Kara. Forgive me."

She smiled and shook her head at him. "You needn't apologise to me, Sir. But it'd be remiss of me not to step in when you get...territorial at the wrong time."

Ravel smiled at him lovingly. "You give your Treasures nicknames? That's so romantic." She pressed herself up against him and fluttered her eyelashes. "So when I join your Peerage, what will MY nickname be?"

Koneko's eyebrow twitched angrily. "You already have a nickname. It's Chicken Girl."

Ravel wheeled around and flared fire through her teeth. "Call me that one more time, little hussy, and I will end you!"

She beckoned her forward undeterred. "Come get some, Little Miss Hoity Toity."

Jon brought two fingers up to his lips and whistled sharply. "Girls, come on! Now I get y'all can't stand each other but this is getting out of hand. Akeno's right. Now is seriously not the time to be at each other's throats." He turned towards the Gremory Rook. "Kani, please. We can discuss this later, but right now I need you to at least try to get along with Ravel. Just until the battle is over."

Koneko narrowed her eyes at Ravel spitefully, a low menacing growl that almost sounded like a cat yowl emanating from the back of her throat.

"Kani...I'll do that thing you like when we get back." Jon offered smoothly.

She immediately perked up. "You mean…"

He nodded. "Two hours of nonstop ear scratching and cuddling with the TV on."

Koneko grumbled under her breath complacently. "Fine…"

"Hmph!" Ravel crossed her arms and stuck her nose up in the air.

Riser sighed wearily before addressing Jon again. "We're dealing with about three hundred and twenty Fallen Angels. All of which appear to be two winged."

"That's it?" Jon sounded skeptical. "Hell, I could almost take care of that myself."

He smirked condescendingly at him. "That's an awfully bold claim, Ddraig. Even for a Dragon."

"Notice I said almost." He retorted just as condescendingly. "But seriously. This can't be all the forces Kokabiel has at his disposal."

"It isn't, I assure you. I'm not sure why Kokabiel only bothered to send this paltry force against us but as it stands this is what we're dealing with."

"He's buying time." Jon surmised. "This whole farce of a war is just one long delaying tactic."

"My Queen is currently leading our Peerage in a little diversion of our own." Riser boasted pridefully. "Her Bomb Magic has completely halted their advance."

He quirked an intrigued brow at Riser. "Not bad Blue Blood. Your team must have started working out since the Rating Game."

"It's due to the Phoenix Spirit inside him." Ravel explained just as pridefully. "Since his power has increased hers has as well."

"Evil Pieces gain power whenever their King increases their own strength." Akeno explained. "It's the same for us too. Since Rias has tapped into her full power we will slowly become stronger as well."

Koneko knocked her gloved hands together, creating a small shockwave.

"Each one of these Fallen has strength comparable to that of Raynare." Akeno warned. "They're a crafty lot, so keep your guard up."

Jon ran a finger through the black feathers in his hat before popping a smoke in his mouth and lighting up.

"Alright then. No more dicking around. It's time to stretch our legs and get in the fight."

* * *

Rias Gremory locked eyes with Ramiel, who continued to silently glare back at her. He blew a breath through pursed lips before shaking his head in exasperation.

"You know, I'm beginning to understand what Father means when he says we don't hurry enough." He then turned and looked at his downed sister. "You okay?"

Tamiel rose back up to her feet shakily, groaning in pain as red static sparked off her body. "Fucking bitch." She griped complacently before picking up her phone and checking it. "My screen better not be cracked."

While Tamiel and Ramiel regrouped, Rias spotted a wounded Kiba and motioned to her Bishop. "Asia, see to our Knight please."

"Right!" Asia quickly scampered over to Kiba and began using her Twilight Healing on him.

"The rest of you please stand back. I can take it from here."

As she spoke, a red and black aura surrounded her body

"Don't get full of yourself just yet." Tamiel sneered at her angrily. "You got me while my back was turned."

"I'm surprised the mage you've got tucked away down there managed to get that portal up so fast." Ramiel marveled.

"It would have taken longer had my familiar not been waiting on standby." Rias admitted before turning to the girl with bat wings on her left. Her familiar waved at them in a friendly manner before turning into a bat and flying away.

"You devils and your familiars, I swear." He chuckled in amusement. "It's so cute how you adopt stray spirits as pets."

"It's also cute how you two keep pretending you're adults." Rias retorted with a chiding grin. "Reminds of a five year old wearing their Father's clothes."

Tamiel's expression darkened further. "Okay that does it. Ramiel, let me shut this one up please?"

He shrugged. "Knock yourself out, Sis. You almost did already."

"Oh HA fucking HA!' Her eyes narrowed murderously at her opponent. "Now don't blink, or you'll miss it."

Three slashes punctuated the air around Rias, all of which immediately shattered upon trying to make contact with her body.

Tamiel took a step back. "Th...that's not right." She turned her gaze sharply to Ramiel. "Brother, why isn't she dying?"

He sighed wearily. "I was afraid of this. She's awakened the full potential of the Power of Destruction."

"You mean that thing that Salazar wouldn't shut up about?" Tamiel asked impatiently. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"The Power of Destruction is Demonic Energy in its purest form. Able to destroy both physical and metaphysical properties alike….including magic." Rias explained proudly. "Legend says that one who Masters it's full potential can even destroy the very fabric of reality. It is the ultimate weapon of Chaos." She then cocked her hip and taunted Tamiel further. "Your flimsy Time Magic can't hold up to my barrier. Not in a million years."

Tamiel growled in frustration. "I'll show you flimsy!"

"Tamiel, that's enough." Her Brother calmly insisted. "I'll take it from here."

"You think you're better than me, Slut?" She was completely ignoring him as she slowly brought her own terrible power to bare. "You're nothing but a third rate wannabe-"

Her Brother rolled his eyes. "Okay, we're done here."

He tossed Tamiel the Holy Swords and, with a snap of his fingers, a portal opened under her feet. She yelled indignantly as she was unceremoniously dropped through the floor to parts unknown. The portal shut behind her with another snap of his fingers.

Rias glowered upon seeing the Holy Swords disappear.

"Sorry about her. She gets a little cranky when things don't go her way."

"How the fuck did he…" Sammy shook his head in denial at what he just saw. "...there's no way he could have conjured a portal that quickly with the barrier up!"

Ramiel guffawed obtusely at him. "Maybe for you normies who use the leylines to get around. Me? I just bend two points in space together and connect them." He summoned his power and opened a small portal in the palm of his hand. "I possess Spacial Magic. The tricks I can pull off make that pocket dimension crap you Devils use look like analogue in comparison."

Rias chuckled in amusement. "Space and Time magic. You two make quite a pair." She then narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Unless I'm mistaken, those are traits wholly unique to one particular clan in the Underworld. The Agares Clan."

At the mention of the Agares Clan, Ramiel frowned sourly.

"Agares…" Irina shivered at the name. "...ranked second among the Seventy Two Pillars of Hell. He who is under the power of the East. He who stops runaway persons."

"Aside from the Bael Clan, the Agares family are considered to be the most powerful and influential Devils in the Underworld." Rias explained. "However...there's an old legend regarding the Agares Clan that many in the family have tried to keep hidden. It's their dirty little secret as it were. Their bloodline...is tainted."

The more Rias talked, the darker Ramiel's expression became.

"Many centuries ago, the Head of the Agares Clan gave birth to twins. Two identical girls who were as powerful as they were beautiful. It was said that their Mastery over Space and Time was so great that they were even able to glimpse into the future in the form of prophetic visions. Though identical in almost every conceivable way, the two girls shared one major difference."

Rias brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes before continuing.

"The first twin, Maevra, received visions of a glorious future for their Clan. While the other twin, Eurus, foretold ruin and destruction awaiting them. What neither twin knew, was that they were both receiving two halves of a single vision."

Ramiel bit through his lip, drawing blood in the process.

"Both women could see the exact same scene play out with vastly different interpretations. Where Maevra saw hope, triumph, and fortune. Eurus could see only pain, suffering, and misery. As a result, one child became a gifted profit and the heir to her clan." With a sadistic chuckle she then added. "And the other...was driven mad."

"Uhh, Rias?" Sammy spoke up in confusion. "As interesting as this is I don't see how it's-"

"Let her finish." Xenovia shushed him.

"The visions Eurus received eventually became too much for her to bare. In a fit of madness she stabbed her own eyes out to get them to stop. Unfortunately, this only made the problem worse. Now her visions were the ONLY thing she could see."

"You don't know what you're talking about…" Ramiel spoke scornfully.

"Oh but I do. You see, it was my Brother's Queen who hunted down and KILLED your Mother, Ramiel." Rias taunted mercilessly.

Sammy went wide eyed at that statement. "Wait...Tamiel and Ramiel's mother is a Devil?"

"They're Hybrids." Xenovia declared. "Beings formed between the union of two opposing species. From what I understand it is considered to be INCREDIBLY taboo among the three factions."

Rias shook her head pitifully. "We knew she had gone mad, but to fall so low as to marry a wretch like Kokabiel, I'm not sure who I pity more. You or the Madwoman who gave birth to you."

"Shut your whore mouth!" Ramiel finally snapped. "You have no earthly idea what it's like to be cursed with these visions! They banished our Mother from her own realm and branded her a monster. All because they didn't want to hear the truth!"

Rias quirked a brow at him haughtily. "And what truth would that be?"

He smiled again. It was a malicious, scornful smile, but a smile nonetheless. "The same truth I see in my eyes every single day. A world on fire, heaven and hell burning, war, death, extinction." Ramiel chuckled and turned his bitter gaze towards the burning city. "What you see there, that is the future. And you may scorn us for bringing it closer to fruition but we only do what is necessary. The established order cannot continue. The three factions, the codes, the ethics...the justifications…the..." He slapped his head repeatedly to get the buzzing thoughts out of his brain. "The fucking bullshit! All of it! Nothing but air from an overinflated set of lungs!"

Ramiel quickly regained control of himself and continued.

"The dichotomy of it all...it makes me sick. Good and Bad are fairy tales. We have evolved to attach emotional significance to what is nothing more than a survival strategy. We're conditioned to invest divinity in utility. But 'Good' isn't truly right and 'Bad' isn't truly wrong. Boobs aren't really hot. The Beatles AREN'T the best band in the world! ALL of it is subjective! We are all just prisoners of our own meat!"

They were all looking at Ramiel in a completely different light now. He looked...lost. Like his own thoughts were slowly poisoning him.

"And Ddraig? Your little Boy Toy?" He seethed. "He's the worst of all. A being with the powers of a God who wastes his time collecting 'Treasures'. Tributes of flesh with which to amuse and distract himself with. All so that he doesn't have to face the inner turmoil of his own hollow existence. They say Fallen Angel's are power junkies but the REAL addicts are Dragons. Always chasing the next emotional high. Surrounding themselves with frivolous junk and cheap whores so they don't ever have to face what they truly fear most...boredom."

Now Rias was the one scowling.

"That's what Dragons are truly afraid of. Boredom, tedium, monotony. They sit upon their high mountain passes, sneering at the lesser beings whom they begrudgingly share a planet with, picking only the most beautiful and shiny things this world has to offer them to live in their world." He pointed at Rias accusingly. "That is what you truly are, Rias. A pretty, shiny, THING whom your precious Dragon has deigned to allow into his world."

He turned around and raised his hands up towards the sky.

"My Sister and I have done away with such base concepts of desire and want. I worship the Primordial Truth of the Universe. The answer to the unanswerable. The Great Force of Change….the Balance Breaker."

He turned back towards them and unfurled his wings. One Devil, and one Fallen Angel.

"I...am an agent of CHAOS." Ramiel declared. "Every moment of anger, hate, deceit, pain, suffering, pleasure, and desire is mirrored in the power of Chaos. When our legions march, they will do so to return upon this plain of existence a ruin which it has brought upon itself."

Ramiel cackled with delight. "Long shall be your suffering! Joyous shall be your pain!" He preached as if reciting to a congregation. "Your shrines burning, your streets run red with blood, your false idols shattered, your people slaughtered by the thousands, your very planet torn apart. We shall free ourselves of the burden of established order and purify this world in a baptism of hatred."

At last, he faced Rias again. Finally ending his long winded speech.

"You will be but the first. Once I've torn everything you hold dear asunder, then...only then will the visions stop. Only then will I know peace."

All was silent. No one said a word at the conclusion of his horrifying declaration.

Until at last, Rias smiled and spoke.

"Is that all?"

He glared at her in disbelief. As did everyone else.

"You're really finished then?" She continued undeterred. "That's everything?"

"Yes." He spoke with an annoyed edge in his voice.

"A shame." She spoke plainly. "I had hoped your motivations might be a little less predictable."

"The hell do you know?" He seethed. "You rich, spoiled, entitled, little-"

"You're absolutely right." Rias cut him off sharply. "About my status. About my privilege." She clutched a hand to her chest. "About Jon…"

Irina quirked her head at her curiously.

"I am a Dragon's Treasure. My heart belongs solely to him. Why? How should I know? Jon has power, he has charisma, and he has my undying love. I don't question it. I don't fear it." Rias turned and glared back at Irina hatefully. "And I don't run from it."

Irina cast her gaze away woefully.

"That's all the reasons I need." Rias continued. "Whatever grand visions for the future God, the Four Satans, your insipid order, or whoever has, I couldn't care less about any of them." She laughed. "Plot your little schemes, spring your little traps, I am above ALL of it. We are ALL above all of it. Me, my Queen, my Bishop, my Rook. We accepted this gladly because our hearts demanded it. We didn't ask why or how, it didn't matter. We don't CARE."

Asia smiled at Rias as she continued her speech.

"Because at the end of the day, whether we can explain it or not, Jon gives us all something that no one else can. He gives us Joy, he gives us peace of mind, but more than any of that, with Jon...we are content. With Jon, we feel ALIVE."

Rias pointed back at Irina again.

"I'm not some blind fool like you two are. I won't give up feeling alive just for the sake of my principles. What even ARE your principles anyway, hmm? Have they ever made you smile? Made you laugh? Made you cum? No? Jon does ALL those things for me."

The more Rias boasted the more livid Ramiel became. Irina, meanwhile, wasn't far behind him.

"Glare at me all you want, it doesn't change anything. For all your talk of being above the Three Factions you sure share a lot in common with one of them. Now granted, you are still different. That little trollope over there thinks the only way she's ever going to be happy is by pretending her feelings don't exist. Meanwhile, you won't be content until the whole world is as miserable as you are."

His whole body quivered in rage.

"But at your core, you're both the same. You and Irina, you'll both spend your whole lives chasing imaginary butterflies. Whereas I'm the kind of girl who enjoys having an expensive glass of chardonnay in one hand, and my girlfriend's breast in the other."

Asia turned her head away and blushed fiercely.

"The thing is…" Rias's wicked smile widened. "...I can have what I seek. Had it even. Plenty of times. But you? So long as you continue to be a slave to the rigid dogma by which you live your life...your hands will ALWAYS be as empty as you are."

Ramiel yelled with beastial vigor before taking to the sky. Two Swords of Light appeared in his hands as well as five floating above his head as his clothes vanished, replaced with black leather armor complete with shoulder spikes.

"Know this! I will destroy all that you hold dear! What has come to pass is no longer war! It is endless sacrifice! Blood for blood! LET THIS WORLD DROWN IN IT!"

Rias's body ignited with power and her hair blew up into the air. Her eyes glowed with demonic energy and her wings sprouted from her back.

He could bite and gnash his teeth all he wanted. The God he called Chaos did not scare her.

After all, it was nothing compared to the Chaos she now harnessed.

* * *

Jon fired off three rounds from Devil's Colt, hitting three Fallen Angels square in the chest. All of which fell to the city below.

"Great shot, Darling!" Ravel giggled at him with a hand up to her lips. "That's why you're my number one Hunter."

Koneko rolled her eyes and scoffed at the sappy display. "Hey Jon! Check this out!"

She hit another Fallen Angel with a spinning kick that formed into a hurricane. The force of the winds blew two more Fallen into its gust before sending them flying with her foot.

"Nice one!" He called back to her.

Ravel folded her arms and huffed. Suddenly, a wicked little idea popped into her head.

"Ohhhh…." She placed a hand on her forehead dramatically and began floating backwards into his arms. "...the battle fatigue is setting in. I'm suddenly so woozy."

"That's not a thing!" Koneko argued.

"Of course it is." Ravel insisted while making herself nice and comfy in Jon's left arm. "The same thing happened to me last week."

He sighed in weary resignation before popping another Fallen Angel in the chest.

"Oh no…" Koneko placed a hand on her head same as how Ravel did. "...suddenly I'm dizzy too."

Koneko sunk herself into Jon's other arm. Her acting was even worse than Ravel's was, though somehow he suspected she didn't care. Both girls locked eyes with each other spitefully as they clung to him.

"Jesus…would you two get a grip, please? Now is really not the time for-"

Before Jon could finish his thought the sound of Akeno crying out in pain caught his ears. He quickly swiveled his head to see his Treasure get knocked back by a spear of light detonating in her face.

"Akeno!" He left Koneko and Ravel behind and quickly soared over to her. Koneko was not far behind him, followed tentatively by Ravel.

"You alright?" Jon asked with grave concern.

"I'm fine Master." The Gremory Queen was still standing but it was clear she had taken a few hits. "But something isn't right."

Jon turned to see what it was she was narrowing her eyes at. A Two Winged Angel holding a Spear of Light grinned down at them snidely, a dark aura radiating off her features.

"She's way too strong to be a simple Two Winged Angel." Akeno insisted. "I'm afraid we may have stumbled into a trap."

At that moment another pained shout punctuated the air. Everyone turned to see the Bomb Queen falling from the sky, electricity dancing off her skin.

"Yubelluna!" Riser swooped down and caught her as she fell. "Mihae, Ravel, I need you here now!"

"Coming!" Ravel quickly dashed over to her Brother while the others regained their wits.

"What the hell is going on here?" Jon summoned Heaven's Revolver to his other hand.

"So at long last the infamous Red Dragon Emperor graces us with his presence. You certainly have been difficult to coax out of hiding."

A male Angel descended next to the one who had attacked Akeno, followed by a female directly beside him.

"My name is Batraal." The heavily pierced Fallen Angel introduced. "And these are my associates, Danel and Turel."

"We are members of the 200 Watchers." Danel boasted.

"Each of us is an elite without peer. The very best of Lord Kokabiel's forces. By our hand, you shall meet your death, Dragon Emperor." Turel finished.

Black armor formed on the three Angel's bodies. Along with three more sets of wings which sprouted from each of their backs. Revealing their true nature as Eight Winged Angels.

The power they radiated was ungodly.

"So Kokabiel brought some of his heavyweights out to play." Jon grinned before vanishing his guns and removing his hat. "About time, if you ask me."

Akeno glared coldly at the Watchers. "You are considered some of the most powerful the Fallen has to offer. Why do you follow the Angel of Stars? Semiazaz may have been a misguided tyrant but she was at least rational. Kokabiel is a mad man. Surely you must see this."

"Semiazaz would have left us to rot." Batraal snarled viciously. "Kokabiel understands what Azazel and the other members of our race are too weak and too blind to see."

"The Three Factions can no longer continue." Danel spoke up. "What those thick headed fools fail to understand is that not only can they never defeat us, but they cannot hide nor flee nor shield themselves from the triumph of Chaos."

"They are finite and we are unbound, undivided." Turel boasted. "They must not err lest they be labeled traitors and heretics. Yet those who fall join our cause. Every outcast who dares to open his eyes is a willing recruit. The Factions strive merely to hold back our might and it consumes them."

"Thus you can see." Batraal finished. "Chaos is inevitable. We lurk not only beyond their grasp and at their gates. We lurk within the darkness of their souls. We are them, but freed from the shackles of ignorance.

"We are them grown strong, evolved."

"We are them, but so much more!"

The three Watchers summoned a powerful Lance of pure light in one hand and a shield in the other. With their weapons at their sides, Kokabiel's Elite charged into battle.

* * *

Aldin Zefford walked out to the peer of his Summer Estate and sat in the folding chair that was still resting there. With a heavy sigh he cast his line and began to fish.

"Come to keep little old me company?" He joked to the figure standing at the very end of the peer.

"Funny, I didn't think a being like you needed company." The man with silver hair spoke, his face illuminated by the light of his phone.

"Still learning all you can about the big bad world?" Aldin asked before readjusting his line.

"If nonsensical slogans attached to idiotic pictures of domestic animals counts as the world."

He turned and quirked a brow at him. "Excuse me?"

The man looked up and showed him his screen. "Memes."

Aldin laughed heartily. "You've been out of touch with the world for awhile now. How's it feel to be back?"

"It's not like anyone gave me a handbook on how to live in the 21st century. I've been winging it." He looked around. "Speaking of which, can I assume all of this is the product of some incredibly depressing midlife crisis?"

"I'm extremely old. I think I'm entitled." He replied jokingly.

"I assume you've at least kept an eye on him?"

"Of course." Aldin recast his line. "You know he's sided with the Devils?"

He rolled his eyes. "Fucking typical. What about Lucifer? What's he been up to?"

Aldin shrugged. "Well there's only what we know. He pretty much runs the global economy now. He single handedly started WWI. Along with God only knows what else…probably Disco."

"Any good knews?"

"The human race is about to go extinct."

He gave Aldin a weird look. "Not sure you quite understand the definition of good news."

"I did say ABOUT to." Aldin chuckled. "Your favorite Superhero will be swooping in to save the day."

"Does he know you know me?"

He shook his head. "He doesn't even know who I am yet."

A wicked grin spread over his lips. "So you lied to him."

"I didn't lie." Aldin assured. "I just avoided telling him certain truths."

The man turned around and put his phone away. "Best keep it that way. At least until I've had a chance to say hi."

"Planning on helping?"

"No...just watching. Something you're already keenly proficient at." He checked the name engraved on the placard of the peer. "Take care of yourself...Mr. Zefford."

The silver haired man vanished in a portal of blue energy.

"You as well...Albion."


	35. Chapter 35

The wind was howling across the landscape of the ruined Church. Rias Gremory, with the unbridled Demonic Energy that was her Power of Destruction, pushed Ramiel to the absolute limits of his abilities and beyond. Though as powerful as she had become, the son of Kokabiel was still no pushover by any stretch of the imagination. His ability to summon a seemingly infinite number of Swords of Light and then control them purely with his magic made for a deadly combination with near limitless potential. Yet this was only one of the tricks he possessed in his arsenal. He could teleport around the battlefield seemingly at will almost instantaneously, phase through barriers, and summon massive cannons of focused light energy to his side.

Their battle raged into the skies above the spectators below. Ramiel used his Swords of Light in combination with clever use of his portal magic to attack Rias from multiple angles simultaneously. Yet this alone was not enough to pin her down, as she destroyed each sabre with red lightning that seemed to flicker off her body free of her own will. When that wasn't enough, he tried his cannons again. Summoning the massive light blasters from multiple different directions and firing concentrated beams of light at her. He used this in combination with his portal magic to try and hit her from behind yet she avoided even those.

Finally he managed to pin her down, summoning a massive volley of cannons that all blasted her simultaneously. Just when it seemed like the fight was over, a massive blast of Demonic Energy pushed the beams back and vaporized every single cannon in his arsenal. Rias slowly ascended up towards him, her eyes glowing like two blazing red stars and her hair floating on an invisible breeze. Even after everything he had thrown at her, it still wasn't enough.

"What's the matter, Ramiel?" Rias taunted wickedly. "Running out of ammo?"

"Alright, I know this is gonna sound rich coming from me…" Ramiel huffed in frustration. "...but...your powers are BULLSHIT!"

Her lip curved into a small smile. "Not...UNtrue."

Ten red energy balls appeared above his head. Ten massive blasts sent Ramiel careening into the ground below. Rias slowly descended back down with the others as her opponent lurched back up out of the crater he had just made in the ground.

"Now then, are you going to be a good little lad and return those swords from whatever Pocket Dimension you sent them to? Or am I going to have to start taking this seriously?"

Ramiel huffed in exhaustion, each breath more labored than the last. As he regained his wits, he began to chuckle painfully, wiping away the small trickle of blood on his forehead.

"That arrogance...what I wouldn't give to just shut that mouth of yours for good. Once and for all. You fight for a false God. A PRETENDER. You Dragon is nothing compared to the absolute power of Chaos. You can't possibly begin to understand why I fight. Why I kill. Not for myself. Not for my Sister. But for-"

"Oh I know EXACTLY why you're doing this." Rias quickly cut him off. "It's the same reason EVERYONE attacks us. It's because you're jealous of Jon."

His eyes went wide and his whole body seized as a white hot fury boiled behind his pupils.

She shrugged. "You can scowl at me like that all you want, it's the truth. You think we don't know why your father chose this city as the staging point of his hopeless little war? Behind all that bravado and hollow malice you call a philosophy is a sad little boy who laments the fact that he wasn't born more special." Rias flipped her hair and cocked her hip to the side as she continued to dig into him. "For all your talk of being above what we stand for, the truth of the matter is you and your pathetic excuse of a Father are no different than any of the other trash we're used to sweeping up around here. So long as there have been Dragons collecting Treasure there have been the jealous fools who come with swords and shields to try and take it away from them. Only to end up as so many stains on our walls."

His ears were ringing and he saw only red.

"The fact is, you gnash your teeth at us and bark in impotent rage because you cannot stand what Jon represents. An impossible ideal made flesh. A being with unlimited power and the capacity to have whatever his heart desires, and no force in this universe that can tell him otherwise." She took a step towards him and honed her eyes to a razor's edge, peering straight through to his very core. "THAT is what you truly despise about him. Not that he is what he is. But that it couldn't have been YOU in his place."

"Of course…" He growled malevolently. "...it always has to be about you doesn't it? Your constant need for validation...for attention."

She quirked a brow at him.

"Salazar told us quite a bit about the infamous Rias Gremory." Ramiel slowly walked towards her, still wounded, yet no less determined. "And I must say, you truly do live up to every hideous thing he said about you. A screaming child who destroys anything and everyone that tries to tell her NO." He snarled hatefully, his anger finally boiling over. "To think that someone so JUVENILE could be this powerful, it sickens me to my very core!"

Rias rolled her eyes at him derisively. "Your third rate psychology routine was amusing for awhile, but now I'm just bored. Are you going to bring the swords back or not?"

His eyes went wide in disbelief. "Is...is that truly how little you fear me?"

The disinterested look in her eyes said it all. She wasn't even trying.

At last...he had finally snapped.

"THAT'S WHAT PISSES ME OFF ABOUT YOU THE MOST!" He railed against her. "You and your Dragon! You think you're so superior to me! You look down on me! You look down on all of us from your fucking mountain pass!"

Power erupted from his being and he took off to the sky once more.

"I'll teach you what it is to despair! To tremble! To be afraid! You will feel the legacy of my family's pain as I swallow you whole!"

Rias sighed and shook her head wearily before turning back to her Bishop. "Asia, Darling, please take everyone downstairs, will you? I get the distinct feeling Ramiel is going to try something foolish."

"O...okay." Asia nodded in understanding. "Just be careful, Rias."

She assisted Kiba down the stairs while the others followed behind her. Once Rias was sure they were safe, she took to the sky again.

"You think they're safe from me behind a couple yards of dirt and stone?!" Ramiel laughed psychotically before raising both hands into the air. "I am a Master of Spacial Magic! All the dirt and stone in the UNIVERSE could not save them from me!"

Above them, a singularity began to form. This ripple in space time slowly morphed into a small black orb that grew in size the more power he placed into his spell. It didn't take long for Rias to figure out what he was doing.

Ramiel was creating a black hole.

One by one, the remaining Fallen Angels who had accompanied Valper were sucked into the great black void in the sky, along with the trees, dirt, and stone around them. Valper and Freed huddled together and managed to form a dome of energy around them that kept them rooted to the spot, though in their weakened states, they were certain the barrier would not hold for long.

"That Dumbass!" Freed winced as he struggled to keep the barrier intact. "What does he think he's doing?! Doesn't he know a black hole of that size will swallow him too?!"

"He knows that!" Valper shouted back angrily. "Ramiel has lost it! Save your energy for the spell!"

"Say goodbye to all you hold dear, Gremory Scum!" Ramiel cackled maniacally. "My spell shall consume this entire city!"

Rias glared at him like a disappointed mother glaring at her son. "And you call ME childish. The nerve."

She calmly raised her hand into the air with her palm flat and facing towards the black hole in the sky. The President then summoned five red orbs that each grew to roughly the size of a small car before shrinking down to the size of a golf ball. They spun in the air a few times before merging into one black ball in her palm that sparked with disgustingly powerful magic.

The orb of power launched from her palm like a mortar round from its shell. It whizzed past Ramiel before entering the black hole. After a moment of seemingly nothing happening, the black hole began to collapse in on itself before imploding into a singularity again and exploding with enough force to disperse the clouds in the sky.

It was gone.

"B...but…" Ramiel was petrified. "...you can't-"

"Oh believe me, I can."

She appeared in front of him faster than he could register. Rias blasted him with magic, sending the Hybrid careening back down to Earth before landing in the exact same crater he had made last time. The President then slowly descended again, same as before, seemingly no worse for ware than if he had just tried to kill her with a stiff breeze.

"Now assuming you're quite done throwing tantrums, I suggest you cough up those swords before I REALLY start to lose my patience."

Ramiel slowly raised himself out of the dirt once more, the fury in his eyes replaced now with quiet bitterness.

"You really believe that wanton destruction will solve all your problems?" She lectured sternly. Everything you've destroyed here can be rebuilt, easily."

"And then time will destroy it all again."

She remained silent. Around them, the chaos of the battlefield they fought upon was reduced to humble rustling of the leaves.

Ramiel took his vape from his pocket and drew from it, blowing a smoke ring into the air his rage having seemingly turned into apathy. "Why do people insist on creating things that will inevitably be destroyed?" He asked as if genuinely asking her, not in a derogatory way. "Why do people cling to life, knowing they must someday die? Knowing that none of it will have meant anything once they do? My Sister and I have seen countless deaths in countless futures and NEVER is there a glimmer of hope in any of it. In every vision we receive, it is always the same thing."

He gently knelt down and scooped up a handful of ash and debris before letting it fall through his fingers.

"From dust we came, unto dust we return. But dust is all we'll ever be forevermore. The problem is not that we must suffer, it's the inherent meaninglessness behind that suffering."

Ramiel clenched his fist until it bled.

"I hate Devils...I hate them for what they did to my Mother. For what they put my family through. They took away any meaning my Mother's visions had by ignoring the wisdom they held. They gave her sister EVERYTHING, because she told them what they wanted to hear. Not what they NEEDED to hear. Her suffering was made inconsequential by their contempt for her truths."

Rias's gaze softened, if only a little.

"You said I was jealous of your Dragon." Ramiel continued, his voice hollow. "And maybe I am. But only to the extent a man who was born without legs can be jealous of an Olympic sprinter. I have nothing to compare myself to him. Your Dragon was born with Dreams. Whereas I can only ever produce nightmares."

"Am I supposed to feel pity?"

"You were supposed to die." He spoke frankly.

"Nice work with that, by the way. Job well done there."

Ramiel laughed humorlessly. "You'll still die. You ALL will. If not by my hand, then by my Father's. If not by his, then by someone else's. Your way of life all but guarantees a violent and bloody end for you and your kin."

"Perhaps, but I would rather die having glimpsed eternity than to never stir from the cold furrow of mortal life."

Power erupted from her being.

"I embrace death without regret, as I have embraced life without fear. Now for the last time, hand over those swords!"

Ramiel sighed and shook his head. After a moment of silence he raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A portal opened a few feet above him from which a screaming Tamiel fell through before landing hard on the ground.

She raised her face up out of the dirt and blew her hair out of her face before slowly turning towards her brother and scowling angrily. "I have been falling...for THIRTY MINUTES!"

"You could always use your wings." Ramiel insisted before pointing to his own.

"You know I don't like showing them in public!" She whined.

He rolled his eyes at her. "Whatever. Give the bitchy girl the briefcase so we can go home, please."

"Don't tell me she actually beat you." Tamiel narrowed her eyes at Rias.

"Look, will you just give her the damn case already?" Ramiel insisted more impatiently this time.

After scowling at Rias for a moment longer she finally stood up and waved the case over to her with magic. Rias picked it up and inspected it carefully before proceeding to open it.

"And to think you almost-"

A flash of light blinded her and Rias dropped the case, clutching at her wounded eyes as all sound and sight was replaced with white and a sharp ringing in her ears.

"Now THAT is a bait and switch!" Ramiel laughed victoriously before using his portal magic to warp him, his sister, Valper, and Freed away.

"Bya Slut!" Tamiel taunted before vanishing behind her Brother's portal.

Her vision slowly returned as did her hearing. When Rias finally realized what was going on and that the case was empty, she became furious. Her power erupted again and she shouted in rage, blasting everything in a half mile radius into dust.

* * *

The Watchers proved to be every bit as strong as their legend made them out to be. A battle against three Eight Winged Angels was almost more than Jon could take. Fortunately he had Akeno at his back, as well as Riser offering his substantial power. While the Phenex King kept one of them at bay, the two of them worked on subduing the others.

Jon was in his full boosted gear, soaking up the brunt of the damage while Akeno took shots at both of them with her lightning. Despite everything the group threw at them, however, the Angels just wouldn't let up. Before long, it became clear they were being pushed back.

"I must say, you're by far stronger than we initially gave you credit for." Batraal commented after coming at Jon with his lance. "To think you can take on two of us at once and last this long."

"Even if you do have a bit of help from the Half Breed." Danel added after blocking another bolt of lightning with her shield.

"What did you just call me?!" Akeno went wide eyed with terror and froze in place.

Sensing an opening, Danel chucked her shield like a buzzsaw.

"Akeno!" Jon quickly ignited the rockets on his boots and managed to get in front of her, forming an X with his gauntlets and erecting a barrier. The shield began to tear through the neon green energy until he successfully managed to blast it away.

"Tsk, so close." She cursed quietly as her shield reformed on her arm. "Oh well, at least I hit a nerve that time."

Batraal laughed with cruel delight. "I'd say you did, Danel. Well done."

"What are they talking about?" Jon asked, his gauntlets at the ready for another attack. "Ju'Kara, what did she mean by that?"

Akeno was a million miles away. The sunken, withdrawn look in her eyes belied a woman who had just had her deepest darkest secret blasted with a spotlight for all the world to see.

"Ju'Kara?" He asked again, slightly worried now. "What's wrong?"

Danel laughed hysterically. "Wait, you mean she didn't tell you? Oh this is perfect!"

"We know exactly who you are, Queen of Gremory." Batraal spoke up with amused vigor. "You're Akeno Himejima, we were once well acquainted with your father!"

"Be silent!" Akeno's horror stricken face turned into rage as she ascended above Jon and cast a stream of lightning from her finger at Batraal. He responded by wrapping his wings around himself and using them as a shield from the magical attack.

"We were quite surprised to hear that the infamous Queen of Salazar Phenex was taken down so easily!" He continued to taunt her as she cast her magic. "Then again, if one of the Devil's responsible for her death possessed the power of BARAQIEL on her side then it all makes sense! I bet she never saw it coming!"

A couple yards away, Koneko finished snapping the neck of another Fallen Angel before turning two worried eyes back at their Queen. "Akeno…"

"Do not speak his name!" Akeno shouted angrily as the power of her attack intensified. "I am nothing like THAT CREATURE!"

"Baraqiel?" Jon was trying to process all the information that was being thrown at him. He'd heard that name before, in one of Father Kyle's many lessons. But damned if he could remember it exactly.

Akeno's power began to wane and her spell dissipated. Her chest heaved as she panted in exhaustion, clearly drained from the exertion of holding the spell for so long.

Batraal roared in obtuse laughter once again as he unfurled his wings. "When I first heard it from the Angel of Stars I could scarcely believe it. To think you've fallen so far as to turn yourself into a Devil. Was your human blood not ENOUGH of an insult on our race?"

"STOP IT!" She screamed at him, partly in rage, partly in desperation.

The gravity of what he just said didn't hit Jon until a moment later, at which point his blood ran cold. "Wait...what does he mean OUR race?"

She gasped and cast two horror stricken eyes back at her Master. This was clearly not something he was supposed to be hearing, at least not like this.

That's when it hit him. He knew where that name came from. It was one of the lessons Father Kyle taught to him from the Book of Enoch. The one known as the Lightning of God.

But...that name was connected to the Fallen Angels.

"What an amusing house Lucifer's Little Sister has acquired." Danel commented just as cruelly as Batraal did. "The Red Dragon Emperor, a broken Holy Sword Project, a smattering of lost and forgotten pieces…" She narrowed her eyes and her sadistic grin widened.

"...and last but not least, BARAQIEL'S DAUGHTER!"

Jon felt the weight of a ton of bricks hit him squarely on the head with this revelation. Akeno...his Ju'Kara...was the daughter of a Fallen Angel. After taking a moment to let the gravity of what that meant sink in, his gaze silently turned towards the Gremory Queen.

Akeno, at that moment, looked completely numb to everything around her.

"How terribly amusing." Batraal continued. "I suppose Rias must have a propensity for gathering up old, broken, and useless things."

"Like Father like Daughter." Danel commented with twisted glee. "He betrayed us by siding with Azazel, while his spawn went on to become one of our mortal enemies. Both equally useless in the grand scheme of things."

"What else can you expect from a half breed?" Batraal spat out in disgust. "Honestly, what was our Lord thinking making his two mutant kids his Chief Lieutenants?"

"At least they come from a Pureblood Devil Family." She offered. "Unlike this rat, whose mother was a HUMAN."

"Akeno?" Jon asked quietly, a forlorn look in his eyes. "Is all of this true?"

"It was so nice…" Her voice came out as a pitiful horse version of her normally stoic pride. She slowly turned around to reveal a sad smile and tear stained eyes. "...it was so nice while it lasted. Having the man I love believe...even for just a little while, that I wasn't a freak."

A few yards away, Koneko's heart broke for the Vice President. Were it not for the urgency of the battle in front of her, she would have immediately flown over to hug Akeno.

Hearing Akeno call herself that...triggered something in Jon. His Dragon eyes focused on the two obstacles in front of him with renewed vigor and smoke flared from his nostrils.

"Awww, I think we hurt its feelings, Danel." Batraal taunted cruelly before raising his lance to strike again. "Perhaps I should just put you out of your misery now!"

He threw the lance as if it were a javelin. Akeno didn't even try to dodge, or even seem to really notice as the lance came towards her.

A red blur jumped in front the projectile and swatted it out of the way before it detonated in a massive blast. Akeno opened her painfully shut eyes and peered curiously at the one who had darted in front of her.

"Don't you ever…" Jon growled angrily. "Don't you ever call yourself that again."

"J...Jon?" She stared at him in confusion. "Why are you-"

"Do you understand me?!" His gaze turned sharply around to hone on her with fiery intensity. "I don't ever want to hear those words come out of your mouth again!"

"But…" She was taken aback, a look of pure shock on her face. "...M...Master?"

He slowly craned his head back down at the ones who he was truly angry with. "And YOU!" His eyes were like fire as he spoke, his massive fangs protruding through the hideous angry scowl he bore on his face.

"Oooo, I think we made him upset." Danel laughed derisively.

"Good." Batraal resummoned his lance. "Maybe now he'll actually start trying."

A massive, sardonic grin spread of Jon's features. He took a breath and began speaking in Draconian.

"Your body will not burn in my fire." He declared in the ancient tongue. "I will not grant you that honor."

All the fighting stopped. All of it. The Fallen, the Phenex Peerage, Ravel, Riser, Koneko...every single one of them stopped what they were doing and turned towards the Dragon speaking in the sky. All with the same looks of stunned shock on their faces.

Akeno raised her head and her eyes bulged in surprise. She didn't speak Draconian and yet...somehow she understood what he was saying. Or rather...it was as if his words pierced her spirit, allowing her to understand the intent behind them.

Batraal's cocky attitude faded, for a second he looked genuinely rattled.

"Batraal?" Danel asked in nervous confusion. "What is he saying?"

Jon charged. The Watcher raised his shield and readied his lance only for his opponent to knock it harmlessly out of the way with one hand before bringing his other fist into his shield, sending the Eight Winged Angel flying backwards.

"The insects will feed on your eyes!" He continued to speak in Draconian as he wailed on his opponent, hitting him with fierce, swift strikes as his boosted gear enhanced his power even faster than before. "The worms will crawl through your lungs!"

Danel dove in to assist, at which point Jon somersaulted completely over her and ignited the thrusters in his boots, scorching her back and propelling her forward.

Sending her lance into the chest of the completely shaken Batraal.

Her eyes widened in horror as it dawned on her what she just did. At which point Jon's fist connected with the side of her face, sending the hapless Angel flying several yards away into Turel, who had been fighting Riser up until this point. With her out of the way, Jon turned back towards Bataal and gripped the Lance of Light still buried in his chest.

"The rain will fall on your rotting skin…" With a swift tug he pulled the lance from his chest, causing his opponent to wretch up blood. "...until nothing is left of you but BONES!"

Jon sent the wounded Angel flying high into the air with a flaming uppercut, then back down again with a two fisted slam after flashing from one point to the next. As Batraal fell to Earth, his back shattered against Jon's waiting knee.

With his gauntlet, Jon proceeded to plunge his fingers into Batraal's throat and dig into his larynx, who gurgled and wretched up blood as his body failed to respond to his own commands to move. Finally, Jon ripped his hand out of his throat, extracting the Fallen Angel's tongue in the process.

Akeno immediately understood what he was doing and cupped her hands over her gaping mouth. Her Dragon had just ripped out the man's tongue for her.

He finished him off with a swift snap of the neck before allowing his body to plummet to the ground below. The remaining two members of the Watchers, and indeed every Fallen Angel witnessing this reeled back in abject horror at the display. One of the Watchers, one of Kokabiel's 200 Elite, had just been slain right before their very eyes.

Jon turned his attention next to the two women still paralyzed with fear, his sadistic smile only growing wider.

"I had hoped to save my power in case your Master was watching." He explained in english. "Didn't want him figuring out all my new tricks. But…well...if he IS watching..."

Energy erupted from his body as he tapped into the rest of his latent ability. His power skyrocketed beyond anything the two remaining Watchers could even come close to matching as the full gravity of the situation they were in truly began to sink in.

"...I HOPE HE ENJOYS THE SHOW!"

The rockets on his boots ignited and he made a B Line straight for the next target. Danel blasted him with a focused beam of light energy from her lance only for Jon to flash two feet to the left, well out of harm's way. She then chucked her shield at him like a buzzsaw, intent on cleaving him in half.

He caught the shield in his teeth and crunched, shattering it to pieces, before sending his fist straight through her body, impaling her on his arm. The stunned and horrified Watcher wretched up blood as he then pulled his arm out of the gaping hole in her abdomen before reaching into it with both hands. Jon proceeded to raise her over his head and tear her body completely in half from the wound in her stomach, coating his body with her blood as both halves fell harmlessly to Earth.

Finally, his eyes locked onto Turel. Who backed away slowly with her lance arm trembly pointed out towards him.

"We...were never meant to win…" She quivered at the creature coated in her allies blood. "...to think that you would use us as bait too...the half breed was right. Kokabiel, you damn madman!"

The Dragon roared with beastial vigor before blasting her with a focused Dragon's Shot that went straight through her chest. Turel didn't react, or try to defend herself in any way as the small focused beam vaporized her heart, killing her instantly. Not content, Jon caught her by the neck as she fell, crushing her neck in his grip before pulling her head clean off her shoulders. The decapitated body of Turel fell to Earth along with the rest of her dismembered peers as Jon then hurled her head up into the air and summoned Devil's Colt. He used his boost ability before firing a single round at the dismembered head, blasting it into small bits of blood, bone, and brain matter.

All was silent as the grave around him. Koneko was in shock, as was Akeno. Riser was in a complete state of denial and Ravel looked genuinely terrified at what she had just witnessed. The rest of Riser's Peerage shared similar reactions of disbelief and terror, while the remaining forces of the Fallen Angels were rooted to the spot out of pure fear of the Dragon's Wrath.

With all three Watchers fallen, Jon took a deep breath and exhaled through his mouth, his core temperature falling back to a normal level along with his power. He cast his gaze to Koneko and spoke.

"Ya'll okay?"

Upon realizing she was being talked to, Koneko finally managed to mutter out a bewildered "uh huh" before watching as he casually floated over to Akeno.

"Wh...what the hell was that?" One of Riser's Pieces asked quietly.

"Such power…" Yubelluna commented, completely dumbstruck by what she just witnessed.

Riser went from in denial to absolutely livid. There was NO WAY that Ddraig had managed to reach that level of power in so short a span of time. He refused to accept it. Not after all the work he had put in to surpass him.

Ravel's terror filled eyes seemed to relax upon seeing Jon behave normally again. Though the look of unbridled rage and wild savagery he bore as he proceeded to literally tear each of his opponents apart would be burned into the back of her brain for the rest of time.

While the group collectively pulled themselves together, Jon floated over to a completely shellshocked Akeno. He placed two armored fingers beneath her chin and gently tilted her gaze up towards his eyes.

"Master?" Her voice came out as a horse whisper.

"We will talk about it back at the Headquarters." He calmly replied, his tone gentle and understanding. "For now…" Jon waved with his hand towards the remaining Fallen Forces. "Take it out on them."

She gave him a confused look.

"Everything you're feeling right now, I want you to take it out on them." He ordered. "This isn't you, Ju'Kara. This...pitiful, delicate thing isn't what you really are."

Her eyes widened in surprise as her mouth fell open yet again.

"Where is the sadistic She-Devil I've grown to love?" He asked, a loving grin plastered on his face. "These creatures need to pay for comparing you to them. Show them what it means to pick a fight with Kuoh's number one sadist."

She looked at the Fallen Angels, then back at her Master, then back at the Fallen Angels again.

That sadistic smile he knew and love formed on her lips as her face heated up.

"Oh goody…" Akeno moaned while licking her lips. "...new toys to play with."

"Atta girl." Jon wrapped his arm around her and cupped her breast in his gauntlet. Akeno moaned in heat at the feeling of his metal hand gripping her flesh. "Now take my power and go have fun."

The gem on his gauntlet ignited.

"Transfer!"

Power rushed from his hand into Akeno's body. The wave of energy was startling enough to make her voice quiver in delight and her skin dance with electric power.

"Oh Master...you spoil me." Akeno giggled in her sadistically playful tone. "With this much of you inside of me...I don't think I can hold back!"

Akeno vanished from his grip in a bolt of lightning before rematerializing in the midst of the Fallen Angels. With a single flick of her wrist, five bolts of lightning rained from the sky and zapped five Angels, reducing them to charred skeletons and feathers. A group of more Angels readied their spears and attacked.

"My, such bravery even in the midst of your impending doom." She placed a hand up to her flushed cheek, her breaths hot and heady with arousal. Purple electricity sparked from her fingertips which she licked with her tongue. "Let's try this one out."

She shot her fingers towards one of the approaching Fallen and zapped them with the purple lightning. The electric attack chained to the next Fallen and the one after that, the one after that as well. Until all the attackers were paralyzed by the electrical discharge. They proceeded to wail in agony as sheer unbridled pain coursed through their bodies. The Angel's bodies twisted and contorted into horrifying shapes, bones snapping, eyeballs popping out of skulls, until at last she mercifully released the spell and allowed their mangled bodies to fall.

Upon seeing this, the other Fallen turned tail and ran. Intent on getting as far away from the She-Devil as possible. She vanished and then reappeared in front of them, forming a hand sign before raising both arms into the air. Traps appeared all around the remaining Fallen Angels, barring them from escape.

"Leaving so soon?" She asked with twisted coyness as more of the same purple lightning danced off her fingertips. "Why the rush? All this blood and screaming is getting me so HOT!"

Akeno unleashed the full brunt of her sadistic wrath upon her enemies. As terrifying as Jon's display might have been, it was NOTHING compared to this.

* * *

When the last of the Fallen Angel's had been slain, and the lust for pain ebbed from Akeno's mind, she at last returned to her Master and they exchanged a few words with one another. She then silently made her way back to the ORC Headquarters while Jon floated over to Koneko and Riser's group to speak with them.

"If it's all the same to you, Blue Blood, I'm going to take my Peerage and head home." After popping his back and cracking his neck he then added. "I suggest you do the same. Today was a well fought victory, but we will all need our rest for the final push."

Riser peered back at Jon as if trying to see through him. The monumental gap in power between them was something he was still trying to come to grips with, and seeing him now coated in the blood of three Eight Winged Angels after he failed to even take down one, was easily the most frustrating sight he'd ever had to behold since his brother was still alive.

Jon then approached Koneko who peered up at him with curious catlike eyes.

"I hope I didn't scare ya back there." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "When those jackasses opened their fat mouths on Akeno like that I just...sort of lost it."

After a moment, Koneko smiled and began quietly chuckling to herself. "God, you're such a worrywort. What makes you think something like that will scare me off?"

She then pressed herself against his bloody body and squeezed him tight.

"Thank you…" Koneko whispered lovingly to him. "...thank you for accepting her for who she is."

He held her tightly to him. "Not just her...you too."

She shut her eyes tight and held back the tears that threatened to well up to the surface. Ravel saw this, placed a hand against her thudding chest, and proceeded to tear up in Koneko's place.

"Oh Johnny…" She sniffled before charging into him and wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, squeezing him in a giant hug. "You're so noble!"

Riser watched as his little sister hugged Jon tightly to her. The Ravel HE knew would have never considered throwing herself upon a man sticky with blood. Seeing her like this...it tore at him in ways he'd never felt before.

"It's not going to change, you know."

He turned to see his Queen Yubelluna floating next to him, her gaze also intently on young Lady Phenex.

"What do you mean?"

She shook her head. "Once a girl's heart is set on a man, it doesn't bend. Not for anything. Lady Ravel is lost to him, my Lord. The sooner you come to accept that, the sooner you two can start getting along again."

"But...he's a Dragon." He insisted, pain in his voice. "It's simply not acceptable for a lady of her status to be...to be…"

She smiled at him. "Could it be, perhaps, that your disapproval of their budding love comes from a place of jealousy, not hatred?"

He remained silent, essentially answering her question.

"Ravel has another man in her life who can protect her." His Queen continued. "It's painful to let go, I understand that. But just because her heart now belongs to another, that doesn't mean there won't still be a place for you in there as well."

At last he smiled. It was a sad, forlorn, smile, but a smile nonetheless. "You know me too well it seems."

She chuckled playfully at his words. "Well...I am your Queen after all." A loving look shown in her eyes as her face suddenly heated up. "And besides...I know all too well how hard a woman can fall for a man she loves."

Riser turned and took his Queen in his arms, pressing his lips to hers in a passionate kiss as she moaned against him. The rest of his Peerage quietly floated down, each of them offering their support alongside her.

He would be alright. When Ravel finally decided to leave his Peerage for good he would miss her terribly, but he would be okay. So long as he had his girls close to his side, the head of the Phenex Clan could weather any storm.

* * *

Akeno awaited her Master in Rias's room back at the ORC Headquarters, as was instructed of her after the battle. Jon had excused himself to shower and clean the carnage of battle off his body while she waited patiently on her knees. Having gone the extra mile, she went ahead and stripped away all her clothing as well.

Jon returned from his shower dressed in nothing but track shorts. The moment he entered the room, Akeno's back immediately stiffened. She felt his eyes upon her as he slowly made his way to the bed before meeting his gaze.

"Okay." Jon sat at the foot of the bed and rested his elbows on his knees. "Now...you know why I asked you here, I assume."

She nodded. "I do, Master. You wish to know about what I've been hiding from you."

He nodded.

After a deep breath, Akeno shut her eyes and lowered her head. "It's true what they said...about me being of mixed blood. Though...the term they used was different."

"Half Breed." He remembered angrily. "Yeah, I heard them."

"The correct term is Hybrid." She explained meekly. "Half Breed, as I'm sure you can guess, is a slur."

"So you were born from parents of two different species." He surmised.

"Yes. My mother was human…" A tear rolled down her cheek. "...and my father is the Fallen Angel Baraqiel."

Jon took a deep breath to keep his breathing even and stop himself from yelling. "Can I assume I'm the only person in the Peerage who doesn't know this about you?"

"Asia doesn't know either." Akeno explained. "And I wasn't planning on telling her if I could help it."

"But I'm the one you really wanted to hide this from, aren't I?"

She remained silent.

"Mmkay." He nodded irritably before rubbing his forehead. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and you just tell me if anything I say is wrong. I'm willing to bet just about every dollar I've got that the reason you didn't tell me is because of Raynare, right?"

"What was I supposed to say to you, Master?" Her voice quivered slightly. "I've hated the genes I was cursed with since I was a small child. The Fallen Angels are power hungry monsters and the fact that I am related to one-"

"Okay, let me just stop you right there. You don't even get why I'm mad, do you?"

Akeno opened her mouth to speak but then closed it again.

"You think this whole thing is about me not liking Fallen Angels, don't you?"

She shut her eyes again, saying nothing.

He sighed in frustration, turning his gaze away for a moment before addressing her again. "It's got nothing to do with what you are. Hell, I don't even care that you lied to me. It's why you felt the need to lie that's got me so upset."

Akeno quirked her head at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You called yourself a freak." He conveyed the pain he felt in his words as he spoke. "You've been hiding this from me this whole time because...as confident as you like to pretend to be, deep down, you hate a part of who you are."

Again she was silent. "That's why you're mad at me?" There was a hint of betrayal in her voice. "Honestly, I think I liked it better thinking you just hated what I was too."

He sighed. "Honestly...I'm more mad at myself." Jon stood up and paced a bit as he thought about what to say to her. "All the horrible things I've said about Raynare, about the Fallen Angels, I said them right in front of you." He laughed humorlessly. "For hell's sake, how many conversations have I had with YOU where all I did was talk about how much I hate Fallen Angels." His heart broke. "I...must have been hurting you so terribly and I had no idea."

"You weren't." She insisted, light returning to her eyes again. "Because I completely agree with you. I hate the Fallen Angels too. I hate everything about them. That's why I hate-"

"Well now I have a reason not too anymore. You."

Her words stopped in her throat as visible shock came over her face.

Jon approached her and knelt down on one knee to her level. "Akeno, I could never hate anything about you. Not one single thing."

The words wouldn't come out of her mouth, as much as she tried to make them.

"And if you being half Fallen Angel means I have to stop hating them too then so be it." He brushed a strand of hair out of her face and placed his hand against her cheek. "As far as I'm concerned, you're living proof that not everything about the Fallen is bad."

Her bottom lip began to quiver.

"I love you, Akeno. Every part of you. Which means I love someone who is half Fallen Angel. I'll die never having regretted that."

"How?" She shook her head in denial as her eyes began to glass over. "How can you love me so unconditionally when I don't even love myself that way?"

He lowered his head and smiled, knowing what he had to do. "Come over here, I wanna show you something."

Confused, but no less compliant, Akeno gracefully stood up as Jon took her by the hand and led her to the mirror. She patiently kept her hands folded in her lap as she stood in front of the full body mirror while he brushed her hair behind her shoulders to reveal her neckline.

"Focus on the mirror, focus on yourself. Don't worry about what I'm doing."

Akeno nodded in understanding, though she still wasn't sure what it was she was supposed to be seeing.

"I was going to save this for when things were a little less turbulent. But given what just happened, I think now is actually the perfect time." He went over to his drawer and pulled out his old revolver case before digging around in it. Jon then walked back over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist and pressing her back against him. "Now tell me...what do you see?"

"I see…" Akeno sighed and turned her head away dejectedly. "...Jon, I can't do this."

"Don't turn away." He insisted gently before guiding her eyes back to the mirror. "Just say it."

"I don't know what I see." She spoke honestly, a distant, forlorn expression on her face as she stared at the thing in the mirror. "I've looked in the mirror so many times trying to figure out what I am...and I never have an answer." Akeno bit her lip to keep herself from getting worked up. "Every time I look in a mirror, I feel torn."

"Then maybe this will help."

He placed the jade figurine he'd been saving onto her collar. Akeno gazed at it in wonder, bringing a finger up to delicately touch it as it now dangled from her neck.

"It's beautiful. But where did you get it?"

"It belonged to my Mother." He explained. "It's actually the last thing I have to remember her by."

She cupped her hands over her gaping mouth and shook her head profusely. "You can't...Jon you can't give me this."

He shrugged at her, a slick grin on his face. "Why not? You said you wanted a piece of me, this is it."

"But…" She shook her head even more, at a complete loss for words. "...but this is too much! You can't give me something this precious!"

"I just did." He insisted before taking Rias's enchantment pen in his hand. "Now I just have to add the words."

She watched in bewilderment as he stenciled words onto the metal plate of her collar. Once he was done he set the pend down and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"What do you think?"

Akeno peered closely at her reflection in the mirror. "It's...Draconian."

He nodded. "It is. I know you were hoping for something you could read yourself, but this is actually a message for me."

She looked up at him. "For you?"

"It's a reminder." He explained. "A few simple words only I can read. Something I'll see every day to remind me of my promise to you."

She clutched her hands up to her chest, her heart beating madly. "Wh...what does it say."

Jon smiled lovingly while peering deep into her eyes. He took both her hands in his and spoke.

"Love her harder than her insecurities. Love her deeper than her deepest fears. Remind her every day, that you love all that she is, and all that she ever will be."

She couldn't hold it in anymore. Jon had never seen Akeno cry before. At least not like this. She'd gotten emotional more than once, but she never just...wept. Seeing her break down like this, starting with the little hitching of her voice and the first few tears rolling down her cheeks, followed by her face contorting into an almost smile as her body began to quiver, it was beautiful.

Not because she was crying. But because of what her tears represented. The unshakable Queen of the ORC was finally being completely vulnerable with him.

"MASTER!"

She leapt into his arms causing Jon to fall backwards onto the bed.

"Woah!" He laughed as he was unceremoniously knocked onto the comforter. "Careful Ju'Kara, that's-"

His words were cut off by her passionate lips. Akeno's naked body straddle him as she feverishly kissed her Master, tears still streaming down her face. He finally managed to pull away from her only for her to begin kissing down his neck.

"Easy girl." Jon chuckled at her in amusement. "I mean I'm glad you're happy but you're gonna have to breathe at some point."

"Master…" She finally stopped long enough to speak to him, her cheeks raw from crying, and her lips still quivering despite the smile on her face and her choked up laughing. "...God...you're too much, you silly Man. Look what a mess you've made me."

"There's that million dollar smile I love so much." He spoke to her lovingly before wiping her face with the back of his hand. "I know it'll take time for you to fully embrace something you've hated for so long…"

"But we will do it together." She confirmed. "You've just proven to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that I can overcome this. With you here to help guide me...my Master."

He nodded. "Glad we're clear on that."

A deep blush crept over her face. "Master...may I make a selfish request?"

He nodded. "Of course."

"Will you make love to me?"

Jon chuckled at her. "I fail to see how that's a selfish request, Ju'Kara."

She giggled. "No, I mean...not like how we usually do it. No toys or chains or anything like that." Akeno rested her forehead against his and ran her hand along his bearded cheek. "Just the two of us in this moment. A Dragon and his Treasure."

That made him pause. "You're talking as if we've never done this before."

"It's different, trust me." Akeno insisted. "It's been a long time since I've felt free enough to want something like this. Since I've felt my own desires enough to want something beyond just the service." She nibbled at his bottom lip and he could feel her wetness soaking through his track shorts. "You've helped me come out of the shell I've been keeping around myself. So please Master...please take care of me."

His expression suddenly turned serious as he flipped her over on her back. Akeno gasped at the sudden movement.

"Now and always." He swore. "Though you may wear my collar, don't ever be afraid to ask me for something like this."

She bit her finger in arousal and nodded, splaying herself out on the bed for him. They kissed passionately, their tongues dancing with each other as she coated the inside of his mouth with her saliva. When they pulled away she placed the middle and ring finger of his left hand in her mouth and sucked on them greedily. Indicating what it was she desired.

Jon brought his hand down to her heat as she parted her thighs open for him. Her juices were already dripping as he plunged his fingers into her depths while running his tongue along her right breast. He then swirled his tongue along each bountiful globe before trailing it down her belly to circle her navel, prolonging the buildup before his thumb finally touched her clit. Causing her erotic mewls of pleasure to reverberate even louder in the room.

His tongue trailed back up her heated abdomen to bite her pierced nipple before playing with it gently. She was like puddy in his hands as he worked on her, melting completely to every touch, her eyes shut and her moaning loud and honest with its intended meaning. Jon pressed harder into her jeweled clit, circling the pad of his thumb clockwise.

"Jon not yet…" She quickly placed a hand on his peck as the sensation in her heated pussy almost became too much to bare. "...let me savor it just a bit longer."

He nodded in understanding before easing off her clit and lowering his head down to lap at the quivering wet lips of her flower next. Her Dragon's scent wafted into Akeno's nostrils causing her head to spin at its intoxicating aroma. After swirling his tongue around her folds for a few moments he raised himself back up to her face and kissed her sweetly.

"Are you ready?"

She nodded.

Jon slid his erect cock between her legs. It curved perfectly against her pussy, teasing her as he got himself slick with her wetness. She arched back as he slowly entered her.

"Oh God…" Akeno gripped the comforter in both hands as he slowly inched his way inside her, his hands firmly on her hips as she savored the feeling. "I can never get over how thick you are. The length is one thing, but the girth..."

"Hush." He whispered gently into her ear while easing forward until his massive thing was stuffing her insides completely. "This is about you right now, Love. Lay back and let me take care of everything."

He moved with slow, powerful strokes. Every time he pulled back she gasped in need. Every time he hilted inside her she moaned, eyes shut tight, neck pulled backwards. As he moved Akeno squeezed down around him, desperate for every delicious inch of her Dragon's cock.

"Jon, I…" Her belly suddenly tensed. "...I don't think I can-hah!"

"Go ahead." He whispered lovingly into her ear once more. "Sing for me like a little songbird."

She could barely breathe as he thrust deeper into her, filling her over and over again. Akeno squeaked as she felt something foreign rise to the surface of her being. As Jon thrust into her again, a wave of shuddering pleasure shot up her spine and into her skull. Akeno keened, feeling something truly unfamiliar swell inside of her. This wasn't like any orgasm she'd experienced before while servicing him. This was something huge, bright, hot.

"Jon...Jon! Jon I'm...Jon this is...JOOOOON!"

Akeno sprayed him. "Squirt" being too tame a word for what had occured. His Treasure sprayed her Master with the force of her orgasm. A sensation she had never felt before ever. One that she felt from the crown of her head down to the very curl of her toes.

Yet he never broke rhythm. Jon fucked Akeno relentlessly, driving himself down into her, barely giving her a chance to breathe. She gasped for air as she slammed his hips into her ass. She was ragged. All his love could do was grunt and mewl in her clouded state.

And just like that her orgasm was building again, and she thought she might scream at any moment by how infuriatingly hot she felt. Jon leaned over until his warm breath tickled her neck.

"Again already? What a demanding lady my Ju'Kara can be." He teased her sweetly. "Do what you must my little songbird."

It was as if he'd heard her thoughts. Jon rubbed her clit with two fingers as he thrust back into her, driving her down into the sheets. Her orgasm rose up sharply and bloomed all throughout her body again just as it did before, bright and almost unbearably hot. Her whole body shook. Her toes curled.

And again she sang. Though it sounded far more like an incoherent scream. Yet still, he did not slow down, even as she came around his length. He continued to take her with powerful controlled strokes, pushing deeper into the mattress, pounding her until her whole world was his cock, until it was all she could feel, all she could imagine. Jon was relentless, his heated shaft throbbing inside of her, his cock somehow seeming to grow thicker with every thrust.

Then, finally, she heard the subtle grunt that always let her know her man was about to climax. With his fingers tangled in her messy hair and his lips feverishly pressed to hers, her Dragon jerked and twitched inside her, his shaft swelling against every inch of her pussy. Then came the rush of heat, the stickiness inside her. The feel of his seed spilling from her lips as he withdrew, dripping from between her legs and on to the mattress. He'd emptied himself in her. She was all but certain of it. Her Dragon had completely drained his balls in her belly for how full she felt. When did he learn to do that? When could she feel it again?

"Well?" Jon grinned at her. Obviously the expression on her face amused him, though at that moment she had no clue what face she was making. "How does it feel being the one who's serviced for a change?"

She wanted to wipe the sweat off her brow but her hands were leaden. Akeno's feet twitched as she ran one finger up between her pussy lips. The sensation made her tremble all over again.

It was too much. The stimulation, the euphoria, her head swimming. Her heart began to race as the rush of endorphins demanded her to act. The need to be taken care of was gone, replaced by subspace she could not ignore.

"Master…" She wanted to voice her needs but her throat felt as dry as the Sahara Desert. Rather than use her words, she instead elected to use her lips and tongue.

Akeno needed to taste her Dragon, badly. After being so deep inside of her, and making his length so sticky with cum, there was no way she could refuse what her submissive brain was demanding. Her Master's cock needed to be cleaned by her tongue. Now.

With his seed still dripping from between her legs, she sat up as quickly as her numb legs would allow her. Akeno found the strength to kneel on all fours before him and take her Dragon into her mouth. That familiar taste of salt and something else that was wholly unique to Jon hit her tongue. He murmured appreciatively as she lapped at his shaft, licking around the head of his cock, taking him to the base, suckling until every dribble of seed was gone.

Finally she withdrew, licking her lips, cleaning the last speck of his juices from her cheeks.

"Now what else can I do for my darling Ju'Kara tonight?" He asked her while brushing the back of his fingers against her cheek.

For some reason, those words were more powerful than her orgasm. The blood rushed to her face and her fingers trembled as she reached out to touch him, to hold him, to serve him forever and never let go. Why couldn't she speak? Why couldn't Akeno convey how badly she needed to serve him?

"Master...I…"

He stopped her, taking his exhausted Treasure into his arms and carrying her out of the room to the showers. "Let's get you bathed. You can find the words you're looking for afterwards."

Jon bathed her in the showers thoroughly. Scrubbing her raw skin gently as she laid in his arms, too tired to move yet so desperate to at least touch him. He was being so gentle with her, so kind, so loving and it was driving her insane. At last, as they lay in the shower together, the warm water rinsing them both completely clean, she managed to find the words.

"I'm lost to you."

He peered down at her as she spoke. "Hmm?"

"I'm completely lost to you, Master." Tears leaked down her face as she clutched at the small jade pendant around her neck. "Through my eyes, there are no other men in this world besides you." Her whole body trembled as she spoke. "They way you hold me, the way you whisper to me, the way you fuck me is all I ever desire to know from the opposite sex ever again. I want to only know the shape of your cock, to only know your words, I will honor and cherish my Peerage always and my status as a Queen. But with you…"

Akeno looked up into his eyes, the emotions she felt welling up in her features.

"I never want to be the leader with you. I refuse to be the leader with you. I want to live darkly and richly in my willful slavery to you. I want you lying over me, always over me. Your will, your pleasure, your desire, your life, your sexuality the touchstone, the command, my pivot. I don't mind my position, holding my ground intellectually. I'll keep my head raised high, proudly as a Devil of the Gremory Peerage. But as a woman, oh God, as a woman I want to be dominated by you. I don't mind being told to stand on my own feet by the life we lead, be all that I am capable of being outside these walls. But with you I wish only to be used, fucked, possessed by the will of my Dragon, at his time, at his bidding."

She placed her hands against his face and spoke with absolute finality.

"I am your slave, Master. A willing, joyful, slave to your pleasure, to your desires. All that I am, all that I will ever be, from this moment until the day I die, will belong only to you. My Master. My Love. My Dragon."

Her words struck him to the very core of his being. Jon's place had been cemented permanently in his Ju'Kara's heart. Of that he was certain. This is what she was now. For better or for worse. He'd accept her willful bonding to him, covet it, hold on tight and never let go.

"What comes next?" He asked, his voice almost as desperate as hers. "What must I do to cement this for all time? Tell me, Ju'Kara, how I show you I accept you fully and totally?"

She bit her lower lip thoughtfully as if having already considered this, finally, Akeno met his gaze again.

"There is one final step. Now that you've given me a piece of your heart to hold onto for all time, there is one last gift I can give you to cement my place as your willing slave." Her heart quivered nervously as she considered the gravity of what she was about to say. "I didn't think I'd reach this far with you yet. Not this soon. Not the way we have. But I can't help myself. My slave belly burns with a fire I've never known before."

Akeno slid off his lap and lowered herself completely to his feet.

"This collar isn't permanent enough. I beg of you Master. Brand me. Brand me so that all who see your mark will know my being belongs to you until the day I am dust."

* * *

Jon and Akeno made their way from the showers to the Play Dungeon. A wild quiver of joy and excitement coursed through Akeno's being upon entering the Dungeon. She quickly moved to the center harness before kneeling before Jon quietly, her eyes lowered and shy, her thighs parted widely, her hands clasped tightly behind her back, her head held high and proud. Her sweet sex glistened slightly and her heart rate betrayed her exctiement.

Akeno shuddered gently as he reached down to caress her hair, curling his hand to a fist and pulling her close to his legs. She swallows a soft gasp when Jon tugs her close. Akeno then nestles against his legs, purring softly with joy.

"Are you certain you wish to do this?" He asked again vehemently.

"I've never been more certain of anything in my life, Master. You've proven beyond measure to be the one to whom my entire being eternally belongs."

Jon smiled lovingly at her and kissed her lips softly. "Then tell me how it's done."

Akeno went to the dresser and pulled the instruments they would need out before presenting each one at his feet. She then began to explain to him how to forge the brand of his choice and how to mark his slave properly. Jon listened as she fully explained the procedure. As Akeno explained it, Magical brands were different from normal ones in that they did not require a heat source to work, only magic. However, the particular brand she desired would use his Dragon's Fire as the magic source, ensuring its permanency. He had some reservations about using his fire magic to burn his Treasure but she trusted him implicitly. If anything, the wild beating of her heart only betrayed the fact that Akeno did not fear the pain, she welcomed it.

Finally, after Akeno was done, he addressed her. "All right, Ju'Kara. It's time. Stand for me."

Obediently, she raised, her legs trembling gently, her belly tight with anxious excitement. Her Master stood before her, his naked skin almost glowing in the dim candlelight of the Dungeon. Her heart quivered as she lost herself in him, their lips met in a passionate kiss as she slowly began working her into the harness.

Akeno obeyed every silent command he gave as he shackled her wrists tightly above her head. His hand caressed her inner thigh and warm, damp sex leisurely as he then binded her legs with chains connected by a spread bar. Finally, he sinched her waist tightly in place with rope to keep her from moving as he applied the brand. When all was said and done, Akeno was bound tightly to the harness, unable to move. Jon caressed her cheek gently and she could detect his natural musk mingling with the heady scent of the leather. Sending delightful shivers down her spine.

Akeno's gaze was locked with his as he spoke to her.

"What are you to me, Ju'Kara?"

She whispered softly. "I am your slave, Master. Now and forever."

"And why are you my slave, Ju'Kara?"

Quivering, she answered him, her voice wrought with emotion. "Because you own my mind, body, heart and soul, Master. You own all I am and all I will be."

His smile washed over her in a gentle, warm wave. "You understand what I'm about to do to you right? I need that final release of control, Ju'Kara. I need you to tell me EXACTLY what you want me to do."

Tears filled her eyes, blinding her momentarily. Akeno blinked quickly, a soft tear coursing down her cheek. "I'm not telling you, Master. I am begging you. Mark me. Mark me with that hot iron and brand me as your slave for eternity." She gazed up into his eyes, her own glistening and soft, flooded with emotion. "Please, Master, please make me your branded slave."

He simply nodded gently before bending to kiss her lips softly. Jon looked down, his eyes following his hand as it glided down her trembling body, stopping at her inner right thigh, where it lingered. Backing away from her, Jon looked again into her eyes before reaching down and taking the first iron in his hand, channeling his magic through it.

There were seven in total, and this was only the first. For the specific mark that they had envisioned Jon would need to use each one consecutively. The place they had decided upon was her inner thigh. So that it could be seen whenever she spread her legs before him.

"Do you need something to bite down on?" Jon asked as he considered what it was he was about to do to her.

She shook her head quickly, her small fingers curling around her bonds tightly, her breasts heaving deeply as she breathes in excitement He smiled at her before whispering of the love he held for Akeno before lowering again to one knee and poising the brand close to her tender thigh.

With one last gaze up at her, Jon pressed the red hot iron into her flesh.

A flash of smoke and the acrid scent of burned flesh rose to his nostrils. Akeno cried out, a soft plaintive sound. The pain was intense at first but eventually dulled to a heavy throb. Jon disenchanted the first iron before picking up the second in the series. Intent, careful, He pressed the second iron to her flesh, holding it there gently as it burned the next mark into her tender skin. Akeno cried out again, this time with a bit more force, the cry ended in a heavy panting. Her mind was racing and chaotic, trying to reconcile the pain with the event. She found herself dully surprised that there was no further agony as she had anticipated, just the exquisite stab of pain followed by the dull throb. She continued to pant deeply, tears coursing down her cheeks as he applied brand after brand, carefully forming the symbol of the Welsh Dragon on her thigh. Her Master persevered, not stopping until he had applied each gracefully formed iron to her delicate flesh, seemingly paying little heed to her cries of pain and ecstasy.

When it was finally done, Jon applied a soothing balm to the new brand before covering it with a gauze pad. His loving touch was infinitely gentle. Afterwards, he finally loosened her bonds, kissing the flesh all around the mark as he unshackled her leg, nuzzling and kissing her belly as he unbuckled the leather belt binding her slender waist. Jon then lifted her carefully with his strong arms, speaking softly to her of her bravery and of his pride and love. She whispered back of love requited as he carried her back to the bedroom and laid her next to him. Akeno nuzzled her face in his chest and sighed in contentment.

"Master?"

"Hmm?"

"Promise me you'll make the other girls as happy as you've just made me." She asked, a bright loving smile on her face. "They all deserve to feel this feeling I now feel in my chest."

He kissed her cheek tenderly. "Of course. I plan on spoiling them all rotten. And don't think that that brand on your leg means I won't spoil you too."

She giggled. "I have no doubt, Master." Akeno raised her head to meet his gaze before clutching at the pendant around her neck. "I know exactly the man you are. The gift you gave me was the answer to my final question."

They kissed lovingly, passionately, her mouth opening to beckon his tongue inside before they finally pulled away.

"That said, I'm going to set some rules for you."

She nodded in understanding. "Of course, Master."

"Firstly, I expect nothing but complete and total honesty from you from this moment forward. No more secrets between us. Understood?"

"Yes, Master. All that I am will be laid bare before you."

"Secondly, know that you can always be upfront with me about how you're feeling. I won't have it said my Ju'Kara isn't allowed to be who she is."

She smiled brightly at him and nodded in understanding. "Yes Master."

"Finally." He placed a hand on her cheek. "You're never allowed to speak ill of yourself ever again."

Akeno frowned at that one. "You will...have to punish me for that one from time to time, Master. But I will do my utmost to obey."

"So long as we're clear on that." He insisted sternly. "Now then...kneel at the foot of the bed for me, Ju'Kara."

Akeno silently obeyed, kneeling before him with her thighs spread and her hands on her knees.

"Now...show me your wings. Your REAL wings."

Her heart skipped in her chest and she gulped back her anxiety. "I have...dirty wings, Master. I don't think-"

"Sounds like someone already forgot rule three." He growled, smoke flaring from his nostrils. "Wanna try again?"

Akeno bowed her head shamefully and nodded. "Yes Master…"

Two wings slowly unfurled from her back, one Devil, and one Fallen Angel. It was clear she wasn't comfortable in them by the fact her eyes kept darting around everywhere except his gaze.

"Look at me, Ju'Kara."

With that same shameful look in her eyes Akeno met his gaze once more.

"Your wings are beautiful. YOU are beautiful. Every piece of you. I'm going to spend every day reminding you of that until you believe it yourself."

Her heart leapt in her chest and her eyes welled up again. She nodded silently in understanding.

"Now turn around and lift your ass in the air." He pulled a riding crop from under the bed.

Akeno obeyed, turning around and getting on all fours before arching her back and sticking her ass in the air for him with her wings still unfurled. Jon gripped her by the ponytail and pulled, forcing her neck back.

"I'm punishing you for the dirty wing comment." He spoke bluntly while caressing her ass with the riding crop. "Count these out as I give them to you."

She shut her eyes as her voice quivered. "Yes Master."

He raised the riding crop above his head.

"Master?"

He stopped. "What is it, Ju,Kara?"

"I love you." Tears fell freely down her cheeks as she choked on her quiet sobs. "God...I love you so much."

He smiled at her in understanding. "And I love you."

With that Jon brought the riding crop down sharply across her ass and she cried out in pain, counting to one.

* * *

Matsuda could think of about a million things that were vastly more important than having the conversation that was currently taking place in that cellar. Sammy was working with Aika and Motohama to individually process each survivor and send them through the giant portal they had opened to Kuoh Academy. Meanwhile, he was stuck dealing with the argument that had sprung up between Irina and Asia regarding interpretations of the Holy Bible.

Uncomfortable didn't even begin to describe it.

"I still don't see how you can be okay with what you're doing." Irina spoke sternly with her hands on her hips.

"It's not like I'm doing any harm." Asia whined indignantly. "And besides the bible clearly states that a man should not lie with another man the way he would a woman. It never mentions us."

"Oh that is such a cop out and you know it." She retorted.

"So wait, I'm confused. Does this mean its kosher as long as I'm NOT fucking a dude in the vagina?" Matsuda spoke up, receiving nothing but groans from everyone around him.

"My point is, our Holy Text is not a bag of trail mix. You can't just pick out the words you like while ignoring everything else."

"According to the files we found in the Lab you can." Xenovia countered.

"Something we have yet to verify with the Vatican." Irina insisted angrily. "You're so quick to trust the Gremory's to help but you won't even consider just talking-"

"I am DONE listening to the lies those arrogant bastards have been feeding me." She growled. "My whole life they've used me as their puppet. Killing indiscriminately for a false cause. I won't return to them, Irina. Not after everything I've seen."

Her heart sank into the back of her chest. "So...you're really doing this? You're abandoning your God?"

Xenovia frowned and cast her gaze away, thinking for a moment before answering.

"I didn't say that." She finally admitted. "I'm not abandoning God. Not until I know all the answers."

Asia smiled at her words.

"But I am abandoning the Church." Xenovia declared resolutely. "The evidence we've received is damning. They can't be trusted."

"Oh but Lucifer can?!" Irina asked incredulously. "Do you not hear how insane that sounds?!"

"No more insane than willingly turning your greatest weapon over to a group of psychotic terrorists."

Everyone turned around to see Rias Gremory standing near the entrance. She did NOT look happy. Not one bit.

"I'm just...I'm just gonna go over here." Matsuda pointed to where Sammy and Aika were and quickly made himself scarce.

Rias sauntered up to Irina and Xenovia with angry powerful strides before shooting daggers at the former. "This whole dilemma is ENTIRELY your fault. I hope you realize that. Thanks to your stubborn pride, the Fallen Angels have reacquired the Holy Swords."

"They still don't have ours." Xenovia tried to sound assuring, referring to her Excalibur Destruction and Irina's Excalibur Mimic.

"You've seen the same files we have. You know what they intend to do with the swords." Rias spoke sharply. "Even with three they will have gained enough power to break through the barrier."

"Woah woah woah. Hold on." Sammy spoke up angrily. "I thought you said the missile was capable of doing that on its own."

She shook her head. "Tsubaki ran the numbers on the missile design they're using. It was a bluff. The Holy Swords were always the key to breaking the barrier and YOU just handed it right to them." Rias pointed at Irina.

"Oh for fucks sake…" Sammy clasped a hand over his mouth before kicking a box of medical supplies over in anger.

"My mission still stood." Irina spoke stubbornly. "I was to deliver those swords to the Church. Not to you."

"Brilliant how it all went according to plan." Aika snidely remarked.

"Hell is not my ally." She insisted vehemently. "The situation was far too complicated to just allow the swords to be handed over-"

"No no no." Sammy shook his head, not buying it for a second. "Uh uh. This ain't complicated. Game of Thrones is complicated. Shower sex? That's also complicated. This shit right here, this isn't complicated. You just handed the key to armageddon over to a group of psychopaths to keep it out of the hands of the ones trying to prevent it. The problem here isn't us. It's you!"

She bit her tongue and turned her head away. Rias approached her and placed her hand up to her arm, drawing a sigil on it.

Irina quickly backed away. "What are you doing?!"

"It's a sigil that will allow you to pass through the barrier unharmed." She explained coldly.

"Huh?" Irina blinked at the mark on her arm in confusion. "Why are you giving me this?"

"Because I want you out of my city, Irina." Rias growled. "Tonight!"

Asia gasped in surprise, placing a hand up to her mouth. "But...Rias…"

"I'm sorry, Asia. But this isn't up for discussion. Xenovia has been compliant with us but Irina has proven herself to be a potential security risk. I can't bring her back to Kuoh."

"But she could be killed out there." Aika insisted.

"She has plenty of training to keep herself alive and it isn't far to reach the barrier. Once she's on the other side she'll be a hell of a lot safer than we are." Rias explained.

"It's still risky." Xenovia worried. "What if I were to-"

"Save your breath Xenovia." Irina cut her off while still glaring at Rias. "I had no intention of coming to Kuoh anyway. Now that the survivors are safe, I'll be heading back to the Vatican."

"Don't be a fool!" She insisted. "If you go back empty handed knowing what you do now you'll be excommunicated."

"Well that doesn't seem too bad." Aika commented. "That just means she's banished right?"

"Excommunication doesn't mean the same thing to a Hunter that it does to a normal member of the Clergy." Xenovia explained, her eyes resolutely locked on Irina. "Hunters know too much to simply be allowed to leave. Irina, if you go back there they will KILL you."

"I do not fear death." She spoke resolutely. "Only losing my soul. You've made your choice Xenovia. All of you have. This is me making mine."

"Call it whatever you will. The fact remains I want you out of this city by morning." Rias demanded. "The rest of you are coming back to Kuoh for debriefing."

"Finally." Aika groaned in relief.

Rias approached the portal and tweaked it, changing the coordinates to the ORC Headquarters. One by one they each stepped through the portal, leaving Xenovia and Irina to gaze at each other solemnly for a moment.

"For what it's worth...I'm proud of how far you've come." Xenovia finally smiled at her.

Irina cast her gaze away. "Tell me why…"

"What?"

"Tell me why!" She asked again hurtfully, her eyes glassing over. "Don't you understand what awaits you on the other side of that portal?! Why are you letting them do this to you?!"

"I'm sorry, Irina." Xenovia turned and made her way to the portal. "But your faith was always stronger than mine."

Xenovia vanished through the portal and Irina collapsed to her knees, unable to accept that two people she once admired so much had both sided with Hell's forces.

"Come along, Asia." Rias beckoned her towards the portal. "Jon's waiting for us."

Asia looked down at the distraught Irina then back at the portal. "I'll be right behind you, Rias. I promise."

She nodded before making her way through the portal along with the others. Asia knelt down next to Irina and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What do you want?" She asked bitterly.

"I just wanted to say that...I admire you. Even if the others don't."

Irina peered up at her in confusion.

"It takes a great deal of strength to walk the path you're walking." She continued. "I walked that same path once before. Though...I never chose it."

"I didn't choose this path, the Lord chose it for me." Irina insisted. "God had a path for you too once. Same as Xenovia...and Jon." She turned her eyes towards the portal resolutely while clutching at her Mother's cross. "Before he died, my Dad had a saying. If you're going to have faith, you can't just have it when the miracles happen. You have to have it when they don't."

Asia nodded in understanding. "I believe the same thing."

"Then why did you become what you are?" She asked, still not able to fathom it. "Why throw everything you believe in away and allow yourself to be condemned?"

She frowned thoughtfully. "It...won't make any sense."

"I'd like to know all the same. If you'll humor me."

Asia thought best on how to answer before speaking.

"I consider Jon to be a blessing worth any sacrifice. Even if I can never go to Heaven."

Irina looked visibly shocked by her words. "But...he's just a man."

"He's not just a man, Irina." Asia insisted, gently shaking her head. "You've seen it just like the rest of us. When you look in his eyes, you see it."

She turned her gaze away sharply, biting down on her lower lip to keep herself from saying what her heart was telling her.

"When I was excommunicated from the Church, I began to seriously question my Faith. Why would God do this to me? I asked myself. Why am I being punished for following his teachings?" Asia placed her hands up to her chest and bowed her head. "But then...God lead me to Jon...and to Rias. He gave me everything I ever dreamed of. Friends, family, love. Even if it didn't appear the way I expected it to."

Irina seemed to consider what she was saying.

"I believe that God has placed me where I am at this very moment for a reason. Even if I can't speak to him the way I once could, I still pray and have faith that he is working everything out."

She cast her gaze up towards the sky.

"I believe in God not because the bible tells me to, not because the Church tells me to, but because I have experienced his mercy and grace for myself."

"You could be wrong…" Irina spoke quietly, her voice uncertain. "...I know Jon better than any of you. There's always the chance you'll get hurt."

She nodded. "And tomorrow I might die. That's what life is. That's how God made it."

Irina's body trembled silently, she was still so unsure.

"I know how scary it is losing what you love." Asia assured. "You want to shut yourself off forever, from everything. Believe me...I know. But when you shut out pain, when you shut out fear, you shut out everything else too."

Asia hugged Irina tightly to her chest before standing and waving.

"God bless you, Irina Shidou. I pray that someday...we can be friends."

She turned and stepped through the portal which vanished behind her. Leaving Irina on the cold hard stone floor, alone, and lost in her own thoughts. Unbeknownst to her, Alice was watching from behind a stack of crates with a piercing look that bore straight into Irina's soul.

Liking what she saw, the young girl smiled approvingly before warping away of her own power.


	36. Chapter 36

**::Author's Note::**

**Dear sweet merciful God did I go overboard again! This is a very VERY pivotal Chapter and I wanted to make sure I got it just right. Though in the process, I may have overdone it and written something of a Monster. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether or not the extra time it took me to get this thing written down was worth it or not.**

**Personally, I think it was. Here is Chapter 36 everyone.**

**::End Note::**

The members of Delta Squad appeared from the other side of the portal alongside Asia and Rias. Safe and sound back at Kuoh Academy. Upon realizing they were all alive and in one piece, the three Rookies cheered. Hugging each other and jumping up and down in celebration, relief washing over them like a wave.

Asia giggled sweetly at the sight. "How sweet. It's so nice to see at least they're in good spirits."

Rias nodded in agreement. "You must be very proud of your little children, Sammy."

"Eh, they did alright." He played the tough guy well, though by the look in his eyes it was clear he was happy to see they had all made it back.

Xenovia smiled at them. In the short time she'd gotten to know those three they had become surprisingly dear to her. Seeing them alive and well, back at Kuoh, made her incredibly happy.

"Good to see you made it back to the academy in one piece."

They turned to see Sona accompanied by her Queen Tsubaki walking up to them, pleased smiles on both their faces.

"You as well, Sona." Rias nodded respectfully.

"Boss!" Sammy ran up to Sona and bowed. "Forgive me, but our team failed."

"Hush, Boy. You did incredibly well." Sona praised sternly, somehow managing to sound both flattering and irritated all at once. "There will be no more talk of failure tonight."

Tsubaki beckoned Sammy with her finger. "Come, you. The girls will want to see their Dragon."

He smirked coyly at Tsubaki before pulling her in close and kissing her lips fiercely. The surprising gesture made her blush but she quickly regained her composure.

"Any chance you'll join them this time?"

She sighed before adjusting her spectacles and taking his arm. "Perhaps…"

Sammy waved them all goodbye before walking off with Tsubaki on his arm. "So how are we feeling about trying that THING I talked to you about?"

"Don't push your luck." Tsubaki insisted sternly as they walked away.

Sona approached the remaining group and set her attention on Aika. "Now then, what to do with you?"

Aika clammed up and began to sweat. "I uhhh…" She gulped. "...well...I know we didn't actually get the swords but if it's all the same to you Ma'am-"

"That failure rests entirely on me." Xenovia bowed her head pensively. "Aika performed beyond exceptionally."

"X...Xenovia…" Aika blushed fiercely at her comment.

Sona peered at Aika squirrely for a moment before finally smiling and nodding in approval. "Very well. Then you'll have to regale me with a full report back at the Honor's House. Which reminds me, Reya was asking about you."

Aika's face heated up like a thermometer. "She...she was?!"

Sona nodded. "I got the distinct impression she wanted to talk to you about something." She shrugged. "No matter, I'll hear your report first. Now come."

She turned around and beckoned her to follow. Aika frowned before turning back towards Matsuda and Motohama, who both smiled and encouraged her to go.

"Go ahead. We'll see ya around." Matsuda assured.

She teared up and ran straight into their arms, hugging them both tightly.

"I love you two idiots. You know that?" She whispered.

"Yeah yeah, we love you too, Bra." Matsuda chuckled back at her.

"Go on." Motohama encouraged. "We may be bound to different families but we'll always go to the same school."

She wiped a stray tear out of her eye and nodded before rejoining Sona.

"Oh, one last thing." The Sitri Heir adjusted her glasses. "I believe there are a couple of very worried young ladies looking for you two boys."

Matsuda and Motohama both turned and beamed at each other excitedly.

"Where are they?!"

Sona smiled at them both before moving to the side and waving two figures over.

Off in the distance, Rei's face illuminated into an ecstatic smile as she tugged on Saya's sleeve and pointed.

"Rei!" Matsuda ran straight for her.

"Matsuda!" The overjoyed girl lept straight into his arms before giggling like a schoolgirl as he spun her around. "I'm so relieved you're okay." She hugged him tightly as tears began to well up in her eyes.

Motohama smiled at the two before being unceremoniously knocked to the ground.

"Wh...Saya!" He protested indignantly, his face already heating up in embarrassment. "What are you doing?"

"Oh shut up!" She sniffled angrily, having already started crying even before Rei had. "You reckless idiot, I was so worried about you!"

Rei finally broke away from her hug long enough to kiss Matsuda. "Promise me you won't ever leave me behind like that again, okay?"

He nodded. "I promise. No matter what we're a team from now on."

Meanwhile, Motohama spoke sweetly to Saya. "You know...if you keep holding me like this in front of all these people they might start getting the wrong idea."

Saya squeezed him tighter. "Can you just let me have this?" She asked sincerely. "Please?"

He chuckled quietly. "Alright...could you maybe shift around a bit though? My legs kinda falling asleep."

"If you ruin this moment for me I WILL cut you." She threatened severely, a single gleaming fang protruding from her mouth.

"Heh…" He shut his eyes and rested his forehead against her. "...that's more like it"

Rias smiled at the touching display. "Honestly, if I wasn't seeing it with my own two eyes I wouldn't believe it. Jon's boys are growing up."

"I'm just…" Asia wiped a joyous tear away. "...I'm so happy for them both."

"Rias."

Asia and Rias both turned towards the voice that spoke. The Knight of the Gremory Peerage, who had been mostly keeping to himself up until this point, had his head bowed pensively before his President.

"Words alone cannot express how sorry I am for my behavior." His voice conveyed the sincerity of his guilt. "From the bottom of my heart, I apologise for everything I've done Ms. President. Please forgive me."

Rias narrowed her eyes at him searchingly before walking up to Kiba and placing her hands on her hips. "Can I assume we're quite done with any more talks of vengeance?"

He nodded. "Of course. I'll follow your orders to the letter."

After a long pause she smiled at him. Rias pulled Kiba into a tight hug much to the surprise of the bewildered Knight.

"It's good to have you back." She whispered affectionately. "We've missed you."

Finally, he smiled and held her back. "I've missed you too. All of you."

Once Rias had finally let him go Asia immediately jumped into Kiba's arms and squeezed him tight.

"We're so happy you're home!" She beamed excitedly. "It just hasn't been the same without our Knight around."

He chuckled at her. "You're too kind, Asia. Truthfully it's been rather-"

Kiba yelped upon being suddenly jerked back by his ear.

"Don't think this gets you out of punishment." Rias spoke to him through clenched teeth while maintaining a death grip on his ear. "Jon and Koneko were both punished for disobeying me and you're no exception."

He laughed nervously. "I...figured as much, Ms. President."

She released him from her grip and allowed Kiba to speak openly with Asia while she addressed the final issue. Xenovia stiffened uncomfortably upon Rias approaching her.

"Now then...what to do about you?"

Xenovia remained stoically quiet, ever wary of the Lady King of the ORC.

Finally, Rias shrugged. "We'll discuss it in the Chapter Room." She then turned and approached the two couples still reuniting a couple yards away.

"Let's all head inside. It's time you four were officially introduced to the ORC."

* * *

The group made their way into the ORC Headquarters. With Rias and Asia acting as guides for the four newcomers. The last time they were there it was strictly business. This time, they were getting the full tour.

That didn't change the fact that, as they approached the Chapter Room on the second floor, Matsuda and Motohama started to get cold feet.

"What's the matter, you two?" Rias chuckled at them in amusement. "I thought you would be thrilled to see Jon again after everything you've been through."

Rei and Saya both collectively groaned in annoyance at their boys.

"These two idiots have gotten it in their heads that we'll ditch them and join your little entourage the moment we lay eyes on Jon." Saya explained while rolling her eyes.

"Despite us repeatedly assuring them to the contrary." Rei added while shooting an annoyed grin at Matsuda.

Rias chortled hysterically at their words. "Oh dear...no no. That's not how it works at all. The imprint doesn't form at first sight."

"And besides." Asia spoke up cheerfully. "If their heart already belongs to another then it doesn't matter how he feels."

That cheered them up. Rei took Matsuda by the hand assuredly and nodded while Saya more or less dragged Motohama by the ear. The group made their way into the Chapter Room where Jon was waiting with Akeno and Koneko.

He smiled upon seeing Rias and Asia. "How did it go?"

She groaned in frustration before walking up to him and kissing his lips feverishly. "We can talk about it later. A lot needs to be discussed."

"I'm so happy to see you home safe, Darling." Asia giggled sweetly before kissing Jon just as feverishly as Rias did.

After greeting their Dragon, Asia made her way to Koneko while Rias walked over to Akeno. They proceeded to make out with each other for a moment much to the utter bemusement of their five guests.

"Holy moly." Rei's face turned bright red at the spectacle.

"You two weren't kidding." Saya commented in bewilderment.

Matsuda and Motohama both nodded while still staring gobsmacked at the kissing ladies.

"Hey! Roll your tongues back in your mouths right now!" Saya barked at them.

"Do they...always behave like this?" Xenovia asked Kiba nervously.

He chuckled. "Actually, this is tame compared to how things normally are around here."

"Kiba…"

The Gremory Knight turned to see Koneko walking up to him, an expectant look in her eye.

"Koneko, I-"

His words were cut off by a sucker punch to the gut. Kiba doubled over in pain before dropping to a knee.

"That's for leaving, you prick." The angry Rook spoke sharply.

He said nothing. Kiba had earned this after all and he knew it perfectly well.

Much to his surprise, however, she then proceeded to hug him tight.

"And this is for coming back home." A hint of emotion welled up in her voice. "I missed you, Kiba."

"I missed you too." He spoke warmly as they embraced.

She finally let him go and allowed the Knight to stand back up. Only for him to be immediately grabbed by Akeno and planted with a wet motherly smooch right on the cheek. Despite his complacent groans she hugged him tight afterwards.

"Welcome back, Kiba. It's so good to have you home." She then jabbed a finger into his shoulder and spoke like a stern mother. "But don't you ever scare us like that again, Mister. Do you understand me?"

He smiled at her. "Understood, Vice President."

Her whole being seemed to relax. She then backed away and allowed Kiba to approach Jon. The two Males of the Gremory Peerage considered each other searchingly for a moment before at last Kiba spoke.

"Jon...all those things I said before, I just want you to know-"

He raised a hand up to stop him. "You know what? We're good, Brother."

His body relaxed. That was all Kiba needed to hear. The two boys knocked fists and Jon patted him on the back before turning to the last issue.

Matsuda and Motohama stood stiff as a board as he approached.

"H...hey Jon." Matsuda laughed nervously.

"Long time no see man." Motohama sounded just as nervous.

Jon crossed his arms and glared at them sternly. As if sizing them up.

"Well...I thought I may never see you two clowns again."

They both turned their heads down shamefully. Upon which Jon wrapped them in a massive bear hug that startled both men terribly.

"I am so fucking proud of you." He spoke sincerely. "Both of you. Ya hear me?"

"Y...yeah." Motohama gasped for breath.

"Jon...too tight." Matsuda spoke breathlessly.

Every woman there watching the spectacle sighed and rolled their eyes wearily.

"Men...I swear."

"Why do they always have to act so tough around each other?"

Jon finally released them both and sized the duo up. "I gotta say, boys, I'm really digging the new looks." His eye caught the two ladies standing awkwardly at the door and a slick grin formed over his features. "Now then...who might these two fine young things be?" Jon nudged them both playfully as he spoke.

Matsuda laughed nervously. "Uhh, Jon...th...this is-"

"Hi, I'm Matsuda's girlfriend, Rei." The young brunette approached him and offered her hand in greeting.

Matsuda proceeded to turn beet red upon hearing her say that. Sure he had assumed, but up until now it was never said out loud before.

"A pleasure." He shook her hand gently before turning to the pink haired girl with glasses. "And you are?"

"Saya." She introduced with a wave of her hand, a suspicious look in her eyes. "We've heard quite a bit about you Mr. Hyodo."

"Not too much, I hope." He replied without missing a beat, that award winning smile plastered on his face.

"Alright, that's enough Romeo." Koneko grabbed Jon by the ear and tugged him away while he grumbled in protest before addressing both ladies. "I apologize for him. He doesn't know how to turn it off."

Rei placed a hand up to her mouth and laughed in a bubbly voice. Saya meanwhile, just scoffed and brushed him away disinterestedly.

Matsuda and Motohama both sighed in relief. Guess there WERE some girls in the city who had no interest in Jon.

"Both of you come over here for a second." Jon waved Matsuda and Motohama over to him. Once they were out of earshot of the ladies he formed a huddle and spoke to them in confidence. "Alright, now look. Those two are a REALLY good catch, I can tell already. Now that you've got em, hold onto em. Ya hear me?"

They both nodded in understanding.

"We won't let you down Jon."

"I'm serious." He insisted. "Don't fuck this up. You ain't gonna find many like them, I assure you."

Koneko rolled her eyes at him. "Says the man who managed to find four."

Akeno giggled at her. "Well, five actually if you count-"

"Like I said, FOUR." Koneko growled threateningly, refusing to acknowledge she who must be named.

"Honestly man, I don't see how you do it." Motohama spoke honestly. "I've only had ONE girlfriend for a few days now and I'm already exhausted."

"Hey! I can hear you, you know?!" Saya shouted at him.

Motohama straightened up and gulped. "Sorry, Honey!"

Koneko chuckled in amusement. "I think I like her."

Jon looked around at the sea of faces. Everyone was alive and well, back where they truly belonged. It did his heart good to see the whole family here.

Well...almost the whole family. His expression suddenly darkened.

"I take it the fact that Irina's not here means she's gone for good?" Jon asked Rias glumly.

She frowned at him woefully and nodded. "I'm sorry Jon. But she made her choice some time ago. I couldn't allow her back to Kuoh."

"You did what you had to do." He spoke to her assuringly, though his eyes still bore a great deal of sadness. "Would have just been nice to see her face one last time is all."

"Ohhhh enough of that dreary subject." Asia hugged his arm tightly. "Come on, Jon. Let's walk Matsuda and the other's back to their rooms at the President's House."

Koneko gripped his other arm. "We should give Rei the full tour while we're at it. Or at least...the parts of campus not currently covered in war tents."

He smiled at them both. "Alright. Why not?"

As the group walked off, Asia and Koneko turned and winked back at Rias, who smiled and mouthed the words "thank you" for keeping their Dragon distracted.

"If it's all the same to you, Ms. President, I'd like to retire for the evening as well." Kiba bowed his head respectfully.

She nodded. "Very well. Tomorrow will be even busier than today was. Get some rest."

The Knight bowed once more to Akeno before turning and heading for his room. Leaving the President and Vice President alone with Xenovia.

The tense silence that followed began to make her heart race.

"Now then, as things have settled down, I believe we can at last attend to you Ms. Xenovia." Rias spoke in a professional yet no less dark manner.

Akeno's expression twisted into a darker reflection of her normally friendly stoicism. Proving only to make Xenovia even more nervous.

"Come to my desk." Rias waved for her to follow before sitting down. Akeno stood directly beside her as always, while Xenovia made her way to the front of the desk.

"Have a seat." The President offered, now all business.

A chair magically appeared behind Xenovia which she reluctantly sat in, refusing to let her guard down for even a moment.

As she spoke, Rias picked up her pen and began twiddling it through her fingers. "Xenovia, I have to be honest with you, your inability to safeguard the Holy Swords was a colossal failure. You should have seen through Irina's deception."

She didn't say anything.

"Not even going to plead your case?" Akeno asked in puzzlement.

"You've made up your minds." Xenovia commented bluntly. "I see no point."

"Hmm." Rias's lip curved in amusement. "Ultimately it doesn't matter where the blame falls. The fact is, by failing to retrieve the Holy Swords, you lost your only bargaining chip."

She turned her head away and bit her tongue

"So the question now is...where does this leave us?" Rias continued, knowing full well her guest had no leg to stand on. "You can't return to your order knowing what you do. And if you try to reveal the truth they'll brand you a heretic and hunt you down."

"Along with that, if you try to strike it out on your own, the Fallen will begin actively hunting you for your connection to the Holy Swords." Akeno added, clearly enjoying this just as much as Rias was.

"Very well spoken, my Queen." Rias commented sadistically. "Now...with all this in mind. It would seem that your fate rests entirely with me."

"I do not expect asylum." Xenovia insisted. "I am willing to work with you so long as-"

"We are well past Alliances, my dear." Rias interrupted her. "Up until now you have gone out of your way to make an enemy of my kind. You've threatened the life of my Bishop twice, and actively hunted my Pawn. And now, thanks to your former partner, the one thing you possessed that was of any interest to us is in the hands of the enemy."

She leaned forward on her desk and narrowed her eyes at Xenovia sharply.

"What's to stop me from taking that last blade of yours by force and throwing you to the wolves?"

For the longest time, Xenovia didn't say a word. Until at last, she took a deep breath and sighed

"I know...what you're waiting to hear." She spoke in a melancholy tone.

Rias stopped twiddling her pen and a knowing smirk enveloped her features. "Do you?"

Xenovia nodded. "There is one thing I can still offer you." After taking a moment to consider the gravity of her next words, she cast her gaze towards Rias resolutely.

"Myself."

The pen snapped in two between Rias's fingers. She hid it well but Akeno could see the unbridled excitement in her eyes, could hear her heart thumping madly in her chest…

...could see the wet spot she was leaving on her chair from arousal.

"Normally, I wouldn't consider it." Rias had to stop herself from allowing her excitement to leak out into her voice. "If a Holy Sword User is turned into a Devil they lose their connection to the Holy Artifacts they once wielded, along with substantial amount of power. That is...in most circumstances." The excitement inevitably leaked into her voice with her next words. "But you're a special case, aren't you."

Xenovia remained silent. In all honesty, she wasn't surprised they had figured it out.

"You're a Natural Born." Akeno declared, her voice just as energetically dark as Rias's. "One of the last surviving members of the old Holy Bloodlines. Within you lies the power to wield Holy Swords without the use of a ritual. That's why the Church took you away, isn't it."

She nodded, finally relenting her true identity. "I am a direct descendant of the Holy Knight Roland. The Military Governor of the Breton March during the time of Emperor Charlemagne. As far as I know, my bloodline is the only one that's still strong enough to produce Natural Borns like me."

"You do understand the gravity of what you're doing, correct?" Rias spoke cautiously, unable to help the evil grin on her face. "By offering yourself to me, you give my clan, and indeed my Brother Lucifer, a conduit to access the power of Holy Weapons. You could very well be dealing a decisive blow to the Church."

Xenovia gripped her knees until her knuckles turned white. "When I think back to how those bastards treated me...how they used me like a tool, lied to my face while exploiting my faith to keep me obedient...I am filled with such seething rage my body quivers." A fire burned in her eyes as she spoke these next words. "If my becoming a Devil means the Church's Destruction, then so be it. I have done more than enough for them."

Rias and Akeno both looked at each other, each sharing the same knowing, sadistic looks in their eyes. With a small nod of the Vice President's head, she knew what she had to do.

"That…" Rias slowly turned her head back towards Xenovia. "...is EXACTLY what we were hoping to hear from you."

Hope swelled in Xenovia's heart, as she opened her mouth to speak again, however, Rias cut her off.

"However…" Her smile faded, replaced with an expression of grave seriousness. "...that doesn't mean we will simply let you in. Blind to your actions or not, you've caused a substantial amount of grief to my people. What's more, there's still the issue of you having threatened two of my pieces. Something that I have condemned others to death over."

Xenovia bowed her head in submission. "I'll accept any penance you would place upon me. Whatever punishment you think befitting of my crimes."

Rias cast her gaze back to Akeno again. "What do you think, Love? Should we let the Stray Swordswoman in?"

As serious as she looked, Akeno could tell the President was just playing with Xenovia. In much the same way a cat plays with a mouse it's about to devour. Rias was going to milk this for all it was worth which proved to be more than a bit of a turn on for her Queen. As it was, Akeno's face was flushed with arousal as she replied.

"I don't know." Her voice broke into that slight vocal fry it took on whenever she was hopelessly turned on. "She sounds sincere, but I'm not sure she's fully committed."

"Must I beg? Grovel at your feet?" Xenovia asked desperately. "I will if that's what it takes. You said it yourself, Lady Rias, I have nowhere else to go."

Rias bit her thumb thoughtfully. "That's a good start...but I think we can do better."

Akeno's face broke out into a full blown sadistic smile.

"If you truly desire to join my Peerage, you'll have to earn the right." The President concluded. "You need to show me you can follow any order."

"Of course!" Xenovia nodded, her voice sounding hopeful again.

A wicked gleam shown in Rias's features. "And I do mean...ANY order."

Knots formed in her stomach. "I...I understand. What do you need me to do?"

"Because of the vows you've taken you're still protected by divine blessings. We're going to have to remove those in order to turn you into a Devil." Akeno explained. "There are several ways to go about doing this…" A mischievous tone fluttered into her voice. "...however, the most direct and effective way also happens to be the most...intimate."

She needn't continue explaining. Xenovia understood perfectly well what it was they were expecting her to do.

"You speak of ritual sex." She surmised, a hint of curiosity in her voice. "I'm not unfamiliar with this practice. But do you really think that will be enough?"

"You're protected by incredibly strong magic." Akeno admitted. "A Holy Bloodline is a tough nut to crack. But yes, a willful act of sexual service should suffice."

"What's important is that it must be a WILLFUL act. We would gain nothing from rape." Rias explained. "This ritual will only work if you can give us total consent to do what we want to you."

Xenovia bit her lower lip thoughtfully for a moment. "I'm not saying no, but I am curious if there are other options."

"None that wouldn't take an incredibly long time, be excruciatingly painful, and or possibly kill you." Akeno stated flatly. "Normally something like this would be a trivial matter but your Holy Blood makes corrupting you a difficult proposition. In the grand scheme of things, this is really the best option."

And then something strange happened. Xenovia smiled.

"Honestly...I'm kind of glad this is my only option."

Rias and Akeno both gave her an intrigued look.

"It means I can't do this unless I'm fully committed to it." She explained. "All my life I've used my tainted Testament as a means to justify my actions. I've made excuses for myself my whole life, hiding behind a false creed." Xenovia shook her head. "But no more. From now on, I live by the creed I set for myself. Starting with this."

She fell from the chair and dropped to her knees.

"I willingly give my body to the Gremory Peerage. Let my sacrifice of flesh serve as proof that I pledge my loyalty to you, Rias Gremory."

The President's eyes began to glow as her power threatened to boil over.

"Then allow my Queen to escort you to our Play Dungeon."

* * *

Xenovia nervously followed Akeno to the Dungeon down the hall while the Gremory Queen hummed in excitement. As certain as she was of her decision, that didn't change the fact that she was completely out of her depth.

"Nervous?" Akeno asked, a chipper perk in her voice.

"Nervous is too strong a word." Xenovia assured calmly. "I understand what it is I have to do. I've just never done something like this before."

Akeno chuckled in amusement. "You just have the jitters. It happens to new players, you'll be fine."

"This is all so new to me. I'm not used to facing a challenge I can't meet with my blade."

The Vice President shook her head. "It's not a challenge dear. There's no need to work yourself up over nothing." She offered a patient smile. "Try to relax, I promise we're going to have lots of fun before the night is over."

"If you say so…" She still sounded guarded.

Akeno opened the door to the Playroom and beckoned her inside. Xenovia gazed about the room warily at all the equipment.

"Am I to be interrogated first?"

The Queen Piece snickered devilishly. "Only if you're into that. This equipment wasn't designed for conventional torture, Hun. It's for...play."

"Play?" Xenovia glared at her in confusion. "But some of these contraptions were clearly designed for interrogation, I even recognize some of them."

She shrugged. "Perhaps some of them could be used that way. Theoretically. But no, what goes on in here is done only with consent by all parties involved."

"I see…" Xenovia looked around at the equipment again, only this time in a different light. "...so these harnesses and instruments are used not to inflict pain, but to arouse sexually?"

"Oh don't get me wrong. Some of them DO cause pain." Akeno explained with heated words. "But for some people, pain and pleasure go hand in hand."

Xenovia quirked a brow at her oddly. "Would I be correct in assuming you are one such individual?"

An amused chuckle rang from the back of Akeno's throat and her face heated up. "Oh absolutely."

Xenovia considered the equipment again. "I've never associated pain with anything other than what it is. A warning system to let us know our bodies have been damaged."

Akeno nodded in understanding. "That's fair. But for humans pain also releases endorphins into the brain, when exposed to pain you can control, the sensation can be quite pleasurable. It's true for Devils as well...only moreso."

"Pain you can control…" She mulled over Akeno's words in her head before her eyes caught sight of a cat o'nine tails. Xenovia picked up the leather tool and ran her hand through the braids. "I'm familiar with this instrument."

"Oh?" Akeno peered at her curiously with a finger pressed up to her lip. "Do tell."

"Every Neophyte Hunter looking to undergo the ritual to become a Holy Sword User must go through a ninety day period known as the Mortification of the Flesh. During which time, their bodies are sanctified through daily prayer, fasting…"

"...and self flagellation." Akeno finished wickedly. "I had heard that was still a thing among certain sects of the Catholic Church."

Xenovia nodded. "Although I didn't have to undergo the ritual to use a Holy Sword, I did still go through the ninety days of Mortification. Every day, after I would say my daily prayers, I would kneel before the small wooden cross in my room and strike my back with an instrument much like this one." She considered the nine tails more thoughtfully. "Whenever I did this I would always feel different emotions, rage, sadness, guilt...but once it was over, pleasure." She laughed quietly. "I always believed that Christ's eyes were upon me when I would get those feelings. It was...comforting."

Xenovia turned and smiled at Akeno.

"I feel better about this. I'm ready to continue."

Akeno nodded approvingly. "Very well. Then let's begin." She walked over to the door and locked it before moving to a nearby dresser and grabbing one of her outfits. "I'll be but a moment."

"Very well. Are we to begin the ritual immediately? Do I need to prepare?"

She shook her head before sauntering behind a changing wall. "No no, this is just a warmup. I want to get you comfortable before we dive straight into the main event."

"That's...awfully considerate of you." Xenovia sounded genuinely surprised as she gave Akeno her privacy. "Do you mind if I ask what it is I can expect?"

"Not at all." Akeno's naked silhouette spoke to her from behind the wall. "For this ritual we will be using the whole Peerage...well sans Kiba." Shs sighed in a melancholy tone. "I love that boy to death but he is one of the most Vanilla Devils I have ever met in my life."

"Vanilla?" She asked in confusion.

Akeno giggled. "Don't worry about it. You'll pick up on the terminology after awhile."

"I wasn't aware sexual intercourse could be so complex." Xenovia admitted truthfully.

"For some S&M is a simple hobby." The Vice President clutched at the collar around her neck. "For others...it's a way of life."

"I see…"

"As it so happens, S&M pairs incredibly well with ritual sex and rites involving sacrifices of flesh. Witches and Pagan Cults have used it for centuries in their own rites. Just as we will be using it in yours."

"What will this particular ritual entail?" Xenovia asked curiously. "Seeing as you're clearly the one who knows the most about this sort of thing, I thought I'd ask."

Akeno worked on strapping herself into her outfit as she spoke. "For you, the ritual we will be using requires total submission from the lead participant. Basically, you'll be expected to perform sexual acts for each member of the Peerage while kneeling in the middle of a ritual circle."

A thought occurred to Xenovia. "Including Jon?"

"Actually...he'll play the most crucial role." She spoke in a sultry tone. "Jon will be the one breaking your hymen and spilling your virgin blood. Just as he did to Asia to turn her into a Devil."

Her heart began to beat madly in her chest. "Jon is going to...deflower me?"

"There's no need to worry." Akeno assured as she put on a pair of lacy lingerie gloves. "In the bedroom my Master is a perfect gentleman. He will take very good care of you, I promise."

Again, that made her pause. "Your Master?" She was still trying to wrap her head around all this. "What exactly is your relationship to Jonathan Hyodo?"

"I'm his Treasure, same as the other girls." Akeno explained before sauntering out. "But the relationships we each form with our Dragon are wholly unique. Mine is no exception."

Xenovia felt her heart leap at the site of Akeno in a bustier of deep black leather attached to a fluttery translucent mesh skirt. She had no idea how, but the outfit pushed up the Vice President's breasts to heights she had never deemed possible for a woman of her chest size. This, combined with a tiny scrap of a thong and opened toed stiletto heels made for quite the image.

"See anything you like?" Akeno asked in a flirtatious tone.

Xenovia was still reeling from the bustier. The cups barely covered Akeno's areolas and yet still managed to hoist her double Ds up as if they weighed nothing.

"How do you...get them to do that?" She wasn't nervous about asking. If anything, it was her scientific curiosity that got the better of her.

Akeno snickered in amusement before walking up to her, a natural bounce in her heel and sway in her hips as she walked.

"It's not easy." She admitted before turning to a full body mirror and inspecting herself. "For girls like us, whose bra size involves more numbers than a highschool locker combination, keeping your girls where you want them requires engineering like the Sistine Chapel."

Xenovia couldn't help but chortle at Akeno's little joke. Normally that sort of blasphemy would have offended her. Now? It was rather amusing.

"I wouldn't know, I don't normally wear a bra. I find they restrict my movements in the suit." She explained.

Akeno cocked her hip and bit down on the tip of her fingernail thoughtfully. "That's okay. You won't need one for this."

And just like that the nervous quiver in her belly was back. "So...what happens now?"

"Now…" Akeno waved with her finger for her to turn around. "...we get you out of that suit."

With a deep breath she nodded in understanding and turned around, lowering her head and offering the neck of her battle suit to her. Akeno unsnapped the neck of the suit before slowly unzipping her, peeling away at the stubborn garment while Xenovia carefully wiggled out of it. Leaving her completely naked save for a pair of blue cotton underwear.

"The panties as well." Akeno ordered playfully.

Xenovia hesitated. Why was she so nervous? She'd been naked in front of women before. Irina, Rei, Aika, Saya, she was perfectly comfortable being completely nude around all of them.

What made Akeno any different?

Slowly, she slipped out of her underwear as well and kicked them aside, still maintaining her back to the Vice President.

"Okay...now at your own pace, please turn around." Akeno spoke in a gentle tone, sensing Xenovia's discomfort.

She did as instructed and slowly turned around, keeping one hand under her two generously endowed breasts while the other covered her nipples.

"Do you want me to move my arms?"

"Only if you're comfortable." Akeno replied gently.

Xenovia slowly lowered her hands and stood before Akeno in all her stark glory.

"Goodness me…" Akeno placed a hand up to her cheek, her face flushed with arousal. "You truly are a gorgeous woman Xenovia. You realize that?"

She cast her gaze away as a light blush crept over her cheeks. "I am?"

Akeno scoffed. "Oh come now. I know you just recently left the Cloth, but you can't be that oblivious to it."

"I mean…" Xenovia shrugged her shoulders. "...perhaps I've been told such before. But I never really gave much thought to it. Such things were of little concern to me...until now."

Akeno quirked a mischievous brow at her. "Until now?"

"Something about the way you're looking at me." Xenovia explained. "It's as if I can feel your eyes on my skin."

"Should I stop?"

"It's...not unpleasant." Xenovia smiled demurely.

"Hmm." Akeno's smirk widened. "Well in that case, why don't we start?"

"Very well. But start what exactly?"

"I'm going to get you more comfortable with exploring your body before we perform the ritual." She explained before sauntering over to a nearby stool and taking a seat. "Come have a seat near me."

Xenovia did as instructed and sat on her knees in front of Akeno.

"We're going to start with something super easy. I want you to play with yourself a little in front of me."

She bit her lower lip nervously. "I've...never actually done that before."

"Don't overthink it." Akeno spoke encouragingly. "Just explore a little until you find a rhythm that works."

Xenovia thought back to when she inadvertently caught Irina touching herself. How she moaned delicately while reaching her hand down to that sinful place between her legs.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

She spread her legs and placed a hand on the ground before arching her back. With some effort she slid her hand down between her folds and played with herself as instructed.

"I'm not sure I'm doing it right."

Akeno giggled playfully at her. "It could be you're just not in the mood. It's not just about the physical touch." She stood up and circled around Xenovia before kneeling down behind her. "May I help you?"

Her face flushed and she nodded meekly. Akeno reached down and placed her hand over Xenovia's.

"Try moving your fingers a little slower." She whispered sultrily into her ear while guiding her hand for her. "Circle your clitoris in short little motions...there you go."

Xenovia took slow, heavy breaths, her face heated up as did her sex.

"I'm going to touch you a little more. You keep doing what you're doing and don't mind me." Akeno added playfully before gently gliding her fingers up Xenovia's skin.

The Holy Swordswoman moaned ever so slightly as Akeno's hands explored her body. Her breath hitched as the Vice President reached around her back to cup her two massive breasts in both hands.

"My God your twins are gorgeous." Akeno commented with a hint of arousal in her voice. "I'm a little salty if I'm honest. I kind of liked being the most well endowed girl in the Peerage."

"S...sorry...hah…" Xenovia's hand began to move a little faster and with more intention.

"Oh, I'm just teasing you, Hun." Akeno smiled against her ear and gently rolled her stiff nipples in both hands. "Hey...you asked me what my relationship with Jon is? I'm his Love Slave."

Xenovia went wide eyed and her skin raised.

"Mhmm." Her lips were so tantalizing close as she spoke in heated breaths. "I've willingly dedicated my body to his pleasure. To me, there is no greater feeling on this Earth than serving my Master."

"You did this...willingly?" Her voice shivered as Akeno played with her breasts.

"I did." She spoke without a single iota of regret. "I love Jon, as do all his Treasures. But for me, it goes beyond just simple lust or infatuation. I wear his collar and bear his brand because, more so than any other being, Jon owns me. Mind, body, and soul."

"You make him…" Xenovia's chest heaved as her hand moved faster still. "...you make him almost sound like…"

"...a God?" Akeno offered. "That's not for me to decide. Though he is the Red Dragon Emperor. Many consider that to be close enough."

Her hand stopped. "Is he...really as you say he is?"

"A Dragon's love is more than just a chemical. It's a spiritual experience. You may not know much in the ways of pleasure of the flesh, but I'm sure you've felt spiritual love before." Akeno reached her hand down and picked up where Xenovia left off. "You could feel that again if you wanted...and so much more."

Xenovia responded almost immediately to her touch, moaning louder than before and quivering much more feverishly.

"You're lost, Xenovia. I can see it in your eyes. You feel abandoned and you don't know what you are anymore." Akeno continued to speak softly into her ear. She tilted her gaze back and brought their lips so close Xenovia could almost feel how soft they were. "But I can help you find yourself again."

The Holy Swordswoman was at a complete loss for words. Her legs were trembling as Akeno continued to play with her quivering pussy.

"I...I…"

"Well?" Akeno's top lip was but a hair's breadth away from hers. "What shall it be?"

"Teach me." Xenovia finally relented. "Teach me how to find myself again."

Akeno grinned wickedly at her. "Absolutely, Silly Girl."

* * *

Jon spoke at length with Matsuda and Motohama as they made their way back to the President's House. The boys shared their stories of how they met their respective ladies while Jon shared with them some of the more intimate details that came with being a Dragon.

"So the Imprint is essentially like a love spell only...not?" Matsuda asked in confusion.

He chuckled. "Not exactly. The girls can explain it a lot better than I can."

"The Imprint isn't something that can be forced on someone like a love spell can." Asia spoke brightly while clinging to Jon's arm. "Our hearts opened up to him and answered a question, binding our souls to his."

"I still don't see how you make it work." Rei admitted while clinging to Matsuda's arm. "I'd get way too jealous if this one started looking at other girls."

"I was a huge skeptic too." Koneko spoke up. "But...I don't know. Things have just been REALLY good lately. For whatever reason, having multiple partners hasn't diluted our love, only multiplied it. I'm happier now than I've ever been."

"We all are." Asia pecked Jon on the cheek.

"That's all that matters in the end." Motohama smiled at them.

Jon pulled his ladies in close. "Now don't get me wrong, Polyamory isn't easy. I have to keep track of exactly which bad jokes I've used up on each partner."

Koneko rolled her eyes at him. "Well there's ONE you can add to the list."

They all laughed. At that moment, Jon's cell phone went off. Upon checking the call ID he saw it was Rias calling.

"Hey, Darlin. What's up?" His smile dropped. "Uh huh. Yeah...okay. So uhh...we're doing this right now?"

Koneko and Asia both gave each other nervous looks before staring back at him.

He nodded, a slightly bewildered look on his face. "Yeah I hear ya. All of us have to be there. Okay…yeah just give us a minute. Love you too." Jon hung up the phone and blew an exasperated breath through pursed lips. "So...we've gotta get back."

"Is everything okay?" Motohama asked nervously.

"Yeah." Jon nodded, though he had a distant look in his eyes. He wasn't scared just...stunned. "Just uhhh….Devil stuff."

Rei tugged on Matsuda's arm. "We should get to bed."

He nodded. "Agreed, today's been an ordeal."

As Matsuda and Motohama left with Rei and Saya, Koneko and Asia both turned and peered at Jon nervously.

"What's going on?" Koneko asked worriedly.

"So uhhh…" He scratched the back of his head, not sure how he was going to phrase this. "...I'll be honest. I have no idea how to tell you this."

* * *

Rias Gremory sat at her desk as calm as ever. Having just finished explaining to Jon, Asia, and Koneko what was about to happen.

"R...R...R...Ritual Sex?" Asia stuttered out the word, her face turning scarlet as her whole body quivered at the thought. "With Xenovia?!"

The President nodded in confirmation. "Everyone will be participating except for Kiba."

"And why is it Pretty Boy gets a free pass on this?" Jon asked in frustration.

"Considering everything he's been through recently I didn't want him to put him in a predicament that would make him uncomfortable." She calmly explained.

"Well what the hell about me?!" He asked indignantly. "Don't I get a say in this?"

"It's not as if we've never engaged in group sex before, Jon." She insisted confidently before leaning back in her chair. "You'll just have one more partner than you're used to."

He groaned before rubbing his temples with both hands. "See...you're talking about Xenovia. The woman who...up until a few days ago, was trying to KILL both Asia and me."

Rias nodded. "I'm aware. But that's all in the past now. This is the best way to add her to the peerage, Jon. Trust me."

"Have you even discussed this with her?" He still couldn't believe THEY were discussing this. "What makes you think she'll just-"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?"

Jon and the others turned to the right to see Akeno and Xenovia standing at the door. His jaw about damn near hit the floor upon seeing Akeno in her bondage gear, upon which he did an immediate double take seeing Xenovia in nothing but a silk lavender robe that exposed her busty cleavage in the most glorious way possible.

Asia and Koneko both immediately went into angry pout mode upon seeing the expression on his face.

"Hello Red Dragon Emperor." Xenovia bowed her head respectfully to him.

"Oh good, she's ready." Rias observed cheerfully. "Are you prepared to become a newly made Knight of the House of Gremory?"

She nodded, her head still bowed. "I am, Lady Rias. Akeno has spent much time prepping me. I feel I am adequately prepared for the ritual now."

Akeno giggled at her before casting two playful eyes at Jon. "Now go easy on her, Master. She's a tough girl. But she's still a beginner."

"Tell me this is all a joke." Jon insisted. "We're not REALLY gonna do this, right?"

"Oh but we are." Rias responded. "With her power added to my Peerage we will gain considerable influence in the Underworld. A Devil who can use Holy Swords will make for a powerful weapon."

"So...you're really okay with being turned into a Devil?" Asia asked in disbelief.

Xenovia nodded in confirmation. "I was desperate. Your Master wasn't going to consider it until I all but begged her to take me in."

"You BEGGED for this?" Jon asked incredulously. "Since when do you beg for anything?"

"Since my order betrayed me." She spoke indifferently.

"Hold on…" Jon narrowed his eyes at her. "...the Saintly Knights of Michael betrayed you too?"

She nodded. "Their treachery was not as...direct, as it was with you. I discovered evidence that the Church has been doctoring the Holy Bible since the Canon was first established by Father Athanasius back in 367 AD. The God I believe in was nothing but a lie to keep me and every other member of the faithful in line."

"That's…" Asia pressed a hand against her chest and collapsed back into the couch. "But that can't…" She shook her head repeatedly in denial. "...that can't be."

"Jesus…" Jon lowered his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "...I always suspected there was something up with the Order but...to tamper with the source of a third of the world's belief system like that…"

Xenovia nodded in agreement. "It disgusts me. But there's little that can be done. Their tampering was so thorough that the new version barely resembles the old. And any proof of what they did is locked securely away in the Vatican's underground vault. I can't continue to support an Order that's lied to me all my life, but if I were to confront them they would just have me killed."

"So you decided the smart thing would be to join up with us." Jon surmised.

She grinned at him playfully. "What can I say? I got the idea from you."

He blinked at her a few times. Was Xenovia flirting with him?

"It looks like you and I will be working together a lot more closely, Jon." She walked up to him and spoke in a noticeably fake girly voice.

"Huh?" Now he was just confused.

She frowned thoughtfully and bit her thumb, as if thinking about something. "Hmm...my goal was to imitate Irina's flirty behavior with you in order to pique your interest in me. But I guess I didn't do it right."

"O….kay?" He quickly brushed off the bizarre attempt at flirting and moved on to the other major issue. "So what does this mean for Irina? If she goes back there knowing what she does the Vatican will-"

"Her faith runs deeper than mine." Xenovia tried to sound assuring. "But yes...I worry for her safety as well."

"Unfortunately there isn't much we can do in that regard." Rias spoke plainly. "At least not until we've dealt with Kokabiel."

Jon frowned glumly before turning back to Xenovia. "So...you're really going through with this then?"

"Once the Church learns the truth of what I know I'll be branded a heretic and excommunicated." She calmly explained. "I'd rather beat them to the punch before they have a chance to send Hunters after me. Which reminds me…"

Her eyes then wandered guiltily over to Rias's Bishop.

"Asia...I owe you the sincerest of apologies."

Asia went wide eyed and placed a hand up to her mouth as Xenovia proceeded to walk up to her and bow her head pensively.

"The things I said to you…" Her voice drove home the pain and guilt she felt perfectly. "...what I almost DID to you...I was wrong. So terribly wrong. If you wish to hit me, you may."

"No thank you." She laughed nervously.

Xenovia shut her eyes tightly. "I finally understand how you and Jon both feel. The agony of treachery, the abandonment….I must have made you feel so worthless. If you never forgive me, I'll understand."

"Xenovia…"

She turned her head up to see Asia smiling happily at her. "Don't feel bad. In case you couldn't tell I'm incredibly satisfied here." She placed a hand on her chest and bowed her head with her eyes shut. "Even if I am technically a Devil now, I've never felt more blessed in my life. I've made a family that means the world to me." Her eyes welled up as she gazed at her Peerage. "I've never been this happy in my life. I love each and every one of them with all my heart."

Jon smiled at her, as did every other member of the ORC.

Finally, Xenovia smiled as well. "I see...then, in that case, I have a favor to ask of you." She knelt down on her knees.

"Please help me prove myself in this ritual so that I may join this family of yours."

Asia was taken aback at first but quickly recovered, nodding happily to her. "Very well. If that's what you want, I'll help you."

Koneko smiled and nodded. "I'll help too. Who knows, this may actually be kinda Hot."

They both turned and looked at Jon. With an exasperated sigh he finally relented.

"Ah fuck it. After that speech? I guess I'm in too."

Rias and Akeno both turned and gave each other knowing looks before nodding.

"Very well." The President stood up from her seat. "It's time everyone. The Ritual will begin immediately."

* * *

Jon and the girls had gone to Rias's room to prepare for the ritual. All the furniture save for the bed had been moved and a black mat with a white pentagram drawn on it had been rolled out onto the floor. In addition, red and black candles had been lit and placed strategically around the circle. While they prepared, Xenovia was blindfolded and instructed to wait on her knees outside. While she waited, the girls stripped Jon down to a pair of black briefs and painted their Dragon with black and red dye that Akeno had mixed together. Each of them dressed in an outfit similar to the one the Gremory Queen was wearing.

Rias was wearing a red latex corset dress with knee high boots and gloves that reached past her elbows. The dress was topless, leaving her breasts completely exposed. Save for her nipples which she had X'd out with black pasties. Finally, she complimented the outfit with a red masquerade mask.

Asia was in a snow white corset with matching knee high boots and glittery gloves. The corset cut off below her breasts, hoisting them high into the air. She paired this with a pair of silk white panties and a glittery silver mask.

Koneko's outfit consisted of a purple latex bodysuit complete with a tail and cat mask. The suit conformed to her body and curvy ass like a second set of skin and was crotchless, displaying her tight little pussy for the whole room to see.

If their objective was to get Jon riled up as quickly as possible it was working. As they drew archaic designs on his body in the paint, the massive bulge forming in his underwear became more and more prominent.

"Down boy." Koneko poked Jon's member teasingly which threatened to come bursting out of his briefs at any moment.

He groaned at her. "You know that ain't helping right? And how much longer is this gonna take anyway?"

"Patience, you." Rias spoke lustfully into his ear while drawing a sigel on his left pectoral with her dainty little finger. "I promise this will be worth the wait."

"Just remember to show me some love too." Asia pouted at him before placing a twenty five milligram loa table on his tongue then passing the vial to every other lady in the room.

Akeno snickered playfully. "Alright ladies, I think this will do. Master, how do you feel?"

"Like a Jackson Pollock original." He joked.

His Treasures giggled at him.

"I've been meaning to thank Mr. Zefford for the lovely new addition to our parlor." Rias commented.

"Shall I bring our 'guest' in?" Akeno asked, slipping a black mask on. "I imagine she's as ready as we are."

Rias turned to Koneko. "Is the chalice ready?"

She presented the black, hand carved goblet with red encrusted gemstones. In it was an alchemic mixture that each of them had bled their wrists into. "Got it right here, Rias."

She nodded appreciatively. "Very well. Akeno, bring her in."

Akeno kissed her fingers before brushing them against her Master's lips as she sauntered away, giving him a gorgeous view of her bouncy ass as she swayed to and fro to the door.

"Positions everyone." Rias ordered.

Jon and the girls each took a place at each point on the star of the Pentagram. As they did so, Akeno lead Xenovia into the room, still blind folded, guided by a collar and leash. The Vice President tugged her to the middle of the pentagram before tugging down on the leash, indicating she needed to kneel. Xenovia did as instructed and knelt down on the mat.

"Xenovia Quarta, neophyte Devil and former Holy Sword User of the Saintly Knights of Michael." Rias spoke in a powerful tone. "You kneel before me bearing your flesh, mind, and soul to be consumed by my House. Do you understand this?"

"I do." Xenovia spoke without reservation.

"Then reveal your flesh to us." She commanded. "And we will partake of our will."

She unfastened her robe and her naked breasts came spilling out, hoisted up by the full body harness she was fastened into. A series of leather belts that bit tightly into her skin and hoisted in all the right areas, but otherwise exposed all of her naked flesh to them.

"Akeno, please bind her hands and remove her blindfold." Rias requested.

Her Queen bent down next to Xenovia and cuffed her hands behind her back into the harness in a criss cross formation, tightly securing her wrists in place. She then removed the blind fold and whispered into her ear.

"Have fun, Sweety."

With that she took her place with the others, giving Xenovia a chance to let her eyes adjust. The Holy Swordswoman looked around at the masked faces peering down at her and, for the briefest moment, seemed to lose her nerve. She quickly regained it however with a deep breath and presented her chest to them, curving her back, and spreading her thighs.

Rias quirked a brow, a devious little grin forming over her lips. "Well...you certainly trained her exceptionally, Akeno."

Her Queen snickered. "Oh I can't take all the credit. She was an eager young pupil."

"What would you have your neophyte do for you, my Mistress?" Xenovia cast her gaze up to Rias.

Already, she was turned on. "Koneko, the chalice please."

Her Rook walked up to Xenovia and presented the cup to her lips. "Drink."

Xenovia placed her lips up to the rim of the glass and Koneko tilted its contents down her throat. She gulped the bitter, burning mixture until her eyes began to water from the pungent odor and flavor. Though her throat and belly burned horribly she didn't stop until she had consumed every last drop. Finally, Koneko pulled the cup away and Xenovia coughed.

"Now then….you will provide one sexual service of our choosing to each of us." Rias licked her lips lavishly. "Akeno, how about you start us off."

"Only if Master is okay with it."

Jon nodded. "Go ahead, Ju'Kara. Do your thing."

She grinned devilishly at him before lowering herself down to Xenovia and gripping her chin with her thumb and pointer finger.

"In lieu of a sexual service, I want you to sacrifice your first kiss to me."

Xenovia's eyes widened and her cheeks turned rosey.

Akeno cocked her brow at her questioningly. "Well?"

Finally, she nodded in understanding. "If that is what you desire then kiss me, Mistress." She shut her eyes and pursed her lips.

The Vice President brought Xenovia's lips forward and tilted her head to the side before kissing her deeply. She moaned into the display, her eyes shut and her tongue exploring Xenovia's mouth. Akeno held her there for a full minute, exploring her mouth greedily before finally pulling away. A tiny little fleck of saliva still connected them.

Xenovia's face was already heated, her breath hot from the passionate display.

"Well? How was it, Plaything?" She asked, her inner sadist coming out.

"It was...wonderful, Mistress." Xenovia panted in heat.

Satisfied, Akeno sat up and retook her place on the pentagram. Next up was Rias, who stood before Xenovia with her thighs parted and her hands on her hips.

"Are you prepared to serve me and my House in any capacity I see fit?" She asked sternly.

"I am, Mistress." Xenovia assured her.

Rias hemmed up her skirt revealing she was wearing absolutely no underwear to speak of.

"Then lick my pussy until I cum, Neophyte." She ordered with a devious look in her eyes.

Xenovia swallowed before shutting her eyes and leaning forward with her tongue out. She tried to remember how she played with herself in front of Akeno as a means of guiding her tongue. Slowly she began to lap at Rias's heat, noting the funny taste a woman's sex possessed.

"A little more pressure on the clit." Rias instructed, guiding Xenovia by the back of her head. "There we go." She tilted her head back in pleasure. "You did well, Akeno. She's not quite at Asia's level but she's got a solid technique down."

Asia turned her head away and blushed in embarrassment. It took several minutes of Xenovia running her tongue along Rias's wet heat before she could finally feel her orgasm building. The Neophyte Devil dutifully continued to lick her President's pussy while her arms remained bound behind her back.

""That's it...hah...just a bit more like that...hah." Rias's breathing hiked and her body stiffened as she came. Her belly quivered slightly but otherwise she mostly kept it to herself. Finally, she pulled away from Xenovia's face, now coated in her slick wetness. "That will do for now. Well done, Neophyte."

"Thank you, Mistress." Her tongue was a bit numb, but beyond that she was still holding strong.

Rias went back to her spot on the pentagram. "Asia, go ahead Sweety."

The Bishop nodded her head nervously before gingerly approaching Xenovia and kneeling down in front of her. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine." Xenovia smiled at her. "Your concern is appreciated, Mistress. But I promise I'll be alright."

She nodded, a nervous pout on her lips. "In...in that case…" Asia squeezed her breasts together with her forearms. "...please suck on my breasts a little."

The Neophyte dutifully opened her mouth and placed her lips around Asia's right nipple. As she sucked on her breast, Asia closed one of her eyes and moaned in arousal. For as timid as she was to ask Xenovia for sexual favors, it was clear she was enjoying this. Going the extra mile, Xenovia swirled her tongue around her nipple before moving to the other one and repeating.

"Oooo, I think she's getting into it." Akeno giggled teasingly. "How's it feel Asia Darling?"

She responded with aroused moans. Her face was heating up quickly and her chest heaved in rhythm with Xenovia's tongue. Finally, she pulled away, popping her breast off her mouth before shakily standing back up and retaking her spot.

"Koneko, you're up." Rias ordered.

The fiery Rook approached Xenovia and cocked her hip, glaring into her eyes searchingly. With her short stature, she was almost at the same height as Xenovia was on her knees.

"Anything is fair game, Rias?" She asked, clearly intending to put Xenovia's commitment to the test.

The President nodded. "Go for it, Koneko."

After narrowing her eyes at Xenovia a moment longer, Koneko turned around and fully unzipped the crotch of her latex suit, lifting the tail up and arching her back. Before bending forward until her hand rested on the mat.

"Tongue my asshole." She ordered.

Xenovia clearly hesitated. Jon was about to speak up when Koneko added with a roll of her eyes.

"It's clean." She wiggled her ass in her face. "Now come on. Get in there."

The Neophyte took a breath to steady herself. Just like with Asia and Rias, Xenovia leaned in and opened her mouth before placing her tongue directly on Koneko's tight little star. The Rook tilted her head up towards the sky and mewled in surprise. She wasn't expecting her to go quite that...deep.

"Oh my…" Akeno bit her knuckle until she drew blood. "...what an eager little salad tosser she is."

Rias grinned wickedly. "Now that's what I call commitment. How's it feel, Koneko?"

Her Rook was going cross eyed as she reached down and began playing with herself. Koneko's tongue was sticking out and her fingers were moving quickly over her little clit while Xenovia continued to tongue her asshole. It wasn't long before her orgasm hit and Koneko squirted all over the pentagram.

"I guess that answers your question, Rias." Akeno commented in a sultry tone.

Koneko returned to her spot, now a little wobbly.

"Alright Jon. It's time for the main event." Rias declared deviously.

Jon approached and the girls followed him. Akeno knelt down behind Xenovia while Rias and Asia draped themselves on each of his arms. Koneko slipped in behind him and slowly pulled down his underwear, allowing his massive erection to burst free. Xenovia's mouth fell open at the sight of it, causing Akeno to chuckle in amusement.

"I did warn you." She whispered playfully.

"What do I…" The Neophyte was still trying to wrap her head around the sheer size of him. "I mean...physically speaking this doesn't seem…"

"Oh it's gonna hurt." Akeno assured. "But once you adjust you'll be ruined for anything else, trust me."

Xenovia gulped instinctively.

"Let's see what she can do with her mouth first." Rias instructed. "Have her perform oral on him."

Akeno gripped her hair like a leash. "Remember what we went over. Relax your throat and cover your lips with your teeth the way I showed you, Neophyte."

"Yes, Mistress." Xenovia opened her mouth and leaned forward, shutting her eyes again.

"No." Rias spoke up sharply, gripping his arm tighter and pressing her breasts against him. "Look him in the eye when you do it."

She felt her heart skip in her chest. Xenovia hesitantly opened her eyes and gazed up at him. A jolt of electricity surged through her being as he gazed back at her with a piercing intensity she wasn't expecting. She'd looked this man in the eye before. Why was it suddenly so difficult?

"Something the matter, Dear?" Akeno asked curiously.

"N...no, Mistress."

Xenovia opened her mouth again, her eyes locked to Jon as she placed the head of his member around her lips and went down as far as she could manage. Nothing that men tasted noticeably different from women. She only made it about halfway down before her gag reflex triggered and she pulled back up.

Rias sighed. "Oh well. I guess Akeno is still the Queen of head."

"Keep going, Sweety." Akeno insisted. "You won't adjust unless you keep trying."

Xenovia went back down along his length, bobbing her head up and down while Jon tilted his head back and groaned in pleasure. Koneko, who was still kneeling behind him, leaned forward and began lapping at his balls with her tongue, adding to the stimulation.

"Better." Rias admitted. "But I think we can take it further. Asia?"

She nodded. "Tell us how this feels, Darling." Asia purred before reaching down and taking the base of his shaft in her palm alongside Rias and beginning to stroke.

"For fucks sake girls." He growled in pleasure.

Akeno stood up and took her Master's face in her hands before kissing him fiercely, allowing his tongue to slip into her mouth unabated and dance with hers. She arched her back and spread her legs more, proudly displaying both the collar on her neck and the brand on her inner thigh. The combination of Akeno's tongue swirling with his, Koneko lapping at his balls, Rias and Asia stroking him, while Xenovia sucked him off as best she could proved to be too much stimulation for the Dragon to handle all at once and he found his climax swiftly building.

"About to cum, Darling?" Asia chirped playfully in his ear.

"I want you to finish on her face, my Dragon." Rias whispered sultrily into his ear. "Mark your scent all over her for me."

Moments before he came, Akeno pulled Xenovia off his cock much to her surprise while Asia and Rias pumped him faster and faster. He cursed loudly before climaxing hard all over Xenovia's face. Who took it as best she could but still shut an eye and turned her head away from the very abrupt, and very healthy load that coated her face and breasts.

Akeno tsked her chidingly. "Now that simply won't do. Master's seed is a gift." She knelt down and licked some of his cum off of Xenovia's furiously heated cheek. "Like this."

"It's...hot." Xenovia commented in between shallow pants. "...and the smell."

"That's Dragon Pheromones you're smelling." Rias explained having just finished making out with Jon and allowing Asia to have her turn with him. "Intoxicating aren't they? They have a tendency to drive us all nuts whenever we get a whiff of them."

Akeno began cleaning Xenovia's face of cum with her tongue, clearly starting to lose herself.

"Lay her down, Akeno. It's time."

Xenovia went wide eyed and a lump formed in the back of her throat as the overtly turned on Akeno obeyed her President and pulled her down onto her back. With her arms bound and her power inhibited by the enchanted leather straps, Xenovia was completely at their mercy.

Rias and Asia then bent down and spread Xenovia's legs wide open. She stared down at her exposed heat, now soaked in her own wetness and her thighs trembled. This was really going to happen. Jon was going to stick that massive thing in her and break her hymen.

"Try and relax." Akeno whispered in her ear, clear arousal in her voice as she caressed her cheek assuringy. "It'll make the initial shock less painful if you don't flinch when he goes in."

Her breathing quickened, Xenovia was trying to put on a brave face but it was clear this was starting to become too much.

Thinking quickly, Akeno grinned. "Master, I have an idea." She reached down and spread Xenovia's folds with her hands. "Why don't you taste her first? We all know how much you love the taste of virgin pussy."

He quirked a brow at her. "You think she'll go for that?"

"Of course she will." Rias assured with a devious look in her eyes. "Isn't that right little Neophyte."

"Y...yes." Xenovia nodded, biting her lower lip nervously. Jon was staring at her...place and it was causing her whole body to shiver. "Do what you like."

"So you're giving me permission to do this?" He asked again more seriously.

"Why are you asking for my permission?" She was trying REALLY hard to get her mind off where his eyes were.

"Because I don't touch a woman without it." He insisted.

Koneko rolled her eyes at him. "A little late for that, Dude. She's already had your cock in her mouth."

Xenovia turned her head away and blushed.

"Hey, go easy on her." Jon chided Koneko gently. "This is probably a lot to endure all in one night."

"Just saying…" She muttered before lowering herself down and getting on her back. Koneko pulled herself between his legs and took his length into her mouth before beginning to suck.

He growled in pleasure and flared black smoke from his nostrils. "Alright then…" Jon lowered himself down to Xenovia's slick heat. "Let me know if I'm going too fast."

"Why...what are you about to-"

The moment his tongue hit her it was like a jolt of electricity surged through her body, hitting her like an electric rod. This felt nothing like when she was playing with herself. Xenovia wanted desperately to close her legs but couldn't in Rias and Asia's grip. Her body simply wasn't prepared for this kind of...stimulation.

And then Rias and Asia leaned down and started sucking on her nipples. Xenovia's eyes bulged out her head and her whole body curled.

"W...wait!" She squirmed and writhed in the bonds, trying desperately to get her wrists free. "This is too much...I'm...I can't-"

"Shhh." Akeno cooed in her ear. "Relax. Just let it happen."

"But...but it's...I...AH….AHHHHHH!"

A noise that was completely alien to Xenovia burst from her lungs as...something...happened to her. Something that her senses couldn't process. Whatever it was, it caused her to spray that same slick substance that coated her face after servicing Rias.

Akeno giggled sweetly while rubbing her cheek. Xenovia meanwhile, continued to lose her mind to this insane new feeling. "There you go. See? Not bad huh?"

"Wh...what was that?" Xenovia was completely out of breath as she spoke. "What the hell did he just do to me?"

"That was your first orgasm." Akeno explained to her sweetly.

"That's what an orgasm is?" Xenovia asked incredulously. "I never dreamed it would be so...intense."

"Fuck!" Jon slammed his fist down into the mat as he came down Koneko's throat. The rook popped her head up behind him and wiped a sliver of cum off her lip.

"He's good to go, Rias." She informed her.

"Wonderful." Rias circled Xenovia's nipple with her finger as she spoke. "No more delays. Jon, it's time."

Xenovia's wide gaze went back down to her swollen heat and her whole body trembled as Jon brought his massive thing to her entrance. It wouldn't fit, she was sure of it. Basic physics was not in her favor here.

He gripped her hips. "Are you ready?"

Xenovia shut her eyes tight and nodded her head, bracing hard. "Do it."

Jon slammed it in her, spilling her virgin blood on the pentagram just as Rias desired. What followed next was Xenovia violently screaming while struggling in vain to get out of the restraints. For a brief moment, it was exactly as Akeno had described. Unbearable agony she simply couldn't cope with.

"Easy. Easy." Akeno spoke calmly to her as Xenovia breathed in and out as if she were having a baby. "It's over. You did it."

Slowly she began to adjust. The warm sensation of her blood trickling down her thighs onto the mat helped bring her back to reality. Her virgin purity was gone, violently taken by a massive Dragon's cock.

The more she thought about it, the more that burning sensation in her forbidden place turned into something else. After adjusting to his size for a moment, she began to notice just how...full she felt. The heat of his thick thing inside her was warming Xenovia's belly and causing that unfamiliar sensation to build up in her again.

Finally, she spoke.

"You can move a little if you want." She said quietly. It sounded less like a statement and more like a request.

Rias quirked a brow at her. "Well well. It would seem she's gotten a taste for our Dragon's cock." She leaned down and whispered into Xenovia's ear. "Don't get too ahead of yourself now. I didn't say I'd let him cum in you."

Jon turned to Rias and gave her a look as if asking permission to continue. The President silently nodded and Jon began moving his hips, thrusting into Xenovia repeatedly. Her massive breasts bounced in rhythm with his thrusting and she moaned indignantly as her mind became clouded with pleasure.

Koneko reached down and began massaging Jon's balls in the palm of her hand while licking his ear. Rias and Asia resumed sucking on Xenovia's breasts while Akeno worked her way out of her panties and straddled the Neophytes face, putting her tongue to good use. As she did this, Akeno kissed her Master feverishly while simultaneously rubbing Xenovia's clit with her fingers in one hand and using her magic to suppress Jon's orgasm in the other.

Not wanting anyone to feel left out, Jon slid both his hands into Rias and Asia's sex and began fingering them in rhythm with his thrusting. Both his Treasure's immediately responded to his touch and moaned in arousal. Akeno pulled away from Jon's lips and motioned for Koneko to join them. The Rook stood between Akeno and Jon and pressed her ass into his face, mewling in pleasure as her Dragon began feverishly eating her out.

"Oh fuck! I think I'm about to cum!" Akeno declared.

"Shit, me too!" Koneko gritted her teeth as she tried to hold back.

"Me too!" Rias moaned.

"Ahhh, me too!" Asia cried.

"MMMM!" Xenovia went wide eyed as her whole body surged with another massive impending orgasm.

All five girls came at the exact same time, filling the room with a symphony of pleasure induced screaming. Jon pulled himself out of Xenovia while Rias and Asia flipped her over and pressed her face into the mat. They joined her in the same position with all three of their asses high in the air. Akeno and Koneko joined them as well, moving into the same position and forming a row of five gorgeous women begging for their Dragon to fuck them.

Starting on the left Jon gripped Koneko's waist and dove straight in. His Treasure mewled in delight as he thrust in and out of her, hitting in all the right spots to make her toes curl and her inner cat come out as she "Nyan'd" loudly in a massive orgasm.

Next was Rias. Who rode his shaft greedily, backing into her Dragon's cock while her ass bounced up and down along his length. She eventually lurched up and gripped the back of his neck while his hands reached around to play with her breasts. Rias rode her Dragon shouting "Fuck!" and "Shit!" and other such obscenities until she too felt her eyes roll into the back of her head and her toes curl as she came on him.

Next was Xenovia again. Who barely had time to come down from her last orgasm as Jon proceeded to drive himself deep into her once more. The feeling in her fiery flower was so overwhelming she bit into the mat, still struggling against her bonds and her eyes shut tight as she did her best to just grit her teeth and bare yet another overstimulating orgasm.

Jon pulled out of her to find Asia curled like a feline, wiggling her butt for him, a full pout on her lips. He slammed into her, and her eyes immediately crossed while her tongue left her mouth. Asia moaned and cried in pure bliss, relishing in every moment of the feeling that came with having her Dragon inside of her. Casting two lustful emerald orbs at him, Asia stared Jon directly in the eye as she came for him.

Finally, it was Akeno's turn. Who parted her pussy lips like an obedient Love Slave and happily sang her pleasure song for her Master as he fucked her thoroughly. Upon feeling her climax approaching she requested permission to cum for him to which he happily allowed her. Akeno then arched her back and sang once more, moaning out her pleasured thanks at being allowed to serve him with her slave flower.

He'd held back enough. Jon had tasted each girl and built himself up past the point of no return. Knowing exactly what was about to happen, the four girls grabbed Xenovia's paralyzed form and flipped her on her back before they sat up on their knees in a square around the neophyte.

"Open your mouth and stick out your tongue." Rias whispered sharply into Xenovia's ear.

She did as she was told and stuck her tongue out. The other girls followed suit and each opened their mouths with their tongues ready.

"FUUUUCK!" He bellowed.

Jon erupted. There was no other word that could better describe it. The massive climax that followed was nothing short of Jon showering all five ladies in his white hot seed. Xenovia, especially, seemed to get the brunt of most of it, her whole body, from her beasts, belly and face, all the way down to her legs, getting completely coated in him.

Meanwhile his four Treasures mostly got it on their faces and breasts, with only Asia and Akeno catching any in their mouths. Still not done, Jon pumped his cock once and sprayed another load of his seed onto all four of his Treasure's faces. They each swallowed what landed into their mouths before sticking their tongues back out and silently asking for seconds.

"Sorry girls…" He huffed and panted before chuckling, having realized he was now drenched in sweat. "It's gonna be a second."

Xenovia was a mess. Not just physically, her mind was completely shattered by the ordeal she had just endured. So many emotions raced through her head in her altered state of being. Pleasure, euphoria, pain, fear, anxiety, all a rich cacophony of pure experience that couldn't be put into words.

But above it all was the overwhelming, lingering smell of HIM. The Dragon who did this to her. Whose scent was making her head swim even still and cloud her mind. There was so much of him on her Xenovia couldn't help but wonder what would it have felt like if he had done that inside her? Perhaps she would never know as Rias clearly had limits as to what she was allowed to do with their Dragon.

Unless...she became his Dragon too. Then, theoretically, she could do whatever she wanted with him. The thought crossed her mind more than once as she slowly came back to her senses.

"We're not done yet." Rias assured before standing up and walking over to a nearby box. "This night is far from over." She pulled out a small ornate chess piece and brought it back to the group.

It was the Knight Piece. Xenovia's destined fate.

Before she could speak, she felt an invisible force lift her off the ground. All five of them stood around her as her body lifted into the air, her arms still bound by the restraints. A helpless sacrifice upon the Devil's altar.

"You've proven your loyalty." The President declared. "From this moment forward, you will serve my House."

Xenovia once again went wide eyed as the Evil Piece floated out of Rias's hand and merged with her chest.

"From this moment forward, Xenovia Quarta, you...are...mine."

Power surged through her being as her heart began to beat faster, pumping Devil's blood into her veins. Until at last, two great batlike wings sprouted from her back.


	37. Chapter 37

**::Author's Note::**

**Thank you everyone who commented and sent me messages regarding what to do with Gasper's character. While I don't want to take away from his original personality TOO terribly much, you guys mentioned a couple of things that I do wholeheartedly agree with. For instance Soron66 pointed out Gasper's aversion to blood which I wholeheartedly agree is ridiculous. What kind of vampire hates blood? Even vampires that hate what they are crave blood. It's just what they do.**

**Now having said that, I am still looking for ideas. Specifically, I'm looking for ideas regarding how Gasper will interact with Jon. What will their relationship within the Peerage be like? I have some ideas of my own, but I want to hear your opinions first. Feel free to leave a comment or send me a personal message if you have an idea.**

**One last note, be on the lookout for a very special "guest" villain being introduced in this chapter. I call him a guest villain because I can't guarantee his role in the overall plot will be terribly intricate, I just thought he might be a fun addition to the roster for the big final fight, and I've received multiple requests to have him appear.**

**With that said, I give you Chapter 37.**

**::End Note::**

Motohama had no idea what to expect when Saya asked him to come with her to her room. Well, maybe ask wasn't the right word. It was more like she verbally dragged him up there. As he entered the well decorated room, he found himself subconsciously checking all his blind spots.

Hell, for all he knew Sergei was liable to jump out from behind the drapery.

Instead, Saya was waiting for him with a bright smile on his face. "Well hi, Darling, come on in. I was just getting the place ready for you."

He blinked at her in confusion. "O...kay?"

"So, I know we haven't had a formal date yet." Saya spoke in an uncharacteristically bubbly voice. "Which is why I made us tea. I know it isn't much but I figure you might want to relax after your big mission."

"Okay...would you stop that?" Motohama was finally getting weirded out.

"Stop what?" She asked curiously.

"THAT!" He insisted. "This thing where you seem genuinely happy to see me. After that mission I was half expecting you to lead me into a suspiciously soundproofed room with a shallow grave out back. But somehow THIS is more unsettling."

She laughed. "Oh don't be stupid, Dumbass. I wouldn't do that to you." Saya then narrowed her eyes at him. "I mean...we ARE still a couple aren't we?"

"Of course we are, Sweetie!" He laughed nervously, sweat dripping down his collar.

"Relax, Dude. I'm just messing with you." Saya snickered at him. "Imma get changed into something comfy. You get rid of the guns and the armor and make yourself at home, kay?"

As she skipped off to the bathroom Motohama relieved himself of all but his weapons except his sidearm and placed them aside before warily sitting down on one of the armchairs.

His internal monologue kicked in.

"Yeah right, no way she's not up to something." The left side of his brain told the right.

"So what do we do?" The right side of his brain asked nervously.

"Gotta keep our eyes peeled." His left brain insisted. "There's no telling what she might be _plaaaaaaah."_

Both halves of his brain turned to mush at the sight of Saya in nothing but a pink tank top that was about a size too small for her and skinny black booty shorts as she came sauntering out of the bathroom.

"So...you're seriously not gonna put that thing away before our date?" Saya asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Shit you can see that?!" Motohama immediately turned and looked at his fly, only then did it occur to him she was talking about his GUN. "Oh...you meant...never mind!"

Saya sat down and helped him to a cup of tea. After taking a few sips he could verify that she didn't put Ghost Pepper or something equally hideous in it and relaxed a little more. She put something on for the two of them to watch which was...much to his surprise...an anime.

"Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam?" He asked in perplexment.

She nodded. "It's a guilty pleasure of mine."

"But you always told me anime was for Weebs and Losers."

"A VERY guilty pleasure." She admitted, completely ignoring his comment and sipping on her tea. "Now shut up and watch."

They watched to the end of the episode, and then the one after that. During which time she cuddled up next to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Dude! What the hell is she doing?!" The right side of his brain panicked.

"Calm down! Now is not the time to fly off the handle. Maintain emotional stability!" The left brain ordered.

"But what do we do?!"

"I don't know! Just...put your arm around her I guess. That seems to work pretty well when Matsuda does it."

"Fine." The right brain replied glumly. "But if she bites us it's your fault!"

Motohama wrapped his arm around her waist. Much to his surprise, she didn't react. If anything, she only cuddled into him more.

"Okay, I'm lost. Why isn't she tearing us a new asshole right now? I thought for sure that would work!" Left Brain asked.

"You traitor! I knew that was a terrible idea!" Right Brain replied.

"This doesn't make any sense! Why is she suddenly...oh...oh no." Something occurred to Left Brain.

"What is it?" Right Brain asked nervously.

"What if...she wants to do the sex with us?" Left Brain considered.

Right Brain laughed in horror. "Whaaaat?! Preposterous!"

"Think about it. Some nice herbal tea, one of your favorite anime, the freaking booty shorts! She's trying to rile you up!"

"Oh dear God!" Right Brain began to have a panic attack. "What the hell do we do, I'm not ready for this!"

"Neither am I!" Left Brain insisted.

"Okay, okay." Right Brain thought for a moment. "We'll just talk this out like adults. Explain the situation to her and-"

Left Brain smacked Right Brain across the face.

"Don't you get it?! This is a power move! If we fuck this up she'll hold it over our head for the rest of our lives! No no no, we're not playing her game."

"So what do we do?!"

"Let me handle this." Left Brain assured. "I'll get us out of this mess."

"Hey…" Motohama checked over his shoulder towards the door to make sure no parents were listening before whispering. "Don't you think it's a bad idea for me to be staying here this late?"

"Mmm?" She quirked her head up at him. "Why do you say that?"

"I mean don't get me wrong, I like that we're getting along so well." He laughed nervously. "But I mean...what about your parents?"

Saya sat up and paused the TV before glaring at him. "What?"

"Errr…"

"Hold on…" She raised a finger up to stop him. "...did you think I brought you here so that we could have sex?"

He immediately blanched in horror. "No!" Motohama shook his head profusely. "No no no! Why would I think that? You've got entirely the wrong idea. But just think about it. We're here all alone. No one's watching us. Your parents are literally only about three doors down. If your Dad saw us in here like this...he would be pretty pissed right?"

She thought about it for a moment and a dawning realization came over her. "You're right...he'd be furious."

He internally sighed with relief. "See? That was my thoughts exactly."

Her heart started beating faster in her chest and her face became flushed. "He'd be so mad...he'd mount your head on his wall right then and there."

"Erp…" Motohama turned green.

"Probably your testicles too." The more she thought about it, the more flushed her face became. A wicked grin covered her lips as she suddenly cast two lust filled eyes at him.

"Uhh...Dude?" Right Brain frantically got Left Brain's attention. "Why is she staring at us like that?"

"I don't know!" Left Brain panicked. "This is NOT going how I pictured at all!"

"You know…" Saya's voice took on a heated tone that he'd never heard from her before and she proceeded to straddle his lap. "...you never cease to surprise me. One minute I think you're the biggest pussy on Earth the next you're flirting with me knowing death is literally looming over your head."

"Ohhhh Danger!" Right Brain warned. "Danger! Danger! Danger! Dude her labia is like, seriously pressed up against it right now!"

"Calm down!" Left Brain insisted. "Keep the blood flowing up here and not….errrrp."

"Left Brain? Do you copy? Left Brain!" Right Brain asked hysterically.

"I like turtles…." The non-functioning Left Brain stuttered like a drunken idiot.

"We're in trouble…" Right Brain whined. "...welp, looks like I've got to wing it."

"Wh...what can I say? Maybe your boldness has rubbed off on me a little." Motohama did his best not to sound like he had suddenly developed a speech impediment.

"Hmmm." She bit her lower lip lustfully and grinded against him a little. "I bet you wish something else was rubbing on you right now, huh?"

Right Brain did his best to keep Motohama from NOT going cross eyed.

"Maybe...you want a little of this?" She guided one of his hands to her perfectly rounded ass and pressed down firmly. "And this?" Saya then guided his other hand up to her breast, allowing him to gently cup it in his palm.

"Left Brain! Respond! Mayday!" Right Brain cried desperately.

"It feels like a pillow stuffed with marzipan…." Left Brain stuttered.

"Saya listen, I really don't think-"

Before Motohama could finish his thought she glued her lips to his, kissing him passionately. After a moment, she finally pulled away and stared back at him, her lashes fluttering curiously.

And she frowned.

"Motohama...listen…" Saya sighed glumly. "I owe you an apology. The truth is, the reason I've been acting this way is because...I'm trying to do better."

"Uh huh…" Motohama was not home.

"I know I haven't exactly been the nicest person to you. As far as girlfriends go I must be pretty lousy." She twirled a strand of her bubblegum pink hair around her finger. "And maybe that had to do with your reputation at first...but now…"

Her face turned crimson.

"Now I think I may actually be falling for you." Saya's heart was pounding in her chest as she spoke.

"Wait...what did she just say?" Left Brain asked.

"Oh welcome back!" Right Brain greeted with perturbed aggravation. "So glad you decided to rejoin the party."

"Dude, shut up and listen to what she's saying!" Left Brain insisted.

Saya smiled and turned her head away, her face somehow turning even more red. "You know...you should look a girl in the eyes when she's confessing her feelings to you. It's the least you could do."

"Err…" Motohama finally managed to shake the cobwebs loose. "...sorry it's just...what is it you're saying exactly?"

The look she was giving him. It was unlike anything Motohama had ever seen on her before. Those warm eyes, that nervous smile on her face, the way her lashes would flutter every other second. This wasn't the Saya he knew.

"You can't figure it out? I'm saying...I think I'm falling in love with you...Stupid."

Motohama's jaw damn near hit the floor.

"Hooooly shit." Left Brain started freaking out. "She actually said it! Right Brain, did you hear her?!"

"Uuuuuh…" Right Brain had left the building.

"Dammit! Right Brain, wake up! We need to respond! This isn't my department!"

"Well? Say something already!" Saya insisted impatiently.

"The Paris Agreement on Climate Change was signed on April 22nd, 2016 by the largest number of countries in the world." Motohama stated like a robot.

Saya blinked at him several times in confusion, a weird expression on her face. "You uhhh...you feeling okay?"

"S...sorry…" Motohama quickly regained his senses. "Look...Saya...the truth is, I think I'm falling for you too. That's why I've been trying so hard not to screw this up. All my life I've only ever thought about a woman's body, but with you...it's like, whenever I'm around you my brain splits in half and starts arguing with itself." He spoke from the heart. "A week ago you looked at me like the thing you'd pick off your shoe. But now…"

He removed his hand from her breast and placed it against her cheek.

"The way you're looking at me right now. That's how I want you to see me for as long as we're alive."

"Okay...I think that'll work." Left Brain panted in exertion.

"I'm back, what did I miss?" Right Brain asked.

Saya's eyes began to water as she placed both her hands to her chest. "Oh Motohama…" She suddenly wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. "That's the sweetest thing a man has ever said to me."

"Boooooobs in the face!" Left Brain started freaking out again.

"Seriously! What the hell did I miss?!" Right Brain insisted frantically.

"Anyway...it's getting late." Saya finally pulled away and got off his lap, allowing Motohama to collapse back into the couch.

"Okay...I think the coast is clear." Right Brain spoke hopefully. "Now all we have to do is make a nice...easy...exit."

"Yeah, I think you're right." Motohama stretched his arm and popped his back. "Best not waste any more time, there's a war going on you know." He stood up from the couch and turned towards her. "So I guess we'll-"

"Why are your pants still on? Are we doing this or what?"

She was standing there in nothing but her black lace bra and matching underwear. He could see EVERYTHING.

Right Brain and Left Brain both died simultaneously.

She sighed at him in frustration before walking over and taking his hand, guiding him to the bed. "Cmere, you. I'll lead on this one."

* * *

That night, Motohama lost his virginity. Saya guided her man through the motions while allowing him to explore her body for the first time. The normally sharp tongued and impatient fireball of a woman was surprisingly understanding and tame during their first time together. She corrected him whenever he did something she didn't like, and moaned his name whenever he did something she did. She was forgiving of 'beginner's errors' and patient with him, knowing full well he was not used to this.

And he in turn treated her respectfully. Never pushing past the boundaries she set in place, and being mindful of every direction she gave him. For a complete beginner, he didn't do half bad.

It wasn't until the next day that things took a sudden turn.

"I have to say, for someone who clearly has never had sex before, you didn't do half bad last night." Saya complimented him after sitting up out of the bed in all her stark glory.

"Yeah…" Motohama's head was still spinning. "...and you're clearly no stranger to this."

She glared at him murderously. "Excuse me?!"

"I'm sorry! I thought it was a compliment!" He quickly corrected himself. "I don't know how to turn it off. Please fix me…"

After a moment she calmed back down and sighed at him. "Well...that was almost romantic...I guess."

As the panic set in his inner monologue whirred back into overdrive.

"Dude what are you doing?! We're blowing this!" Left Brain chided Right Brain harshley.

"Well what was I supposed to say? We're not even sure what made her like us in the first place!" Right Brain replied indignantly.

"Fine. Fine. Just calm down." Left Brain insisted a little more patiently. "The hard part's over. So long as she doesn't throw us any curveballs I think we're good."

"Sooo, what should we do now?" Saya asked.

"FUCK!" Left Brain panicked.

"What the hell is she talking about?! What comes after sex?!"

"I don't know! All the info we have on dating comes from tags on PornHub!"

"Well she asked us a question so we have to say SOMETHING!" Right Brain insisted hysterically.

"Look just…" Left Brain growled in frustration. "...just say ANYTHING. But...say it with confidence."

"Well...alright." Right Brain nervously replied. "Here goes nothing."

Motohama looked Saya right in the eyes and spoke confidently. "We should do as your father wants and get married."

"NOOOOOOOO!" Left Brain shrieked in horror.

"What?! You said say anything!" Right Brain argued.

"Anything but THAT obviously!"

"I'm sorry! You know I don't work well under pressure!" He whined.

Left Brain sighed wearily. "You know what? Forget it. It's fine. We'll just...play it off as a joke. No harm done."

Saya's bottom lip began to quiver and her eyes teared up. "Oh Motohama...yes. YES! Of course I'll marry you!"

"You fool! You've doomed us all!" Left Brain bemoaned.

"H...hey! She seems pretty happy about it." Right Brain laughed nervously. "Maybe she knows something we don't."

A knock on the door brought his internal screaming to halt. Motohama quickly dove under the bed while Saya covered herself with the sheets.

"Saya, are you awake?" Her mother peeked her head in the door.

"Y...yeah, Mom!" She laughed nervously. "Did you need something?"

"You're needed at the ORC. Lady Sitri personally requested the four of you to meet with her there."

"Lady Sitri?" Saya blinked in confusion. "What does she want?"

"She didn't say. However, the final operation of the campaign is due to start soon so it most likely has to do with that. Regardless, you best get yourself dressed and cleaned up." She insisted. "Oh...and tell Motohama he can come out of hiding. Honestly, cowering from your Mother in Law is simply not dignified."

Motohama yelped in surprise before banging his head on the frame of the bed. Saya, meanwhile, whined in absolute embarrassment while hiding her face in the sheets. Her Mother shut the door and Motohama came slowly crawling out, rubbing his wounded head.

"So what do you think this is all about?"

Saya shrugged. "How should I know? Best not keep the Devil Lady waiting though."

* * *

It was a cloudy day over the city of Kuoh. The severe overcast brought a dreadful gloom that carried with it an unsettling dread. Matsuda and Motohama had changed into their combat gear and met with the girls outside the President's House on what was supposed to be the final day of the war. Rei was dressed in skin tight combat pants with an army green utility belt. She wore this in combination with a black bikini top and green army utility harness around her shoulders and across her abdomen. On her back was the bayonet rifle they'd taken from Motohama's uncle, along with an M9 Beretta attached to her side.

Saya was in almost the exact same outfit she had worn during the initial zombie outbreak. Green booty shorts with a camo tank top and her trusty Luger as a side arm. One interesting new addition, however, was the white lab coat she was now sporting over the outfit. Giving her the aesthetic of a slutty army doctor.

With their gear ready, and their objective clear, the group made their way to the ORC Headquarters where three familiar faces awaited them. Namely, Sammy, Aika, and Sona Sitri. They took a moment to note that Aika was now wearing the official uniform of the members of the Honor's Committee before saying hello.

"Well look at you." Saya grinned cheekily at Aika before adjusting her spectacles. "I've gotta say, the Honor's colors really suit you."

Aika snickered devilishly at her. "Why thank you. But new threads aren't the only thing I've picked up recently."

A pair of batlike wings sprouted from her back.

"Holy shit!" Matsuda was taken aback. "Wait...so you actually did it then? You became a Devil?"

Sona nodded in confirmation. "As of last night, Aika Kiryuu has become a member of my Peerage. Meet my newest Pawn."

"It took the last of our Pawn Pieces converting her." Sammy pointed out. "But with the Magic she's acquired as a result? I'd say it was well worth it."

"So...how do you feel?" Rei asked her sincerely.

Aika sighed. "Nervous? Excited? Worried? Hell, choose your pick. I'm kind of a mess right now."

"You're still adjusting to your new form." Sona assured. "It will take time, but your mind will catch up to the physical changes your body has undergone."

Aika bowed respectfully to her President. "Understood, Ma'am."

"In any case, we best check in on the ORC. The final operation is about to start soon."

"What is this about, Lady Sitri?" Matsuda asked curiously as they made their way to the door.

"It's best if you wait until everyone is present before we explain anything further." She insisted before ringing on the front doorbell.

The front door opened revealing Akeno on the other side, who bowed respectfully to the group of guests at the door.

"Hello, Akeno." Sona greeted in a well mannered tone. "Is everyone prepared?"

She smiled though a bead of sweat formed on her brow. "Well...yes and no. They're still asleep."

"Are ya shitting me?" Sammy asked in disbelief. "The hell they doin still snoozin at a time like this? We've got a war to win!"

"You must forgive us for being behind schedule. We were in the middle of a rather taxing ritual last night and I fear it may have drained us all more than we initially realized. I only just woke up myself a few minutes ago." Akeno explained. "Now that you're here, I'll go get them up. Please come with me to the Chapter Room."

The group made their way to the second floor of the ORC, during which time Sona noticed the peculiar new pendant hanging from Akeno's collar.

"It's lovely." Sona complimented with a sincere smile on her face. "Jon did incredibly well picking it out."

"Thank you." Akeno sighed lovingly before clutching at the pendant. "The words he inscribed, and this little gem he's gifted me, mean more than my voice alone can possibly convey."

She adjusted her spectacles before peering at the lettering more carefully. "That's Draconian, is it not? What does it say?"

Akeno shook her head. "Forgive me, Lady Sitri. I mean no disrespect. But it is a message meant for my Master's eyes only."

Sona nodded in understanding. "Of course. Please forgive my impertinence."

When he was sure the girl's weren't looking, Sammy stole a glance at the words on the collar's placard. He chortled to himself before mumbling. "Fucking cheesy, Hyodo…"

Once they were in the Chapter Room the group took their seats while Akeno went to go wake up the remaining members of her Peerage. After tapping on Rias's bedroom door, she gently peaked inside to find them exactly where she had left them earlier.

Jon was out cold in the middle of the bed with four stark naked beauties splayed out on him. Rias was nestled up on his right arm while Asia snugly tucked up against his left. Meanwhile, Koneko was resting on his abdomen, purring up a storm.

Shockingly enough, Xenovia was sleeping soundly with her head on his lap. The scene made Akeno snicker quietly to herself.

With a sharp rap on the wood of the door she woke them up. The figures in the bed all began to stir one by one, starting with Rias, then Asia, and finally Koneko. They blinked a few times before all three of them noticed Xenovia laying on his lap. Asia pouted while Koneko glared in annoyance. Rias smiled angrily, her left eyebrow twitching at the sight. This was certainly NOT part of the plan.

She flicked Jon's ear who startled awake before groaning sleepily and sitting up.

"What's going on?" He griped before trying to lay back down. "Why are you girls-OW!"

Rias pulled on his cheek sharply with that same angry smile on her face.

"You sure are getting popular quickly." She growled before finally releasing his cheek.

"Huh?" Jon looked to his right to see Asia pouting at him pitifully and Koneko glaring at him with annoyed eyes. It wasn't until he looked down at his lap to see Xenovia sound asleep with a curious little smile on her face that he realized what had his Treasures so perturbed.

He groaned in exasperation before collapsing back in the bed. "Dammit…"

Rias nodded at him. "Yep. When were you going to tell us about THIS little development."

"It's not like I meant for it to happen, okay?" He finally sat back up and addressed them fully awake. "The little 'ritual' we did last night didn't exactly help matters either."

"Well THIS certainly wasn't part of the plan." Rias mumbled saltily. "But in retrospect, I suppose we should have seen it coming."

Xenovia finally began to stir, slowly opening her eyes before moaning tiredly before lifting her head up off Jon's lap. She was still half asleep as she gazed at the two pouty faces of Rias and Asia gripping both of Jon's arms jealousy. Unsure as to what was going on.

"Good morning." Koneko greeted through her teeth. "You're drooling."

It took her a moment but Xenovia eventually put two and two together. Her face heated up and her eyes went wide as it slowly dawned on her she had been resting on their Dragon's lap this entire time. She quickly wiped the trail of drool off her face and sat up straight in the bed.

"I'm...I'm so sorry!" She apologized profusely. "I had no idea."

Jon found himself staring at her, somewhat entranced. Xenovia could be surprisingly cute when she was flustered.

Upon seeing the look in Jon's eye, Rias groaned in exasperation, placing a hand to her head and shaking from side to side. No doubt about it, Xenovia was Imprinting to their Dragon.

"I hate to interrupt, everyone. But we have guests."

What Rias found most curious of all, however, was Akeno's reaction to all this. The President narrowed her eyes suspiciously at her Queen's gleeful little smile, all but certain she had something to do with Xenovia's sudden interest in Jon. But alas, this was an issue that would have to wait.

"Right, someone go wake up Kiba."

* * *

Kiba was dressed and ready to go before Akeno even had a chance to knock on his door. Meanwhile, Rias, Asia, Koneko, and Xenovia were all forced to make the walk of shame past Sammy, Sona, and the rest of their guests as they made their way to the showers. The Sitri Dragon looked especially amused by the embarassed and flushed faces that each one by one went to go wash up.

Finally Jon came lumbering out, dressed in black jeans and shoes but little else.

"Well rise and shine, Cupcake." Sammy joked, half in amusement and half in annoyance. "Long night?"

"You don't know the half of it." Jon grumbled before making his way to the showers with the girls.

"Was that freaking Xenovia I saw in the mix?" He quirked a disbelieving brow at Akeno.

Akeno nodded happily. "It certainly was. As of last night, she officially joined our Peerage."

"Xenovia's a Devil now?!" Motohama jumped out of his seat.

Kiba turned his eyes away in embarrassment. "You think that's crazy you should hear how they turned her into one."

"I think I can get a pretty good picture." Sammy assured, his eyes trailing to the restroom where Xenovia's gorgeous ass had absconded off to with the other ladies of the ORC before mumbling to himself. "Lucky friggin bastard. I technically saw her first."

Sona cleared her throat abruptly. "Can we get back on track please? We need to discuss the pertinent details of the final assault."

"I'm still waiting on where WE fit into all this." Matsuda insisted. "I get that it's all hands on deck for this one, but what are we gonna do exactly?"

She adjusted her glasses and straightened her posture. "I suppose so long as we're waiting on Rias, we can discuss the details of your assignment more in depth. Rei? Saya? Have you told them yet?"

They both shook their heads.'

"No, Ma'am, we haven't."

"Wait...told us what?" Motohama spoke up.

"The four of you, along with my newest Pawn, will be reforming Delta Squad under Sammy's leadership." Sona explained. "You have officially become the linchpin of this entire operation."

* * *

Xenovia gave herself a once over in the full body mirror of her room. In place of her normal grey battlesuit she was now wearing a much skimpier ebon black one. The outfit cut off at her thighs and was paired with a set of knee high combat boots made of the same rubbery material her suit was made of. As well as a pair of elbow length combat gloves. The outfit left absolutely nothing to the imagination and even had a diamond shaped hole in the chest to show off her cleavage.

"Is this really what I'm wearing into combat?" She commented out loud while turning and running her hand along her prominently visible ass.

"For what it's worth, I think it looks great on ya."

Xenovia was startled by the presence of a male voice outside her door. She turned to see Jon leaning against the doorway, now fully dressed in his red jacket and cowboy hat.

She smirked at him. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me. Does Rias make a habit of dressing all her Servants like this?"

He coughed awkwardly before turning away. "Yeah...one thing you have to come to terms with about being in Rias's Peerage is you don't get to dress yourself. And she has VERY specific taste."

After checking herself out in the mirror again, she chuckled. "That at least explains a few things."

"Give it time, it'll grow on ya." He assured.

She laughed softly. "I'm sure."

An awkward silence hung in the air.

"How does it feel?"

She frowned. "Different…very different. Like I've gained much but…"

"...but also lost something along the way." He finished for her.

"Was it like this for you too?" She asked curiously. "This sense of uncertainty."

He coughed awkwardly before turning his eyes up to the ceiling as he remembered the night he was turned into a Devil. The drinking, the barfight, the...Escort. Not exactly his proudest moment.

"It was...sort of like that." He lied.

"I feel so conflicted. I've lost my humanity and yet...most of the Peerage has been very kind to me. I just wish…"

She placed her hands together and bowed her head.

"Dear Lord...if you can hear me. If you ever COULD hear me. I ask you-GYAH!"

Xenovia clutched at her aching head while Jon was suddenly hit with Deja Vu.

"Yeah...Asia had to learn that one the hard way too. We all did."

"I see…" Xenovia rubbed her aching head while staring at the ground in solemn silence. "...I suppose that's to be expected for what I've done."

"Hey, don't let it get to you." Jon walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "You made the right call. You really did."

An awkward silence hung in the air as she peered up at him anxiously.

"So…" Xenovia twiddled her fingers together nervously and cast her gaze back to the ground. "...when are we going to talk about it?"

He took a breath before placing his hands back in his pockets. "Now ain't exactly the ideal time."

"No no." She laughed nervously while waving her hands in front of her assuredly. "I completely agree. We have far more pressing issues to concern ourselves with. Forget I said anything."

"Xenovia...we've got a lot we have to work out. I get that. Fortunately, we also have plenty of time to do that." A smile formed on his face that was impossible for her to ignore. "But I ain't about to forget what we did. Or what I'm seeing in your eyes right now. I promise."

Her mouth hung open slightly and her face turned red. At that moment, all she could think about was how this must be what Irina felt whenever he would look at HER this way.

* * *

Xenovia finished her preparations before rejoining the others in the Chapter Room. Jon was sitting on the far couch with Rias laying on his side draped over his left arm while Asia draped over his right. Koneko sat cross legged on his lap with her arms wrapped around his neck while Akeno sat on her knees on a pillow at his feet, her collar proudly on display and her thighs parted to show off her brand.

It made for quite the image to be sure. She only wondered where she was supposed to go.

"Pst." Akeno smiled at Xenovia and patted a pillow she had placed down next to her.

Her face broke out in a light blush. Xenovia quickly made her way over to the pillow and sat on her haunches with her hands in her lap and her back straight, just as Akeno had taught her.

Sona quirked a brow at the sight. "She's certainly taken to the transition well."

Xenovia waved at Matsuda and the others who all waved back at her somewhat awkwardly. They clearly were not used to this yet.

Jon chuckled. "I'm a little jealous honestly. My transition wasn't nearly this clean."

"Women tend to handle the conversion a little more...gracefully than men do." Sona explained. "Aika's was fairly painless as well."

Xenovia turned her gaze away in embarrassment. "I don't know about...painless."

Asia reached into Jon's pocket and pulled out his smokes before popping one in his mouth. "Better, Darling?"

Jon lit the smoke on a flame produced from Rias's palm before taking a long drag. "Thanks, Darlin."

"Now he's just showing off." Matsuda muttered to Motohama who rolled his eyes in agreement.

"Alright." Sona stood up from her seat and placed a light crystal on the central table. "Now that we're all here, it's time we discussed the final stage of our counter assault on Kokabiel's forces."

A display of the city appeared on the table, showing them the positions of both Lucifer's forces as well as Kokabiel's.

"Our Scout Regiment has successfully locked down the entrances to most of the major nexus hubs." She began her recitation. "Meanwhile we've tasked half of our Assault Tribes with purging the tunnels of Fallen Forces."

"Sounds like things are going fairly well on that front at least." Jon commented.

"Having said that…" Sona continued. "...it's clear that Kokabiel has tasked the majority of his remaining forces around the underground launch Silo...located almost completely on the other side of the city."

He sighed. "Should have known there was a 'but' coming."

"There's also still a substantial enemy presence on the ground as well." Sammy added. "Most of it centered around the outside of the Silo."

"No doubt Kokabiel will be stationed there also." Rias observed.

"It's pretty clear what he's doing." Jon took a long drag from his cigarette before blowing smoke into the air. "Kokabiel is rerouting all his remaining defenses to safeguard the missle until it can launch."

"We estimate the launch will occur in no less than six hours." Sona declared. "During which time, the Angel of Stars will likely send the remainder of his Fallen forces to attack the Academy and keep us distracted."

"Riser Phenex will be in charge of the counter attack in the sky." Rias added. "Which leaves us to take care of everything on the ground and below."

Sona nodded in agreement. "To that end, we will attack the Fallen forces on two fronts. Using the remaining Assault Tribes, we will force our way into the Nexus Missile silo from above." She shifted her attention to Sammy's group. "Delta Squad will be in charge of this assignment. I've already given you your orders so you should know what to do. Following Sammy's attack plan, your group will drop in from above and make your way to the missle."

"And how are we doing that again?" Matsuda asked in perplexment.

"The Assault Tribes have rigged their heavy transports with Drill Capsules designed to deliver forces directly into subterranean hot spots." Sona explained.

"So basically we're gonna drill our way down there." Motohama smirked at the idea. "Nice."

"Will you two be ready for this?" Aika asked Saya and Rei worriedly.

"Oh don't worry." Rei adjusted one of her combat gloves and knocked them together. "We may not have had long to train, but we'll kick butt regardless."

"Hot…" Matsuda murmured quietly to himself.

"The rest of my Peerage and myself will focus on the ground forces and zombie hordes still remaining on the surface." Her gaze shifted to the ORC. "Keeping them distracted while you confront Kokabiel directly."

Jon shifted his gaze to Rias who nodded at him confidently.

"We understand what we have to do. Kokabiel won't know what hit him.

Sona adjusted her glasses. "This plan is not without risk but if we pull it off, we may all just come out of this alive."

At that moment, a knock on the Chapter Room door caught their attention.

"It's open!" Akeno called.

Lady Grayfia entered the room and bowed politely. "Apologies for the disturbance everyone. I know you're discussing strategy for the final assault but this cannot wait."

"It's no trouble, Lady Grayfia." Rias assured before standing up from her seat. "Is this about my Brother?"

She nodded. "Lord Lucifer is broadcasting a message to our forces over the school's Emergency PA System. You should come outside."

They all stood up and headed for the door. Once outside, they heard a blaring noise over the campus that indicated the sound of the Emergency PA System kicking on.

"Soldiers of the Underworld, here me." The voice of Sirzechs Lucifer boomed over the campus.

All of Hell's forces, the Assault Tribes, the Scout Regiments, everyone, they all came to a dead stop and turned their heads up towards the sky as their Lord spoke to them. The Orcs knelt with their fists to their hearts, the humans stood at attention, all showed complete silence and total respect as Lucifer spoke.

"Humans and Devils alike are no strangers to war. After all, we've been fighting for as long as we can remember." His voice carried the full weight of his authority through the campus's PA system. "For countless eons, our people have battled with the forces of both Heaven and the Fallen in a bloody campaign that has reshaped this world a hundred times over. The war of the Three Factions has lead to the rise and fall of Empires and the extinction of species. Through its bloody struggle we have seen the rise of great heroes and monstrous tyrants. Acts of great heroism and great travesty. And through it all NONE of us have come out of this with our hands clean."

All was silent for a moment before he continued.

"War...is all we know. Whether it's fought on battlefields or in boardrooms we have been at conflict since our three realms first conjoined at the beginning of time. In the past, we fought for power. We fought for sovereignty. We fought for vengeance."

Jon adjusted his hat and stubbed out his smoke.

"But all of that changed three days ago. This war is not a war for power, or vengeance, or petty squabbles between factions. For the first time in our History, we are fighting a war for PEACE. Peace against a genocidal, psychotic, monster. Humanity faces extinction unless we end this war NOW."

They could all feel the gravity of his words.

"The Angel of Stars has brought with him a force hell bent on destroying everything that has been built upon this rock by the young human species. We stand on the precipice of a global travesty that has not been seen on planet Earth in over sixty six million years. If we are to stop this from occurring, we have but one option. Attack! Strike at the head of the snake himself and watch its body whither and die."

The Orcs pounded their fists against their chests.

"My loyal Soldiers...what I ask of you now is not an easy thing. But it IS necessary. If the human race is to survive, to see the seasons pass once more, to continue to witness the beauty of this planet through mortal eyes, and live to experience a time of peace that has yet to be known by any on this Earth, then we must take the fight to the heart of the Angel of Stars himself! We will go to where his kind live, where they breed, where they rot, and we will EXTERMINATE them as they have tried so hard to exterminate us!"

His men raised their weapons into the air and cheered boisterously.

"Though the Human Race may never know what you do here today, this moment will be remembered in the history of the Three Factions forevermore. This is the day we strike at the heart of those who would destroy us all. This is the day that we correct the course of Human History! This is the day we ensure the survival of a species!"

The thunderous applause grew louder.

"Soldiers of the Underworld! Today, you will go forth...and return...as CHAMPIONS of Earth!"

They knew what must be done. This War ended now.

* * *

Riser Phenex soared above the chaos of the city below, his eyes firmly set on the horizon. Any moment now the floodgates would open and every Fallen Angel that Kokabiel had at his disposal would come pouring out of that great chasm forming in the sky. There would be no room for errors here. If they fell, then the ground forces would be slaughtered.

"Have the traps been set?" He asked his loyal Queen Yubelluna.

"They have, my Lord." She spoke, her eyes firmly on the horizon as well. "Your Peerage stands behind you one hundred percent."

"A shame we couldn't get the stubborn Branch Families to fall in line and assist us in this fight." Karlamine, one of Riser's Knights, spoke bitterly.

"They're still salty over the fact that Master Riser is the new head of the Clan." Ile, one of the Pixy Twins spoke up.

"If you ask me we need to pay them all a visit and remind them who's in charge." Nel, her sister, added.

"Maybe shred their curtains while we're at it." Ni and Li, the twin Nekomata, both spoke in unison.

"The branch families are a distant, uncertain issue. The needs of Kuoh City are immediate and apparent." Siris, Riser's other Knight, observed insistently.

Riser's Rook Isabela knocked her fist into her palm. "Just point me at them and I'll do the rest."

"Just try not to get in my way this time, Isabela." Xuelan, Riser's other Rook, teased insincerely before igniting her fists.

"Marion, Burent, you two stick close to me and provide long range assistance with your magic." The Pawn Shuriya ordered to her two sisters.

"You've got it, Shuriya!" Marion spoke enthusiastically.

"Just like when we stormed the Phenex the Estate!" Burent boasted pridefully.

"Hopefully this time will end a little cleaner than that did." Mira, his last remaining pawn, gulped back her reservations before readying her staff. "I still have nightmares about those Harlequins."

Ravel floated up beside her brother and smiled at him. "I'm with you every step of the way Big Brother."

Riser nodded appreciatively though his heart suddenly felt heavier. "Ravel…"

She quirked her head up at him curiously.

"Once this is over, if you...truly desire to be traded to Rias's Peerage, you may."

She was taken aback. Yubelluna meanwhile cast a meaningful gaze to her Master.

"I may not like it. I CERTAINLY don't approve of it." He sighed morosely before hanging his head in woeful dejection. "But if your heart truly lies with the Red Dragon Emperor, then Riser will not get in the way of your happiness." He choked back his emotions and stared down at her intently. "But...even if your heart belongs to him, I will always have a place in there as well...won't I?"

Her eyes widened and Ravel bit her bottom lip as she began to tear up. She quickly wiped her eyes dry before flying straight into his arms and hugging him tight.

"Of course you will you imbecile." She choked out quietly, doing her best not to turn into a weeping mess moments before they were to do battle. "You're my Big Brother and I love you. That's never going to change."

He sighed happily whilst hugging her back. "This at least...brings me peace."

Yubelluna smiled at both of them, as she opened her mouth to speak however, she was cut off by their other Bishop Mihae.

"My Lord, they're here."

The chasm in the sky opened up completely and Fallen Angels came pouring out like a biblical flood.

"There must be at least two thousand of them." Yubelluna observed. "Mostly two winged and four winged, but I see some six winged as well."

"Odd...where are the Two Hundred Watchers?" Ravel asked suspiciously.

"They could be hiding amongst the lower tiers like they were last time." Riser cautioned. "Keep your guard up everyone."

"Even without the Watchers an army of two thousand Fallen Angels is quite the ordeal." Yubelluna spoke glumly.

A devilish grin formed over Riser's features.

"I suppose it's a good thing then, that we're not completely alone."

Seven giant portals bearing the Crest of the Phenex Clan opened up above them. From these portals, thousands of golden winged sentinels flooded the battlefield and charged the Fallen forces in the sky. Though not as powerful as the Fallen, their sheer numbers more than made up for it.

"Now hear this!" Riser turned and addressed his Peerage. "You know what must be done! Lord Lucifer's eyes are upon us!"

"For the Phenex Clan!" Yubelluna raised her staff high into the air.

The Peerage summoned their terrible power and charged into the fray.

* * *

The massive assault carrier that Delta Squad was stationed on roared down the streets of Kuoh en route to the outskirts of the city. Out near the open field where the missle silo was located. Their carrier, affectionately nicknamed "Betty" by the rather histrionic old orc driving it, was outfitted with twin mounted Troika Class Turrets capable of downing even two winged Fallen Angels as well as reinforced armor plating on the sides. Its only glaring weakness was the lack of any overhead covering, making it vulnerable to mortar fire. Fortunately, Aika had the team covered in that regard.

Delta Squad kept themselves busy by checking their armaments and making sure they were geared up and ready to go.

"So why the Lindou District, Sergeant?!" Motohama shouted over the roaring motor of their assault vehicle. "Why not just drill right here?!"

"The Lindou District puts us right above the missle silo!" Sammy shouted back.

"Heard from some of the Orcs there's a shitload of zombies down there, Sir!" Matsuda replied nervously.

"More like ten shitloads!" He spoke back frankly. Sammy then placed two fingers up to his ear and activated his communications enchantment. "Delta Squad to Alpha Leader. Sona, you reading me?"

"This is Alpha Leader." Sona's voice came through the communication enchantment loud and clear. "Apparently...I'm riding on Marilyn."

He chuckled at her. "We'll see you at Lindou Alpha Lead. Happy hunting."

With that Sammy turned and addressed his squad. "Alright, settle in boys and girls. We've got a ways to go before we reach our drill point!"

"Aika, do you have the package secured?!" Saya shouted over to her squad member.

She nodded. "It's good to go! I've got it tucked away nice and safe in a pocket dimension!"

"I just hope the plan works!" Rei admitted. "We're taking a huge gamble here!"

"Of course it will work! I'm a genius, remember?!"

"Eyes up front, Warriors!" The Orc driving them bellowed. "Incoming mortar fire!"

"Everyone take cover!" Sammy shouted.

They all hit the deck as the ground around them was blasted with mortar fire.

"Oh sweet Baby Jesus, here we go!" Matsuda stuttered nervously.

Aika summoned her magic and erected a barrier over the rig. The mortar shells hit the magical shield, which held fast against them.

"I can see your magic has gotten a hell of a lot stronger." Rei complimented.

Aika grinned at her and nodded.

"Mutant swarm up front!" The Orc driver shouted. "Get on those turrets and take them out!"

Matsuda and Motohama both ran up to the two bow turrets and primed them. The Troika's twin barrels began to spin before unleashing a heavy salvo of shredder rounds on the massive horde of charging mutants.

"Oh shit! Enemy armor!" Motohama shouted before pointing off in the distance.

"Fear not their shiny metal cans!" The Orc driver bellowed. "We shall answer brute force with brute force!"

A contingent of armored chrome vehicles with mounted plasma cannons on their heads formed a blockade between them and their objective. Delta Squad's rig came to a stop while a squadron of massive red tanks rolled up in front of them until they were within firing range of the enemy armor. They exchanged high velocity plasma rounds for armor piercing uranium shells. Though initially on equal footing the Assault Tribe's tanks proved superior to the armored plasma throwers, as they completely annihilated the entire blockade, losing only one tank in the process.

"Ha ha! Is that really all these weaklings can muster?!" The Orc driver laughed thunderously.

Sammy caught a whiff of something rotten on the wind. He looked to his right and to his left to see hordes of zombies come flooding out of the alleyways, charging straight for the tanks.

It wasn't the zombies that alarmed him most, however. It was what they had strapped to their chests that made his stomach drop.

"They're strapped with C4! It's a suicide swarm!"

The zombies covered the two farthest left and right tanks like caterpillars covering a tree and detonated. The sheer number of them made the blast efficient enough to disable both tanks. Matsuda and Motohama immediately began firing on the zombies with their Troikas in order to prevent them from reaching the other tanks.

"There are too many!" Matsu shouted.

"Well this is going really fucking well!" Saya growled. "Anyone got a plan?!"

It was then that she noticed Rei was missing. The nationally ranked gymnast charged up the ramp of the carrier and did a back handspring before leaping up into the air.

Fifteen feet up into the air. Delta Squad gawked at her as she landed gracefully on the middle tank and pulled out her rifle. She proceeded to fire on any stragglers that managed to get through the Troika's gunfire.

"What's she doing?!" Matsuda shouted in a panic.

"Taking care of business!" Sammy sprouted two black wings from his back. "Keep up the pressure with those turrets! I'm gonna go help her!"

He flew up into the sky and landed on the tank Rei was on before pulling out his Desert Eagle and covering the right side while she took care of the left.

"Dude! When did she learn to do that?!" Motohama marveled at Rei as she fired on the stray zombies.

"How should I know?!" Matsuda replied, still in amazement as well.

They managed to clear the remaining horde whereupon Sammy carried Rei back to their rig. In total, they lost three out of six of their tanks before finally clearing the city proper and making it into the suburban sprawl of the Lindou District. The carrier Marilyn was not far behind them and the two joined up while the tanks dispersed to take care of the mortar nests.

Unfortunately, they weren't in the clear just yet.

"Three Fallen Angels coming straight for us!"

Sammy cursed. While they were only Two Winged if any of them managed to get to the rig then the Rookies wouldn't stand a chance.

"Aika, you're with me!" He ordered. "The rest of you keep this carrier safe!"

"Right!" Aika's Devil Wings unfurled and she took to the sky alongside Sammy. While they did battle with the Fallen above, Matsuda and the other's took care of everything below.

"We've got Mutants coming up alongside us!" Saya warned before pulling out her Luger.

Matsuda and Motohama both switched to their shotguns and returned to the center of the rig. As the Mutants climbed up the sides the four of them unloaded on the creatures.

Matsuda blasted them with his shotgun, turning each one to mulch in quick succession. The moment he ran out of ammo, he switched to his bat and let the bloodlust take over while swinging for the fences.

Motohama fired heavy slugs through the heads of the mutants as they popped up over the sides of the rig. He'd quickly reload once his shells were spent before firing again while Rei covered him with her rifle.

Saya meanwhile, fired her Luger at an approaching Mutant before a nasty bump sent her to the ground. She squealed in fright as the creature lunged for her only to be saved by Rei who stabbed the creature in the eye with her bayonet on its descent before putting a round into its skull. Saya was splattered with brains and blood in the process. As she looked down at her ruined outfit she began to see red while growling in high pitched anger.

"That DOES IT!" She shrieked before tossing her Luger aside and standing up. "I have had it up to here with you freaks ruining my clothes!"

The entire rig began to shake and Delta Squadron watched in awe as Saya's hair began to float off the ground and her body became encased in an aura of blue energy. They had seen this sort of thing before...from Xenovia.

"You think it's EASY finding cute outfits in the middle of a damn apocalypse?! You fuckers have no class whatsoever!"

Another creature crawled up the side of the rig and lunged for her. She raised her hand up in front of her with her palm spread flat. The Mutant stopped in mid air, held in place by an invisible force. She balled her hand into a fist in one swift motion and the Mutant was crushed into a heap of flesh and broken bone before falling harmlessly to the ground.

"I'll teach you to respect high fashion!" Saya unleashed her latent power on the remaining Mutants, blasting their heads off with concentrated Psi Bolts from her mind while ripping them to shreds with telekinetic power.

"Wh...what the…" Motohama turned white as as a sheet and his jaw hit the floor.

"When did…" Matsuda pointed a single trembling finger at Saya.

Rei grinned wickedly at them. "Yeah, you boys aren't the only ones with mutant powers now." She raised an arm into the air and black markings appeared on her skin. "For instance I'm ultra durable now in addition to having increased stamina, agility, and strength." Clearly very proud of her newfound powers she then added. "Oh! And I can also blend into my environment like a chameleon."

As neat as that was, they were more focused on the terrifying display that Saya was pulling off. The Mutants couldn't even touch her. Their bodies were ripped apart long before they got the chance.

"As impressive as my new powers are, however, they're nothing compared to her." Rei admitted. "Saya's brain mutated to the point where she developed Psionic Power."

"Just like Xenovia." Matsuda gawked.

She shook her head. "This is different. As Tsubaki explained it to us in the lab, Xenovia's Psionic Abilities are a side effect of her connection to her Holy Sword. Saya's are a natural born gift. What you're seeing is true Psychic Power at work."

Motohama was turning green as he watched his terrifying girlfriend decimate the remaining Mutants. Cursing and screaming as her single fang gleamed at them and her eyes glowed with power.

With all the Mutants dead, Saya's power finally subsided. She calmly adjusted her glasses before stepping over one of the carcasses and rejoining them.

"I think that's all." She declared as if nothing was wrong.

Now in a complete panic, Motohama felt his internal monologue click in.

"Well isn't this just super! Now she's psychic!" Left Brain shouted angrily.

"Dude! Shut up! What if she can read our thoughts." Right Brain insisted.

A horrifying thought occurred to Left Brain. "Oh shit! What if she could read our thoughts last night?! She'll know we're a big bag of crazy!"

"I mean...I guess there's no harm in asking her right?" Right Brain offered nervously. "Why not just ask her?"

"So uhhh...Saya Sweety." Motohama stuttered nervously. "These new powers of yours wouldn't happen to include Telepathy would they? Because if so then I can explain."

She quirked her head at him curiously for a moment before smiling sweetly. "Oh Motohama, Darling…"

Her expression suddenly darkened.

"...you must be an even bigger idiot than I thought if you really think I would tell you if I can read your mind or not."

He was petrified. The internal monologue was no more as both sides now agreed with each other. Motohama was FUCKED.

Rei meanwhile, quickly clasped a hand up to her mouth and chortled hysterically. "Oh man...you better be on your best behavior for the rest of your LIFE, Dude. You've got a literal Psychic Girlfriend!" She was still laughing as she spoke.

"Bro…" Matsuda placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "...I do NOT envy you right now."

At that moment Sammy and Aika returned to the carrier, having successfully dealt with the Fallen Angels.

"We should be all clear until we reach our dig site." Sammy informed before holstering his Desert Eagle.

"Two more contacts up front!" The Orc driver shouted. "They're right on top of our dig site!"

Aika groaned in exasperation. "You were saying?"

They ran to the front of the rig to see off in the distance two figures floating above the chaos of war. Their wings were mismatched, with one being a Devil and the other a Fallen.

"More Fallen?" Matsuda asked.

Sammy shook his head, his expression grave. "No...worse."

Tamiel and Ramiel shifted their gaze towards the Marilyn. The elder sibling raised his hand and summoned a Light Cannon to his side before blasting the rig into scrap with a single shot.

"Sona!" He shouted in horror before swooping over to the wreck site quick as he could.

Aika meanwhile, prepared to cast a barrier to fend off an attack on Betty, but the two Hybrid siblings didn't seem to even notice them. All their attention was on the Madelyn.

As Sammy began digging through the wreckage the front of the hull blasted outward and Sona, along with her entire Peerage, stepped calmly out of the wreck, none the worse for ware.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Lucifer you're okay Boss."

She nodded, her gaze sharply on the two siblings looming overhead. "We're fine, but our Orcs are dead."

"I take it these are the ones responsible?" Tsubaki glared at the Hybrids same as Sona.

Sammy nodded in confirmation. "That's Tamiel and Ramiel. They're Kokabiel's brats."

"The son and daughter of Eurus Agares." Momo spoke solemnly. "I pity them both."

"Pity them all you want, we still have to destroy them." Tsubasa insisted.

"Just give us the word, Ms. President." Tomoe summoned her Katana.

The rest of Sona's Peerage readied their powers. After a moment of thought, she gave the order.

"This is where we part ways. Sammy, you and Aika will remain with your squad. Tsubaki, I want you to take the rest of the Peerage and assist Lord Riser with the sky campaign."

Her entire Peerage turned and collectively gawked at her.

"Are you sure that's wise, Ms. President?" Tsubaki asked sincerely.

She nodded, her resolve standing firm. "Rias filled me in on the details of their powers, I fear you all would simply get in the way of this fight."

"No offense Boss. But have ya completely lost your damn mind?!" Sammy shouted angrily. "This ain't the time to be playing hero on the frontlines! What's the point of having a Peerage if we're not here to protect-"

"Sammy…" Sona suddenly smiled at him, a look of deep affection in her eyes. "...there's something very important I want you to know."

He was stunned by the tone of her voice. She wasn't acting like her normal self.

"I want you to know that I'm proud of you." She spoke in ernest. "I'm proud of how much stronger you've become." His Kingpiece shook her head profusely. "And while it's true you weren't my first choice, you were definitely the RIGHT choice. Stop comparing yourself to Jonathan, okay? You're your own man."

"Sona…" He was at a complete loss for words.

"And I wouldn't trade you for a whole ARMY of Red Dragon Emperors now." She finished.

He was completely in shock. That was easily the sweetest thing his Boss had ever said to him.

"Oh Ms. President…" Ruruko began to tear up and sniffle as her own emotions welled to the surface. She knew how much the issue with Jon was bugging her Dragon, so even if he wasn't going to cry over it, she would.

Having said her peace, and with the approval of her whole Peerage, Sona turned her attention back to the Hybrids. "Now go...and make us all proud, my Trusted Servant."

A fire lit under his ass. "Yes, Ma'am!" Sammy took to the sky once more, casting one final gaze at his Peerage below.

His Treasures smiled back up at him lovingly, each of their hearts going with him.

"I wouldn't trade any of you for anything either." He muttered to himself before returning to the Betty.

"Tsubaki, take the others and provide reinforcements for Lord Riser." Sona ordered. "When you reach the Phoenix, tell him this officially makes us even."

"Understood, Ma'am." She turned towards the others. "You heard your President, all of you move out!"

They each one by one unfurled their wings and took to the sky. Reya took one last look at Aika, who frowned back at her worriedly from the deck of the Betty. She smiled sweetly at her and a light blush crept over her cheeks as she unfurled her wings and took to the sky with the others. Leaving only Tsubaki and Sona remaining.

"The others are all coming around." Her Queen commented happily. "Even Tomoe is starting to show signs of her affection for him."

Sona nodded approvingly. "And Reya finally has someone special to connect with. I'm happy for all of you."

"And you...Ms. President?" Tsubaki took a bold leap. "When will you be ready to be happy?"

She smiled and shut her eyes while placing a hand to her chest, her cheeks turning slightly red. "In time...in time."

With that, Tsubaki unfurled her wings and followed her Peerage. With the others gone, Sona turned all of her attention to the two opponents in front of her as they slowly descended to the ground a couple yards away.

"Well this is interesting. We were expecting the Gremory bitch to be here. Not you." Tamiel commented somewhat taciturnly.

Sona straightened her posture, prim and proper as always. "Indeed? Well I apologize for disappointing you."

"No need to be rude, Sis." Ramiel chided her. "It's not her fault we shot the wrong crane thingy."

"Speaking of which…" Tamiel pointed at the other Rig which was in the process of dropping two drilling canisters containing the members of Delta Squad through the Earth via hydraulic crane. "...should we do something about that?"

Ramiel shrugged. "Not really all that important. Those things are dropping everywhere, what's one more?"

Sona chuckled at him in amusement. "You are seriously about to regret that cocky attitude of yours."

He quirked a brow at her. "Why's that?"

"Those canisters contain more than normal troopers. The Black Dragon King himself is on board." Sona stated pridefully.

The canisters deployed and Delta Squad shot through the Earth, boring down to the Nexus and to the guarded missile silo.

"Oh damn, that actually looks kind of fun." Tamiel commented before turning and griping at Ramiel. "Why is it we never get any of the cool toys?"

"So Plasma Tanks don't count?" He asked in confusion.

"You can't tunnel to the center of the Earth with a Plasma Tank." She pouted.

"Oh, you could bitch about ANYTHING, you know that?" He huffed at her in annoyance.

"Rias told me you two have a peculiar habit of letting your enemies go without trying to pursue." The Sitri Heir commented observantly. "But I fear this time that hubris of yours will cost you dearly. My servant will not stop until that missile has been effectively sabotaged."

"Yeaaah, kay." Tamiel flipped her hair out of her eyes and put her phone away. "So here's the problem with THAT. See, our Chief of Security is down there and...well let's just say all those men you're sending into our base are in for a pretty rude awakening."

She narrowed her eyes at them warily.

Ramiel chuckled in sardonic amusement. "Turns out not all of Valper's little experiments are total failures. One of those little brats he was experimenting on back during WWII? They survived. He's turned out to be quite the interesting test subject."

"You mean there was another survivor of those hideous experiments besides Rias's Knight?" Sona asked, finding that somewhat hard to believe."

"Yuuuup." Tamiel commented completely dispassionately. "We've been upgrading him over the years. Necromancy, biological mutations, and most recently, cybernetic enhancements."

"You're all insane, you know that right?" Sona retorted bluntly.

"Don't you guys turn humans into Devils? How is this any different?" Ramiel shrugged. "Oh wait, I forgot I don't care. The fact is, you're probably safer here with us than they are down there. Though not by much."

She grinned angrily at them. "Well I hate to disappoint you AGAIN. But I fear you've severely overplayed your hand challenging me."

"Oh please." Tamiel blew her off. "The only reason Queen Redhead got the better of us was because she nailed me in the back while I wasn't looking."

"But now my sister and I are both at full power." Ramiel assured.

"He controls Space and I control Time." His sister continued. "When we fight together, there is no force on this Earth that can stop us."

Sona sighed wearily before removing her glasses and cleaning them with her magic. "Why it is that every single opponent I face insists on underestimating me is baffling. You do know Rias is technically from a lower House than me, right? My family is ranked Prince among the Seventy Two Pillars. Next to the Bael and the Agares Clans we have no equals."

"Lady, I can hardly keep track of my own forces let alone your crazy little hierarchy of nonsense." Ramiel spoke taciturnly.

"Allow me to put it this way then." Sona placed her glasses back on her face and glared at them sharply.

"Rias Gremory isn't the only Queen Bitch ruling this city. Pick a fight with me and I'll prove it to you."

"Oh great." Tamiel rolled her eyes. "She's a Tryhard too."

"Fortunately we have just the cure for that. You ready, Sis?"

"If I have to." She stated wearily.

They channeled their power together and all of space and time completely stopped around them. The world to them looked like a negative Polaroid, completely devoid of any color, sound, or motion.

Ramiel yawned complacently. "They really make it too easy for us."

"Meh." Tamiel pulled out her phone and started typing again. "Just go kill her and let's head back."

"You know that thing doesn't work in here right? Like...who are you planning on texting in a negative zone?"

She frowned sourly. "For your information I'm working on my Tumblr bio."

"Wait, you already have Tumblr. Why are you making a new one?"

"To give me something to do whenever I've maxed out ideas on my other five." She explained.

He glared at her in disbelief. "Has anyone told you lately you have a problem?"

"Actually, you both do."

Tamiel and Ramiel slowly turned to see Sona very much not frozen like the rest of spacetime. Energy rippled off her body as if she were passing through a stream of water.

"Umm, what the fuck?" Tamiel glared at her in annoyance. "Ramiel, why is she not frozen?"

He sighed in frustration. "Okay so I understand Rias. But do you want to explain why YOU can get past our magic?"

"To put it simply. You have piss poor luck." Sona mocked them derisively. "As it so happens there are TWO Pureblood Devils in this city who can counteract time magic."

Tamiel rolled her eyes. "Last I checked, the Sitris don't do time magic, so what's your excuse?"

She chuckled in amusement while shaking her head. "You know Rias didn't get her power from her clan either right?"

Ramiel quirked an agitated brow at her. "So?"

"So…" She adjusted her glasses. "...put two and two together. If Rias got her powers from the Baal clan, then how is it I can bend spacetime same as you?"

When it finally occurred to them what she was alluding to, their auras turned murderous.

"Don't you fucking dare." Tamiel growled.

She shot them a slick grin. "Now you've got it. Before my Father married my Mother and became Lord Sinval Sitri his birth name was Sinval Agares. My sister and I have inherited the sublime powers of our Cousin Clan. Control over both space and time."

She clapped her hands together sharply and the world turned from grey to green as she sent them to a mirror dimension. With her arms she twisted and contorted the surrounding landscape, bending the world around them into impossible shapes.

* * *

The Grindlift ride was bumpy and unpleasant. Fortunately for Delta Squad, it also wasn't very long. Maybe a minute and a half at most before they successfully made it inside the Nexus. Once their canisters touched down they popped open the hatches and all six members burst out with their guns drawn.

It wasn't long before things started shooting at them. A Cyber Squadron was doing battle with an Orc Strike Team where they landed. Forcing them into a firefight. The group immediately found cover and assisted, witj Matsuda especially going at the cyber soldiers with Orcish frenzy. Ripping his way through them with his Lancer Rifle and chainsaw.

Mutants were around every corner. Coming from above, below, and through the walls of the concrete corridors. Rei used her superior agility to draw the creatures to her while Motohama took them out with high caliber sniper rounds.

The zombies they came across were all primarily mutated as well. Having been infected long enough for many of them to grow fleshy bone scythes out of one or even multiple orifices. Saya's Psionic power and Aika's Arcane Magic made quick work of the zombie hordes.

And at the front of it all was their leader, Sammy. The Black Dragon King cut down everything in his path with his advanced plasma rifle while leading Delta Squad deeper into the missile silo. They eventually arrived at a large operations room where huge screens hung on the walls as well as rows upon rows of monitors lining the first and second floors. Saya immediately ran over to one of the monitors and began entering console commands.

"Fuck! The launch sequence has already been engaged." Saya reported angrily. "We're on a countdown."

"Can you disable it?" Sammy asked insistently.

She shook her head. "Not from here. Looks like the only way to stop it now would be with a manual override."

"Come on! You're supposed to be the super genius here!" Matsuda insisted frantically.

"That just means I'm smart!" Saya shouted back at him, baring her fang. "You want me to multiply two big numbers in my head?! Fine! I can do that! But I can't turn off a fucking missle with a computer that's not connected to it!"

"Oh for the love of-we're wasting time here!" Aika insisted. "Forget the launch sequence, we need to stick to the plan!"

The lights in the room went out and all was dark. After a moment, backup power kicked on and the emergency floods illuminated their surroundings once more.

Sammy's nose picked up the scent of danger. His nostrils flared black smoke as he turned his head up towards the second floor of the operations room.

A pair of glowing red eyes stared back down at him.

"So at last the intruders arrive at my doorstep. A pity Fynn isn't with you. I had hoped for a reunion."

Sammy slowly drew his Desert Eagle and aimed it at the figure with glowing red eyes. "And just who the hell are you?"

The figure stood in stoic silence for a moment before speaking.

"I am a survivor. Just as you are." He explained with cold, impersonal detachment. "I can see it in your eyes. You kill for your benefactors, same as I do. It's nothing personal, merely the law of nature."

Sammy lowered his gun and narrowed his eyes severely. "Aika...you're with me. The rest of you get moving."

"But Sarge-" Motohama was about to protest.

"That's an order!" He barked at them. "We don't have time to deal with this joker AND finish the mission."

Aika summoned a magic circle and pulled a small metal briefcase from it before handing it to Saya. "You know what to do."

She nodded before opening the case and inspecting its contents. The six glass vials filled with a blue substance were still in there.

"We won't let you down."

As the Rookies of Delta Squad left to go complete their mission, Sammy and Aika turned their attention back to the figure looming above them.

"So you mind explaining this smell I'm catching off of you?" The Black Dragon King asked bluntly. "You're obviously human and yet…" He took another whiff of the air. "...more than that."

It was impossible to tell if the figure was smiling or not. "Perhaps I was human...once. Just as you undoubtedly were. But my benefactors have improved me as they once tried to do to the other members of my family. I couldn't understand their motives then, but I see them now. Only Fynn and I were strong enough to survive. The others? Emile, Frederick, all of them. They were merely a product of natural selection."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Aika demanded.

"Apologies." He spoke indifferently. "I forget he uses a different name now. Kiba, I believe it is?"

That's when it dawned on Sammy. He trained his weapon back on the figure looming over them like an ominous shroud, glaring daggers at him.

"You're one of the orphans who was part of that sick experiment Kiba survived."

The figure nodded. "Yes. And like your Kiba I have grown stronger for it. He may not see the blessings Valper bestowed upon us both, but I do. Natural selection leaves the survivor stronger and better. Humans have escaped this winnowing for far too long."

He stood up on the rail of the second floor balcony and dropped, landing gracefully on his feet to reveal his full visage. A man dressed in a black combat suit with a black leather trenchcoat that fell almost all the way to his feet stood with his arms tucked stoically behind his back. His short dirty blonde hair was slicked back with product, and he was wearing a pair of black shades over his eyes.

"Allow me to properly introduce myself. My name is Albert Wesker, Chief of Nexus Security."


	38. Chapter 38

**::Author's Note::**

**We're getting close to the final chapter here guys. This one was quite the ride, let me tell you. I didn't intend for this Arc to be literally the same length as both Arcs One and Two COMBINED, but there you have it. Overall, I'm quite happy with how it's turned out. Despite going through a pretty lengthy dry spell in its development, I feel good about where it ended up.**

**One thing I wanted to comment on from posts I saw for the last chapter. For those of you who asked, YES, the inspiration from that scene did come from SAO Abridged. I felt the inner monologue going on in Abridged Kirito's head meshed well with the Saya is potentially a mind reader subplot I'm developing.**

**The end of the tunnel is approaching for Arc Three, ladies and gentleman. I give to you, Chapter 38.**

**::End Note::**

Father Kyle's funeral was a solemn, respectful, yet no less gloomy affair. Like with all things that came with a Catholic Service, his ceremony and last rites were performed during normal Sunday mass.

Something about that always pissed Jon off. God was already the center of their attention twenty four seven. Why couldn't he take a back seat just ONCE so someone could say something nice about his Mentor without tying it to religious allegory?

When it became clear that the service was done talking about Father Kyle's life and had moved on to the Sermon, he decided it was time to dip out for a smoke. He'd heard all he needed to hear anyway.

Jon left the cemetery and returned to the parking lot with his guitar and a fresh pack of Newports. After popping the smoke in his mouth and lighting up, he took a moment to let the carcinogens sink in before blowing a cloud of smoke into the air.

"Well that was depressing, wasn't it."

Jon turned to see Irina, now free of her Sunday's best and in her jeans and red spring jacket, a compassionate smile on her face.

He smiled at her. "You too?"

She nodded. "I was hoping his eulogy would last a little longer."

He sighed bitterly before tossing his smoke on the ground and stubbing it out. "Yeah well...you already know how I feel about all that."

"I do." Irina brushed a strand of hair out of her face while staring away from him nervously. "But...we're still okay, right?"

"Of course we are." He assured, his eyes back on the horizon.

"I know we...said some things before you left to go fight Carlia." Irina frowned guiltily. "Some of us more than others."

"You were worried." Jon spoke sincerely, assuring her there was no ill will between them. "And you had every right to be."

"Still…" She gazed up at him insistently. "...I'm sorry."

After a moment, he peered back at her and smiled. "Yeah...me too."

A tense silence hung in the air.

"You know, I'm starting to get why the Church feels the need to lie to its followers. They want them to believe that the worst thing you can find outside these walls are Democrats and Abortion Clinics." Jon spoke frankly. "They want to protect them from the REAL evil."

Irina elected not to comment. Now wasn't the time for her to get preachy, she understood that much at least.

"The Church wants its followers to go to bed at night feeling safe. If that means lying to them, then so be it." His eyes fell to the ground and a melancholy sigh escaped his lips. "The more I think about it, the more I wish they had lied to us too."

"Even knowing what you do now?" She asked in concern.

"Oh come on." He gave her a stubborn look. "You mean to tell me you don't occasionally wish you could be something else? We hunt monsters for God's sake. Normal people? They see the sort of things we kill on a regular basis and they run." He shook his head. "But not us, no no. We actively seek out things that want to kill us or eat us or both. You know who does that? Crazy people, that's who."

She shrugged. "I just don't see the point thinking about it."

"Ah hell." He turned away, still lost in his thoughts. "I guess I've just been thinking...I've been a Hunter practically my entire life, it would have been nice to know what else I could have been."

Irina frowned softly. "Honestly, I'm a little relieved. You seemed so ready to die before you went on that Hunt."

He stood in silence for a moment, the wind quietly rustling his jacket. "Maybe I was...back when revenge was all I had to live for. But now? Now I'm not so sure."

"What do you mean?" She asked curiously.

"I mean...back before I ever went on that Hunt, I pretty much just figured that's all there was to me. The Hunt. Six silver bullets and a flask of Holy Water." He shrugged. "I guess I just thought that sooner or later I'd go out the same way that I lived. I'd die a Hunter and that would be it. But now...I don't know. There's things, people, feelings that I want to experience differently than I have before, or maybe even for the first time."

With a heavy breath, he finished his thought.

"I'm just starting to think that maybe there's more to it all than I thought."

They stood in silence again. At last Irina smiled and turned her head back to the cemetery.

"When I die, I want to be buried here."

Jon gave her the weirdest look imaginable. "Do what now?"

Irina chuckled sweetly. "I was just thinking, originally I wanted to be buried with my parents but...this is where our Hunters are buried. It's where Father Kyle is buried. It's likely where you'll be buried when…" She stopped herself. "...well anyway, when it's finally my turn, I want to be buried here too."

He turned his head away in embarrassment. "Oh…"

"There's no telling what our future holds, Jon." She spoke sincerely. "To me...life is about enjoying the few things you have control over. Time together with the people you love. Small moments to laugh. And knowing that, when it's all over, you'll still be right next to the people you care about most."

Jon couldn't help but smile at her. "What are you saying, Irina?"

She blushed deeply. "I'm saying...I'm really proud to be a Hunter. I'm really proud of the work I do. But more than that…"

She turned around and beamed at him.

"...I'm really really proud that you're my Mentor."

He didn't really have anything for that. His heart was beating noticeably quicker, but beyond that, he had no clue how to respond.

Irina giggled at him. "Never mind." She pulled a set of keys out of her pocket and jangled them. "Come on, I'll drive."

"Okay?" He followed her to the car, a confused look on his face. "Where we goin?"

She shrugged impishly before climbing in the driver's seat and shutting the door. "You've got the next three days off. I figured we might head to that diner we ate at back in Missouri."

He quirked a brow at her. "You do know that's almost fourteen hours away, right?"

She shrugged. "You saying you can't handle a little road trip?"

"Don't put words in my mouth, Missy." He insisted before buckling up.

Irina laughed before revving the engine and putting the car in drive. As they set off down the road, Jon shouldered his guitar and began to tune it.

"By the way…" He smiled back at Irina while strumming a few notes. "...I'm really proud to be your Mentor too."

Her heart fluttered. Maybe one day...she'd muster up the courage to tell him how she REALLY felt. Until then though, she was happy with being what she was.

His family.

Jon strummed his guitar a few times before beginning to play.

"Yeah, I'm chilling on dirt road."

"Laid back, swerving like I'm George Jones."

"Smoke rollin out the window."

"An ice cold beer sitting in the console."

"Memory Lane up in the headlights."

"Has got me reminiscing on the good times."

"I'm turning off the real life, driving, that's right."

"I'm hittin easy street with mud tires."

As he hit the spoken verse of the song he grinned at Irina. "Now I know you know this part."

"Oh I just might." She grinned back at him.

He began to play and she spoke along.

"Back in the day pop's farm was the place to go. Load the truck up hit the dirt road.

Jump the barbwire spread the word.

Light the bonfire then call the girls.

The king in the can and the Marlboro man.

Jack and Jim were a few good men.

When we learned how to kiss and cuss and fight too.

Better watch out for the boys in blue

And all this small town he said she said

Ain't it funny how rumors spread

Like I know something ya'll don't know

Man that talk is getting old

Man mind your business watch your mouth

Before I have to knock your loud mouth out

I'm tired of talking man ya'll ain't listenin'

Them old dirt roads is what ya'll missin'"

Jon broke into the chorus again and they both began to sing.

"Yeah, I'm chilling on dirt road."

"Laid back, swerving like I'm George Jones."

"Smoke rollin out the window."

"An ice cold beer sitting in the console."

"Memory Lane up in the headlights."

"Has got me reminiscing on the good times."

"I'm turning off the real life, driving, that's right."

"I'm hittin easy street with mud tires."

They sang through the entirety of the song together. Both without a care in the world. For awhile at least, it would be like their troubles were miles away. Back at the Monastery where they had left them.

Small moments like this were what life was all about as far as Irina was concerned. Just her and Jon, her Mentor, her best friend, and the man she loved.

"What's got you so smiley?" Jon asked her.

"Oh...it's nothing. Our lives can be like nightmares but...occasionally they can feel like a dream too."

He set his guitar down and rolled the seat back before shutting his eyes.

"Come on, Irina….you and I both know this IS just a dream."

A nervous pit formed in her stomach and she looked at him. Jon wasn't there. Her mentor was gone.

Irina cast her gaze back on the road and gasped in fear before slamming on the breaks to avoid hitting the young girl standing in the middle of the road. She quickly undid her belt and hopped out.

"Oh my God! Are you okay?!"

She froze. When Irina stepped out of the car she was no longer on a peaceful American back road. She was in the ruined streets of Kuoh Japan.

And the little girl she nearly hit was no stranger either.

"Alice?!" She asked as if not quite believing what she was seeing. "Why are you here? You were supposed to go with the other survivors!"

"Irina…" Alice spoke in a calm but no less severe tone. "...you need to wake up."

She blinked several times in confusion. "Wh...what?"

"You fell asleep shortly after leaving the Church." Alice explained. "You're still in the city."

"But…" Irina was trying to remember everything. "...hold on, where's Jon?"

"He's about to confront the Angel of Stars." She warned. "You have to help him. Lucifer drastically overestimated their chances of winning. He doesn't know the full extent of Kokabiel's forces and there's every possibility Jon could die without all the help he can get."

A severe dread formed over her like a dark cloud. "But what can I do? His Peerage doesn't want me there."

"Like that's ever stopped you before." Alice retorted.

She frowned in uncertainty. "Will he even want my help? After everything that's happened?"

At that, Alice smiled.

"He still loves you, Irina. In all this time, never once has that changed."

Irina scoffed. "Yeah, me and about four other women."

She coughed awkwardly. "Well...technically five now, but that's neither here nor there. My point is, he's your family. And even if he's fallen in with a bad crowd, that shouldn't change how you feel about him."

She didn't respond, prompting Alice to speak for her.

"Hate the sin, love the sinner as they say."

"Who are you? Really?" Irina asked suspiciously.

Alice smiled up at her warmly. "A friend."

With that, she vanished. Irina woke up from her dream not long after that and checked to make sure her Revolver was still loaded.

* * *

Jon's chopper roared down the streets of Kuoh, cutting through the ruined city on a direct course for the front lines. It was hard to believe this was the same city he met his Peerage in. The streets were completely abandoned and aside from the roar of his bike and the sounds of warfare way off in the distance, the city was silent as the grave.

Asia clutched tightly to his waist, her pink helmet on her head and her blonde hair flowing through the breeze. Above him, Rias flew ahead of the chopper with the other members of her Peerage in a V-Formation.

"Look at all this…" Asia spoke grimly through her communication enchantment. "...I barely recognize our own city anymore."

"It's a ghost town." Koneko commented glumly.

"Kokabiel will pay dearly for this, mark my words." Rias assured, a deadly edge in her voice.

"And we're certain that crystal of yours will lead us to Kokabiel?" Xenovia asked Kiba.

He placed a hand on the Phylactery he now wore around his neck. "It was my friends who lead me to Valper once, now they will lead us to Valper AND Kokabiel. You have my word."

"Which means we can most likely expect Freed to make an appearance as well." Rias warned.

"Fucking lovely." Koneko groaned.

Jon gunned the throttle and fire burst from his bike's tailpipes. The ORC moved as a single unit through the broken and abandoned streets of Kuoh, ever wary of a potential ambush.

But no ambush ever came. The group made it all the way to Lindou and yet there was no sign of the enemy anywhere. While most would consider this a blessing, the ORC knew better. As they reached one of the suburban subsections of Lindou, Jon brought his bike to a halt and they all came to a stop. The lack of any substantial enemy presence, or indeed any enemy presence at all could mean only one thing.

"He's waiting for us." Rias declared. "Kokabiel knows we're coming."

"I don't like this, President." Kiba commented warily, his hand firmly gripping the hilt of his sword. "If the enemy knows we're coming then why haven't they made a move?"

"It could be our forces have them preoccupied." Asia offered hopefully.

"As much as I adore that bright ray of sunshine personality of yours Sweety, I sincerely doubt we're that lucky." Akeno commented in a motherly tone.

"It's likely we're walking straight into a trap." Xenovia spoke up, finally being the one to say what they were all thinking. "Ms. President, I know I've likely not earned your trust yet but…"

"Xenovia, you're a member of my Peerage now." She responded frankly. "As such you are entitled to speak your mind, same as the rest of my Servants. Now please, voice your opinion."

She was genuinely surprised by her response. "O...oh. Well, in that case, I recommend we hold off on the attack until we can acquire more information. We simply don't know enough about what he may have in store for us to go barging straight into a fight."

"Normally I would agree with you." Rias assured. "But time is not our ally here. If that missile launches and Sammy's team fails their mission, we are the only ones who have a chance of stopping the virus."

"Besides, if we don't keep Kokabiel occupied, there's no telling what kind of havoc he could wreak on our other forces." Akeno insisted.

"So we must blindly stumble into trap then?" Xenovia challenged. "I'm not saying we shouldn't act in haste, but would it not be prudent of us to-"

"It ain't a trap." Jon spoke up, cutting them all off.

All eyes turned to the Red Dragon Emperor, who at that moment was gazing off towards the sounds of war determinedly.

"I've hunted creatures like Kokabiel before. I know what they're like." He calmly explained. "They consider something like this to be a game. All this death, all this bloodshed, it's only happening for his amusement. This isn't a trap, it's a challenge. He wants to see which side is stronger."

"That's an awfully bold assumption Jon. Even for you." Rias spoke warily. "How can you be certain this isn't a trap?"

He turned around and addressed them.

"Because this whole set up is EXACTLY like when I hunted Carlia."

Asia gasped in surprise and concern.

"Jon…" Xenovia made her voice and her concern known. "...you do remember how that hunt ended, right? Irina told me about it. Your Mentor and all of his men were killed and you barely survived the encounter."

He lowered his head in solemn remembrance. "I will never forget." Jon then turned his head back towards the sound of warfare. "But this time will be different. This time, none of us will die. I'll make sure of that." He then added with a slick grin. "Besides, Rias and I didn't spend the better part of two days nearly killing each other for nothing."

She smirked at him with devious approval. "I couldn't agree more, my Servant."

"It's like our President said. We don't have time to come up with another plan." He continued. "If we're gonna take down Kokabiel, then we have to trust in the strength we've acquired to see this through."

Kiba walked up next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm with you every step of the way, Brother."

Jon placed a hand on Kiba's shoulder in response. "Ready to kick Valper's ass?"

The Knight's free hand clutched at the phylactery once more. "We all are."

Rias made her way to the front of the group.

"Today is the day of a glorious new future. For ourselves, and for our city."

With their President's words, the Occult Research Club made their way to the Angel of Stars. Their final battle was about to begin.

* * *

There was a reason that Sona rarely, if ever, used her Spacetime Magic. Something that was becoming harder and harder to ignore as she did battle with Tamiel and Ramiel. As confident as she was in her Arcane Arts, she still had yet to fully gain control of her cousin Clan's powers. Because of her lack of experience, the gap between Tamiel and Ramiel's abilities versus hers were starting to show as they did battle in the neutral space she had created. As both sides wrestled for control over space time, Sona new if she didn't change something fast, she'd burn through all her magic reserves before ever getting a hit on either of them.

Not to mention, Rias wasn't kidding about Ramiel being lethal with those Swords of Light. Combined with his sister's Scythe of Light, the duo made an imposing pair indeed, even with the constant warping of reality going on around them. As both sides continued to wrestle for control over the created dimension, Sona blasted them with Arcane Spells. Though in retrospect, this was mostly just stalling them as opposed to doing any lasting damage.

"I'll give you credit for this much, at least." Tamiel taunted before soaring past a flying piece of building and taking another swing at her. "You've got some real lady balls trying to beat us at our own game."

"But you must be either stupid or suicidal if you think this little stunt of yours would actually pan out in your favor. You're clearly running on empty."

Sona dodged another wild shot from one of Ramiel's Cannons before deflecting another blow from his sister's scythe.

"You know? In hindsight, I'm GLAD you're not Rias." Tamiel snarled before channeling light magic into her scythe, increasing the blades size. "Killing a descendant of the Agares clan is SO much more satisfying than settling some schoolyard grudge."

"It's just a shame we can't put you through the same torture we've endured for all these centuries." A psychotic grin formed on Ramiel's features. "But rest assured, once we wrestle control of this dimension back from you, we will certainly try."

Sona just needed a bit more time. She dodged another attack and countered with a Water Dragon spell. Tamiel proceeded to blast it into drops with a single swing of her scythe.

"Once you're out of energy we will have plenty of fun torturing your Devil body with our light magic." Tamiel spoke sadistically. "With my time dilation magic, we can stretch a few minutes of agony into days or even weeks!"

"We will slowly cut you into tiny pieces." Ramiel added just as twistedly. "Until your mind is as broken as your body."

"Prepare yourself, Devil Scum!" Tamiel snarled viciously before going on the offensive once more. "Your nightmare is only just beginning!"

The duo charged her, intent on delivering the blow that would cripple her for good. At that moment, Sona clapped her hands together and a blue portal that lead straight into a great black void opened up behind her.

"What the-"

The Sitri King grinned as Tamiel and Ramiel were unceremoniously sucked into the portal. They fell through the great darkness together before landing awkwardly on a massive floating quartz stone. The crystal embedded in the rock was blue in color and upon closer inspection, they realized the things were everywhere.

But that wasn't all that was in this new plane of existence. Rivets of Ley Energy flowed from the bottomless depths below up towards the endless sky like streams of water defying the laws of physics.

"Well this trippy AF." Tamiel commented blithely. "Have you been smoking toad skins again, Bro?"

"Tamiel, not now!" Her brother growled.

Sona Sitri descended upon them, before gracefully landing on a stone several yards away. Seemingly no worse for ware.

"I must admit, you were right. Time and Space magic is definitely an area out of my expertise." She spoke impeccably while adjusting her glasses. "Much as I hate to admit it, it seems I have some catching up to do if I hope to keep pace with Rias. We have a little bet going, you see. I must surpass my Sister in power before she can surpass her Brother."

"Hate to break it you, but you can forget about that bet." Tamiel snarled. "You knocked us out of the neutral zone which means we're back in normal Spacetime. This fight is over."

She raised her hand to stop time but found she couldn't.

"Wh...what?!" For once, Tamiel looked genuinely rattled. "Why isn't it working?! I know I'm not out of magic."

Ramiel glared daggers at Sona. "Where did you take us?! What is this place?!"

"This…" Sona boasted pridefully. "...is the Leyline that runs beneath Kuoh. Here, time and space are irrelevant. Only pure Arcane Magic rules this zone."

"Horseshit!" He challenged angrily. "No one can warp INTO a Leyline, it's beyond the bounds of space and time!"

Sona nodded. "Exactly. Under NORMAL circumstances it would be quite impossible. But when you combine Space and Time Magic with raw Arcane Power, the rules of reality cease to be an issue. I brought in just enough space and time to create this neutral zone we now stand in. But beyond that, there's nothing here but pure energy."

Tamiel grinned at her wickedly. "So...this whole place is magical energy then? Thanks for the tip."

She tried to draw upon the power of the Leyline only to be zapped by blue electricity.

"Wh...what?!" She slammed her fist into the rock in frustration. "Dammit! What the hell was that?!"

Sona chuckled at her in amusement. "Sorry, but it's clear you know nothing about how raw magical power actually works. You see, neither Fallen Angels nor Devils can draw from a source of pure energy like this. It has to be mixed with something. Either Light Energy or Demonic Energy or any of the hundreds of different types of metaphysical immaterium that composes the Mana Spectrum. In fact, no Supernatural Creature in any of the three realms can siphon raw magical power...except for one particular subset of Devils. MY Clan."

Power enveloped Sona's being as she proceeded to show the overzealous Hybrids how it was done. Her body floated into the air and she raised both hands out to either side of her. Two magical circles appeared in each palm as she began to siphon raw magical energy into her being, boosting her power back to maximum and then beyond.

"This is a technique that was created by my Older Sister." She explained, her aura darkening and her eyes burning a deep neon blue. "With Mastery over both the Physical and Metaphysical realms she has attained a level of power that has allowed her to transcend the bounds of a normal Sorceress, into the realm of a Satan Class Devil and beyond."

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Tamiel growled in disbelief. "You too?!"

Sona nodded, that dark look still in her eyes as she continued to draw power.

"I am the younger sister of Serafall Leviathan. One of the Four Great Satans, and Hell's single most powerful Sorceress. The same power that courses through her veins courses through ME as well!"

Her clothes vanished, replaced with the garments of a Sitri Sorceress. Blue cloth wrappings with white magical sigils covered her body and wrapped around her arms and legs, forming the robes of a resplendent Enchantress. A near translucent white cape of dazzling beauty fell upon her back. A tiara of silver metal with sapphire gemstones appeared on her head, and magic sigils swirled around her porcelain skin.

Finally, as she raised her right hand high into the air, a turquoise staff carved into the shape of the Leviathan appeared in her grip.

"I'm done playing your game." Sona's voice dropped with Arcane Power as she aimed her staff at them. "Now we play MINE."

* * *

The battle with the Fallen Angels above the city of Kuoh was going well so far. Between the sheer number of Sentinels at his command and the power of his Peerage, Riser Phenex had managed to reduce the number of Kokabiel's forces by almost half. As the new head of the Phenex Clan, Riser had to ensure his Peerage could competently wield the new power they possessed. And so he trained them day in and day out until he was certain the might of his Peerage had surpassed his Father's. His Harem of girls, ever loyal to their Lord, more than exceeded his expectations. Gaining unprecedented new skill as well as almost total Mastery over Wind, Fire, and Life based magic.

They were magnificent. Simply magnificent. But as powerful as his Peerage had become, they still paled in comparison to the raw unbridled power he now possessed. In a short span of time, Riser had easily surpassed his Father as the Immortal Bird. With the blessings of the Phoenix on his side, the head of the Clan turned wave after wave of Fallen Angels to dust. Every Light Spear that pierced his flesh proved only to demoralize his already flaggering enemies.

The gift of Immortality, it seemed, was a frightening power to behold.

Three Four Winged Angels summoned Tridents of Light and hurled them at Riser. The tridents passed through his body harmlessly upon which he immediately regenerated. With one hand in his pocket he raised the other into the air and snapped his fingers. Like a magic trick, three Fallen Angel's vanished into ash after spontaneously combusting.

"Is this it?" Riser mumbled hautily. "Is this really the best you can produce, Kokabiel?"

"Lord Riser! Look!" Karlamine pointed with her sword up towards the sky away from the chaos of battle.

All fighting ceased as each warrior turned to see another rift opening up in space time. Riser cursed under his breath. If he were a betting man…

Sure enough, a Legion of Eight Winged Angels decked in resplendent black armor descended upon them. It was the Two Hundred Watchers. Kokabiel's Elite. Now here in full force.

"They certainly know how to make an entrance at least." Yubelluna joked glumly to her Lord.

This was bad. With the arrival of the Watchers the battle had effectively shifted in the Fallen Angel's favor. If it was just the Watchers…maybe they stood a chance. But there were still well over a thousand Fallen Angels backing them as well. His sentinels alone could not deal with their power.

He didn't want to admit it, but they needed more hands for this one.

"Lord Riser! Reinforcements coming from the front! It's the Sitris!"

As if having heard his thoughts, the Phenex Peerage all turned to see Tsubaki, along with the entirety of Sona's remaining Peerage come flying towards them before taking up positions next to his girls. The Sitri Queen bowed her head respectfully upon approaching Riser before greeting him.

"Lord Phenex, my Master sends her regards." She spoke in a respectful tone. "We are at your disposal in whatever capacity you need us."

Ravel beamed excitedly. "You guys couldn't have come at a better time!"

Tsubaki peered at the Watchers. "So I see…they could prove to be an issue."

"Can you and your Peerage handle the others?" Riser asked cautiously. "If so, I can focus all of my forces on the Watchers."

She nodded. "We'll keep them distracted."

The Sitri Peerage entered the fray under Tsubaki's command. Freeing up the Phenex Peerage to focus entirely on the monumental task in front of them.

"Didn't we have trouble dealing with just three of these guys?" Mira pointed out nervously.

Riser nodded, smiling despite the lump in his throat. "I was on relatively even footing with the one I fought. It was Ddraig who killed them all."

"Which leaves us with the remaining one hundred and ninety seven." Ravel gulped. "Remind me again what it is we're doing here aside from trying not to completely lose it, Dear Brother?"

He chuckled. "You honestly think I'm going to let the Red Dragon Emperor show me up like that? If he can take out three of Kokabiel's Watchers, then taking care of the rest should be no problem for Riser."

Ravel frowned at him in concern. As tough as he was acting it was clear her brother was putting on a brave face. The task before them was monumental even by their standards.

Still, it wasn't COMPLETELY hopeless. After all, Lord Phenex still had one trick left up his sleeve.

"Remember, the way we win is by fighting as a unit." Riser addressed his Peerage. "This is far from over girls. These Fallen Bastards shall bare witness to the true might of the Phenex Clan."

His trenchcoat burned away as a series of orange neon lines began to form intricate patterns on his skin. Fire spewed from his waist, forming a red feathered skirt that fell all the way down to his toes. Two golden armored gauntlets whose fingers were shaped like talons formed on his hands and traveled up his forearms to his shoulders, ending with two massive pauldrons shaped like beaks. The flames on his back ignited and from the ashes two massive sprawling red feathered wings took their place. Finally, in his right hand, a golden polearm with red encrusted gemstones appeared.

Riser faced his opponents, now drawing upon his full power. The ultimate form of the Immortal Phoenix, Perfect Rebirth.

* * *

It seemed like no matter where Sammy fired his Desert Eagle or how many times, he managed to hit everything but Wesker. The genetically and cybernetically enhanced superhuman moved at speeds that his brain didn't seem to be able to process, making him appear to teleport instantly from one place to another. The Sitri Pawn had seen movement like this from Irina and Xenovia before, but nowhere near this level.

Not only that, the Sonofabitch could PUNCH. One hit to his chest was enough to send Sammy flying into a wall. Anything Aika tried to throw at him proved to be more of a temporary distraction than outright threat, as his Psionic Mastery proved far more efficient than her Arcane Magic.

"Your strikes are impressive." Wesker complimented upon engaging Sammy in close quarters combat yet again. "You've been trained in Boxing, but I'm also getting notes of Muay Thai and Brazilian Jui-Jitsu. You must have military training."

Sammy took a few wild swings at him that completely whiffed before Wesker responded with a straight punch that knocked him for a loop. He then grabbed the Dragon by the neck and hoisted him in the air.

"You could be so much stronger." He commented while Sammy squirmed in his iron grip. "The Angel of Stars possess the ability to bring out the very peak of a race's evolutionary potential. Even Dragons."

"No thanks, Pal. I've heard enough of your eugenic psycho bullshit to last a lifetime."

He reloaded his Desert Eagle before firing straight into Wesker's mouth. The Chief of Security dropped him and staggered backwards but otherwise didn't fall. After swirling his tongue around in his mouth for a moment he casually spat the bullet out and wiped his lips clean.

"It's exactly this kind of ignorance that leads to a species's downfall. My race may be beyond hope but yours may yet still hold promise."

Aika tried to blindside him with a barrage of Arcane Missiles which he nimbly avoided, quickly closing the gap between them before slamming his palm into her chest and sending her flying into a monitor. The Rookie Sorceress groaned in pain, dazed and unsure where she was anymore. Sammy opened fire on Wesker, who dodged and dashed to within striking distance again. The Dragon tried to counter with his fists, which Wesker easily knocked out of the way. Before delivering a harsh elbow to the ribs and grabbing him by the neck again. He then proceeded to choke slam Sammy down onto a row of monitors before sliding him across them and launching him into the wall head first. He barely had enough time to dive behind the monitors for cover as Wesker pulled out a Samurai Edge Automatic Pistol and opened fire.

"Only a handful of species truly matter. The rest are just so much chaff." Wesker explained while calmly reloading his weapon. "As the new Masters of this world, it will be our sovereign duty to separate this chaff from the wheat."

"Would ya listen yourself?" Sammy took deep labored breaths while gripping his Desert Eagle, still hiding behind the monitors. "You're talking about the genocide of an entire species."

Aika took cover behind a set of monitors as well while Wesker continued to monologue.

"Every day, humans come one step closer to this planet's annihilation. The Angel of Stars is not destroying the Earth, he is saving it."

She summoned her crossbow and fired an arrow straight at the back of his head. Without even looking, he caught the bolt inches from his face.

"Clever." Wesker commented before turning to face Aika. "Using a silent weapon to attempt a surprise attack. Ultimately fruitless however. I could feel the disturbance in the air as the arrow took flight. My senses are beyond your comprehension."

Sammy took the opportunity to leap out from cover and grab Wesker from behind before trying to place him in a choke hold. After some struggling, Wesker slung him over his shoulder and slammed Sammy straight onto his back before delivering a straight shot to his sternum.

That time, he DEFINITELY felt something crack.

"Valper was not just trying to unlock the potential of the Holy Swords when he set about experimenting on us. He intended to create a new superior breed of humans. Given birth by the Necro-Virus." He aimed his gun at Sammy's head. "We were entrusted with the endless potential of our species. But of the dozens of children put to the knife...only two survived. Myself, and Fynn."

Sammy summoned his Sacred Gear and threw up a barrier moments before Wesker fired. He kicked with all his might, sending Wesker flying backwards before landing gracefully on his feet. The Chief of Security reloaded and then fired again as Sammy righted himself. Giving him just enough time to erect another barrier and avoid getting shot.

"Valper wished to become a God." Wesker explained. "Creating a new world with an advanced race of human beings." He chuckled at the idea. "Arrogant even then. Only those born with the genes to truly BE Gods deserve that right. The Angel of Stars understands this."

The Dragon pulled out his Plasma Rifle and fired. Wesker raised his hand in the air and formed a Psionic Barrier, harmlessly repelling each plasma round that hit his shield while continuing to slowly approach.

"My Lord will bring about a new world order. One free of the plague of humanity. Our super weapon is on the eve of its appearance. With it, we will cleanse this world of its greatest parasite."

"Not on my watch you sick son of a bitch!" Sammy tossed his rifle aside and charged before attempting a haymaker with his gauntlet. Wesker caught the armored fist and slowly brought the Dragon to his knees as he painfully twisted his wrist upwards.

"Over seven billions cries of agony will birth a new balance. Once you see the world my Lord has constructed with your own eyes, you will understand."

Aika summoned a shotgun from the pocket dimension she'd been keeping it in before tossing it to Sammy. He took the gun, cocked it, and fired straight into Wesker's chest. The Chief of Security went flying before landing on his back and growling in agitation. He quickly righted himself as Sammy proceeded to fire on him with the shotgun. Wesker easily dashed out of the way of each shot before disarming him of his weapon and bashing the Dragon in the face with the butt of his own gun.

"Such stubbornness." He snarled before dismantling the weapon with his super strength. "I fear you shall not live to see the birth of the new world."

Sammy drew his Desert Eagle and fired. Wesker dodged out of the way before kicking the gun out of his grasp and following it up with a series of punches to his chest that were too fast for the Dragon to fully track. With one final kick to the face, Sammy went flying into the far wall, coughing up blood upon impact.

"Don't you tire of this?" Wesker insisted as he slowly walked towards his wounded prey. "Your feeble attempts at resistance only delay the inevitable. Once the missle fires, our virus will be released into the atmosphere, ensuring complete, global, saturation."

He tried to stand back up, only for Wesker to dash to him at super human speeds and aim his gun point blank at Sammy's head.

"A new genesis is at hand. And we will be its creator."

Without warning, Wesker was blasted with blue lightning produced by Aika. She quickly cast the spell again, hitting him with even more. Though it didn't knock him down, it did stagger Wesker with each successful shot she managed to pull off.

Knocking him right into the trap spell she had placed at his feet.

"I've had enough of your BULLSHIT!" Aika shrieked in rage before snapping her fingers. Magical chains impaled his legs and wrapped around him, anchoring Wesker to the ground. She then summoned an RPG and cast an enchantment on the missle to boost its effects before tossing the weapon to Sammy.

The Dragon took the weapon and aimed, firing the magically enhanced missile at Wesker, who caught it mid flight. As he struggled with the rocket propelled grenade, Sammy willed his legs to move and ran to his Desert Eagle. He rolled into the weapon, grabbing it and righting himself all in a single movement before aiming and firing at the missle.

The RPG detonated, blasting Wesker into the far concrete wall and then through it. With their opponent temporarily out of the picture, Sammy braced himself on the ground with one hand while clutching at his broken ribs with the other. Aika quickly rushed to his side and began forcing energy into his body. She was no healer, but she was hoping the extra juice would at least keep him in the game.

"Think you'll make it?" She asked worriedly.

"I'm gonna kill this fucker one way or another." Sammy growled before flaring black smoke out of his nostrils. "No way I came this far to lose to a Matrix Extra."

He willed his body to stand before slowly making his way to the hole in the wall, Aika ever present at his back.

Wesker was clearly dazed but nowhere near dead. He slowly stood up, ripping the ruined trench coat and shirt from his back as well as the broken shades from his face. His glowing red eyes bore hatred straight into his two opponents as he sneered at both of them.

"This...is FAR from over." He growled at them angrily as his body began to mutate. "I'm just getting started."

Black tentacles sprouted from his skin that covered his body right hand. A massive boney scythe formed on the end of the mass of tentacles and the skin around his eyes turned black and degraded.

"It's time for you both to die!"

Sammy pulled off his cracked body armor and summoned two gauntlets to his fists as well as two black metal boots to his feet. The Dragon's Mark on his chest covered his body and horns sprouted from his forehead. Finally, two black wings sprouted from his back.

"Take ya best shot, tough guy. Better men have tried!"

With a primal roar, Sammy charged and the two forces raged in an all out war.

* * *

The ORC was in a deserted part of the suburbs, about two miles away from the missle silo. This was where Kiba's crystal was taking them. A nice, quiet spot away from the chaos of the main forces.

"I've got to say, as far as battle sights go Kokabiel could have done a heck of a lot worse." Jon admitted.

"You're...complimenting him now?" Xenovia asked in confusion.

He shrugged. "I believe in giving credit where credit is due."

"Well...isn't that nice of you." A male voice cackled in delight.

Jon summoned his revolvers and immediately began looking around. He'd recognize that megalomaniacal laugh anywhere.

Freed Sellzen stepped out from behind the abandoned home he was hiding behind and addressed them. "Well well well, would you lookie what we have here? If it isn't the we all took the bait club." He bowed before them. "Welcome all of you...SO MANY DAMN DEVILS!" His tongue fell from his mouth in psychotic glee.

"Should have figured you'd be first to the party, Freed." Jon retorted with a slick grin while aiming both revolvers at him.

"I see we have the usual crowd with us." He snickered in a disturbing voice. "The Redneck Dragon Emperor and his little entourage of Devil sluts." Upon seeing Xenovia, Freed's psychotic smile widened even more. "Oh no…don't tell me..."

Xenovia scowled before turning her head away.

"YOU became a Devil?!" He burst into a fit of hysterics. "Oh that is just too PERFECT! I bet Dragon Boy here already has you firmly wrapped around his meat stick too!" Upon seeing Rias's Bishop again he calmed back down. "And Asia Argento…"

She peeped in fright and took a step backwards.

"The traitor Nun who gave her soul to the Devils. It's been far too long my dear." His body swayed unsettlingly. "How much do you love your new life as a Dragon's Whore?"

Jon flared at him, a threatening growl rising from the back of his throat as he cocked back the hammers of his revolvers. "Give me a fucking excuse, Freed. I'm just dying to wipe that psychotic grin off your face once and for all."

"Woah woah woah." Freed raised his hands up in the air defensively. "No need to go off prematurely their Johnny Boy. It wouldn't be much of a family reunion without the whole group, now would it?"

"Must you insist on barking so loud, Freed?" Valper groaned as he slowly made his way out into the open, taking up position behind him. "They obviously have no intention of playing along with your insipid ramblings."

"Valper…" Kiba drew his sword and stood next to Jon, a look of pure malice in his eyes.

Valper proceeded to take a step back nervously, causing Freed to cackle in maniacal glee yet again.

"Oh don't tell me the fucking KNIGHT still has you rattled, Old Man! How much more of a pussy could you possibly be?!"

"Be silent!" Valper shouted at him angrily. "I helped give you those powers you hold so dearly and I can take them away just as easily."

"Oh no no no no." Freed waggled a finger at him. "I fear you are quite mistaken Sir." He raised his hands up into the air. "It was my BOSS that gave me these powers."

It was only four in the afternoon, but the sky had already darkened. An aura of pure, unending, darkness loomed over all of them like a shroud of death. The ORC slowly turned their heads up to see, in the sky above, a figure sitting upon a massive floating black throne decorated with skulls. The figure sitting upon the throne was dressed in an expensive tailored suit, his hair was raven black and fell past his shoulders. The most prominent feature about him, however, was the two glowing red eyes that bore a look of pure cruelty and absolute bloodlust.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." The raven haired man sitting upon the throne spoke, his voice booming with power. "I...am Kokabiel."

Rias stared up at him determinedly for a moment, steadying herself before breaking out into a hateful grin of her own and walking to the front. "The pleasure is all ours. So you're the one behind all this destruction in my city? It's nice to finally put a face with a name."

"Rias Gremory…" Kokabiel declared. "...daughter of Zeoticus and Venelana Gremory..." His voice dripped with contempt at his next wods. "...and younger sister of Sirzechs Lucifer. Your crimson hair is quite breathtaking, my dear. You take after the Scarlet Devil King quite well. Even your mannerisms are similar. It's absolutely NAUSEATING."

"Thank you." She replied dismissively. "Were there any other comments you wanted to make on my appearance or can we skip to the part where I kill you now?"

He bellowed in angry laughter. "My...even that overinflated confidence of yours is reminiscent of him. It's like looking at a younger, more attractive clone.

Her smile faded as a hideous scowl formed on her features. "By attacking my city you have made an enemy of the Gremorys, the Sitris, and indeed all the remaining Pillars of Hell. You're a walking corpse, Kokabiel. My Brother will not stop until you have paid for this destruction with your life."

"At least this is a better turnout than when I murdered those Holy Sword Users." He admitted, seemingly not even the least bit bothered by her words. "I thought for sure Michael would come after me but all I got were some third rate Exorcists and a couple of nubile young Hunters. It gave me the distinct impression that the Church and Heaven's army are not on the best of terms at the moment." His menacing grin widened upon seeing Xenovia. "I see one of you has fallen from grace and joined with Hell's forces. Perhaps that has something to do with it."

Xenovia clenched her fists and bit her tongue, her body quivering in rage.

"Why is it you've violated the terms of the ceasefire?" Rias demanded, getting more and more impatient the longer this dragged on. "The contract made was binding. The Four Great Satans, Lucifer, Leviathan, Beelzebub, and Asmodius. Heaven's Paragon Triad, Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. They all signed and sealed the document with their blood. But it wasn't just them. The members of the Grigori Council, Azazel, Shemhazai, Baraqiel, and YOU, you all agreed that Earth would no longer be host to open bloodshed. We ALL agreed to this."

At that, Kokabiel's grin fell and he scowled at her furiously. "Baraqiel and Shemhazai were weak, and Azazel is a fool! Our leader wastes time collecting Sacred Gears and socializing with Dragons. We had the whole planet within our grasp and he let it slip away. Only to be swallowed up by YOU! You and your wretched Brother!"

She cast him a defiant grin. "It's not our fault you chose poorly when conducting business on Earth. We simply played the game better than you. Outsmarted you."

"And what of the achievements of your fragile Socioeconomic Empire, hmm?" Kokabiel challenged. "It is a corpse rotting slowly from within while maggots writhe in its belly. It was built from the toils of slave labor and is now inhabited by frightened weaklings to whom the glories and legends of war have long forgotten. I have forgotten nothing, and my wisdom has expanded beyond mere mortal frailties."

Rias gave him a sour, angry, look once more.

"Fallen Angels, Devils, Heavens Army, another war between us is inevitable." Kokabiel declared. "I am merely the spark which will ignite this great powder keg."

Freed laughed like a mad man. "Don't you just love it?! Soon, the whole planet will be one big blood orgy!" He pulled open his robe to reveal the Holy Swords they had reacquired now strapped to his person. "Excalibur Rapidly, Excalibur Nightmare, Excalibur Transparency, and Excalibur Blessing. Thanks to Valper, these four blades are now ready to be used. The key to our great war has been acquired!"

Valper chuckled in amusement before summoning an enchanted alchemists circle to his feet. "At last my life's work shall be unleashed upon the world. All hail the dawn of war! A new era of Chaos shall rise!"

The Holy Swords flew from Freed's robes before landing at designated points, forming a square within the magic circle.

"At last, my dreams for the future are about to be made flesh!"

"Wh...what is he doing?" Asia asked nervously.

Kiba gripped his sword in both hands and braced himself. "I knew it...so that was his plan all along."

Xenovia summoned her Excalibur Destruction and took a combat stance next to him. "This was exactly what I was hoping to avoid, Valper has discovered a way to fuse the Holy Sword Fragments back together. He's trying to reforge the original Excalibur."

Above them, the four swords merged into one. Creating a massive golden two handed blade of ungodly Light Magic.

"Four fragments may not be enough to bring out its full potential." Valper explained as he proceeded to raise his hands up into the sky, sending tendrils of light from the four glowing swords into the air to merge into one. "But their power should be more than enough to break through Lucifer's Barrier!"

A massive beam of light formed in the sky before rocketing into the atmosphere like a missle. It hit the barrier and punctured through it, completely shattering the protective dome as if Valper had just shattered the sky. Slowly, it began to fall completely, crumbling until the city was open to the outside world once more.

Valper laughed maniacally. "At last! My disease shall spread! The end of humanity has come!"

"You insane Son of a Bitch!" Jon roared before firing at Valper. The Genocidal Priest used the power of the combined Holy Swords to deflect Jon's bullets as if they were made of wadded up tissue paper.

"At last the sword is complete." He boasted proudly as the Fused Excalibur descended into his hands. "Freed, you know what to do!"

"Oooo, gimme gimme!" He snickered like a child being granted a new toy. The sword floated into his eagerly awaiting hands…

...upon which power the likes of which he had never known before erupted from his being.

"Well this is just great." Jon grimaced angrily before twirling his revolvers and reloading them. "Looks like that Psychopath just got an upgrade."

"Jon…"

He turned to see Kiba staring intently at the sword.

"...leave this one to me. I'll take care of Freed."

Jon groaned at him in frustration. "Jesus Christ, not this shit again. Kiba now is not the time for-"

"Don't worry." Kiba smiled at him assuringly. "This won't be anything like last time. Trust me."

"I'll back you up." Xenovia took her place next to Kiba. "Together we should have enough power to at least match him."

"Well lookie here, we already have our first volunteers to test out my new blade!" Freed readied his Fused Excalibur, absolute bloodlust in his eyes. "So which one am I gonna carve up first? The Blondie with a stick up his ass, or the traitor Swordswoman?! Oh who am I kidding, I can do both of you at the same time!"

As Freed brought the full brunt of his terrible power to bare, Kiba channeled power into his sword as well, summoning his Holy Eraser. Jon could sense he'd gotten much stronger since their last encounter with Freed, but it wouldn't be enough. Not against that blade. Not on his own.

Fortunately, Kiba wasn't the only one who was stronger now. As Xenovia brought her newfound Power to bare, her Devil Blood coalesced with the energy in her Excalibur Destruction, skyrocketing her Psionic Abilities and amplifying her blades power well beyond anything she was once capable of.

Together, perhaps they stood a chance.

The two opposing forces vanished, moving at speeds beyond mortal comprehension. To Jon and the others, they appeared to be little more than blurs of speed and raw power clashing against one another.

"Do you really think Kiba and Xenovia can hold their own against a power that terrifying?" Asia asked worriedly.

"They can do it." Rias assured, her eyes ever present on Kokabiel. "While they deal with Freed, we will see to him."

Kokabiel bellowed in thunderous laughter. "Just as well, I need a diversion. All this sitting around watching lesser beings enjoy a good war can be so boring." He sat up in his throne and conjured a small spark of light into his palm. "Since you were nice enough to come and see me, I may as well introduce you to a few of my friends."

Lightning burst from his hand before hitting the ground below. Three black coffins then rose up from the ground before unlatching and opening to reveal three figures shrouded from head to toe in crimson red robes. In their skeletal hands they each wielded a black scythe that gave off an aura of absolute death.

Rias's blood ran cold. "Reapers…"

"Say what now?" Jon was taken aback. "Could you maybe say that again Rias? Not sure I quite heard ya there. As in like the GRIM Reaper?"

Akeno nodded her head morbidly. "I'm afraid so, Master. These are Spectres summoned from the Land of the Dead. The Domain of Hades."

"Hold on, that's a thing?!" Jon asked incredulously. "Why is this the first time I've ever heard of this?!"

"The Land of the Dead has gone by many names." Rias explained. "To some it is known as the River Styx, while the Norse referred to it as Helheim, the Ancient Egyptians it was known as Duat, but to us it is simply the Land of the Dead. It is where the souls of those who did not form a pact with us or accept God's blessing are taken to."

"So…" He readied his revolvers and summoned his power. "...how strong are these things?"

"Let me put it to you this way, my Dear Servant." Rias spoke to him flirtingly despite the severity of the situation. "If you were to put a Low Class Reaper up against a Medium Class Devil, the Low Class Reaper would wipe the floor with their oponnent nine times out of ten."

"Their robes indicate their status in the Land of the Dead." Akeno explained. "The darker the color, the more powerful they are."

"Okay... " He nodded, following along. "...so these guys have red robes. What does that mean?"

Rias grinned at the Reapers. "They're not red. They're Sanguine. The color of blood. These are Higher-Class Reapers."

So basically damn near Ultimate Class by Devil standards. Just wonderful.

"Reapers aren't normally capable of appearing in the mortal world like this." Akeno added. "This is what Master Level Necromancy Magic is capable of."

"Asia, I want you to stay back and provide healing for the group as needed." Rias commanded.

She nodded in understanding. "Okay. Please be careful you guys."

"Oh we're not done quite yet." Kokabiel insisted with a sadistic look in his eyes.

Jon felt a pit form in his stomach.

"You Devils seem to enjoy taking on familiars to be your personal servants, so I thought I'd try my hand at acquiring one of my own. I'd like to introduce you."

With another blast of destructive power a pit to the Underworld opened up in front of them. A pillar of flame erupted from the ground and an inhuman beast roared with deadly vigor as it slowly came crawling out of the pit of hellfire. A massive three headed hellhound with glowing red eyes and magma dripping from its razor sharp canines snarled at them.

"Th...that's…" Akeno was taken aback.

They didn't need to say it. Jon could guess this one just by looking at it.

"Cerberus." He commented glumly. "The Three Headed Guardian of the Underworld."

Kokabiel cackled with maniacal glee. "Very good, Red Dragon Emperor! This beast has stood at the gates of the Land of the Dead for countless Eons!"

"Bringing a spirit of this magnitude into the Mortal Realm is a grievous violation of the ceasefire." Rias growled. "You truly are an insane fool, Kokabiel!"

Koneko approached the great beast and knocked her gloved fists together. "I've got this one, guys. You focus on the Reapers."

"Koneko, no!" Asia reached out to her in concern. "You can't take that thing on all by yourself."

"Nor will she." Jon assured with a slick grin. "After all, this crazy nut ain't the only one with a canine companion."

He pressed two fingers up to his lips and let loose a sharp whistle. From the Ethereal Plane, his loyal Familiar Hati appeared before taking his place next to Koneko and growling at the much larger Cerberus.

"Ahhh." Kokabiel quirked a brow of intrigue. "The Great Moon Wolf Hati, is it? An impressive summon to be sure, but I fear he will do you little good against the Guardian of the Land of the Dead."

He smirked up at the arrogant Kokabiel before aiming Devil's Colt at his own Familiar. "Maybe not on his own...but with my power added to the mix…"

Jon combined his Transfer ability with his revolver, loading a round of power into one of the empty chambers. He then used his boost ability before firing the gun. The round hit Hati square in the side, startling the beast at first before green neon power began surging through his being. The Moon Wolf's eyes began to glow neon green as it suddenly grew in size. Hati's body expanded until he was now the same size as Cerberus.

Koneko smiled approvingly. "Nice!" She then leapt into the air before landing on Hati's massive head. The two stared down the angry snarling Cerberus, ready to do battle together.

With the great beast distracted, Rias, Akeno, and Jon could focus on the Reapers. The President summoned her ungodly power as red and black energy burst from her body. Akeno, meanwhile, brought her hands together and formed a hand sign before raising them up in the air. Lightning hit her body and her uniform vanished, replaced with her battle attire. Finally, two wings sprouted from her back, one Devil, and one Fallen Angel.

Rias gawked in surprise at her Queen. "Akeno…"

The Vice President smiled at her and nodded. "I'm learning to be proud of what I am, just like Master taught me."

She smiled at her lovingly and then cast a thankful look to Jon, who nodded his head as a silent response.

"So it's true then." Kokabiel spoke in vicious amusement. "I had heard that the Daughter of Baraqiel found her way into the Gremory Den. It shall be interesting to see how your powers compare to your Father, my Dear."

Akeno scowled at him hatefully. "I am nothing like my Father. Nor will I allow you to speak his name in my presence and live!"

Electricity danced off her body as she brought her own terrible power to bare.

"Such zealous young warriors I see before me." Kokabiel's smile widened and the energy in his voice turned to one of excitement. "How I've longed for a good fight."

Jon took a moment to pop the last cigarette in his pack into his mouth and light it. He drew deeply from the smoke before flaring the carcinogens out his nostrils, his eyes turning into two glowing yellow reptilian slits.

"Careful what you wish for there, Buddy Boy."

He twirled his revolvers on both fingers and fired.

* * *

Sona Sitri had Tamiel and Ramiel fighting for their lives. Summoning powerful spirits of the Arcane to fight alongside her, massive typhoons of swirling water and air, and arcane blasts that lit up the black void with dazzling displays of its deadly power. Yet despite all this the Hybrid Siblings refused to go down. They took every bit of punishment Sona threw at them and then some.

Still they knew this was a losing battle. Their opponent firmly had the upper hand.

"Had enough yet?" Sona taunted before summoning a massive Chinese Water Dragon, she had barely moved from the same spot she started since the fight began. "I've still got plenty of power left to throw at you. A whole Planet's worth, as it were."

Tamiel sliced her way through the Water Dragon with her scythe, getting splashed in the process. Only then did she realize that the water the Dragon was composed of superheated water. The liquid burned her skin and wings painfully, causing her to lose altitude and fall.

"Tamiel!" Ramiel swooped down and caught his sister before taking her to a nearby floating stone. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah...I'm fine." She winced in pain, clearly having reached her limit.

Ramiel flared with rage before drawing his two Swords of Light again. "DIE BITCH!"

He charged Sona, who calmly raised a hand out in front of her, summoning the head of a massive Water Dragon. A geyser of boiling water as hot as hellfire erupted from the Dragon's mouth, blasting Ramiel back and burning him painfully.

"Brother!" His sister shouted in concern before catching his boiled body and taking him back to the rock.

"You may as well give it up." Sona insisted. "Your portal magic is useless here, there's no escape for either of you."

Tamiel glared at Sona hatefully, though was otherwise unable to do anything. They were both reaching their limit and she knew it perfectly well.

"To think after all that bluster this is really all you can manage when your back is against the wall." The Sitri King stated in a blunt, arrogant tone. "Take away those powers of yours and you're just a couple of brats with no real talent beyond the blood they inherited from their insane mother." She then added with a bit of a sneer. "And honestly, how anyone can take those clothes you wear seriously is beyond me. You look like the Eighties threw up on a Chanel Department Store."

Her anger flared to new heights. Tamiel summoned her power again and took flight, only to be immediately shot back down by a bolt of Arcane Power.

"You know what irks me the most about the two of you?" Sona continued her narration in impeccable pristine english. "You're not even really trying to beat me right now. You trample over everything in your path, not because you relish in it like your Father, or lost your minds like your Mother, but because you're trying to tell the world you take yourselves too seriously to be involved with it. You're too 'cool' to care, as it were. Yet once you strip away that arrogant narcissistic pride and expose the creatures behind that persona of indifference, what you're left with is a couple of infants shrieking at the first hint of displeasure. It's embarrassing really. Despite your power, the two of you are a joke."

Ramiel began to chuckle painfully before slowly rising back to his feet with his Sister's help. "The real joke here is your stubborn, bone deep conviction that somehow, somewhere, all of this makes sense! That's what really cracks me up!"

"Bro…" Tamiel frowned at him thoughtfully.

"It's that hypocritical sense of superiority all you Devils possess that makes me sick!" Ramiel spat at her venomously. "When the truth is, you're just in denial that both of us are exactly the same!" He pointed to himself and to Tamiel. "Us...a couple of outcast Half Breeds loathed even by the ones we command. And you, a prissy little rich girl with a massive inferiority complex towards your Big Sister."

Sona narrowed her eyes at him dangerously.

"We're all just looking for meaning in a meaningless world." He began to monologue. "An answer to the great injustice of a horribly imbalanced and imperfect society. Humans blindly believe that all lives are created equally but you and I know that is the furthest thing from the truth. And I don't just mean how some are born stronger than others, or richer, or smarter, or better looking…"

She remained silent, allowing him to continue his rant.

"In the grand scheme of things, they're all just chasing your shadow. The Devil. The ultimate embodiment of power and decadence." He cast his gaze up towards the sky. "But Chaos? Chaos is unbiased, it is unprejudiced, it is FAIR. There is only one thing in this world that is equal for all races, regardless of class, power, or species."

Ramiel glared back at her.

"We all die eventually."

Sona adjusted her glasses and took a deep breath. "Is that all you have to say?"

He narrowed his eyes sharply at her.

"You know what? I pity you." She spoke candidly. "I pity you and any other wretched soul who might fall victim to your immature and ineffectual philosophy. Because it is not one based off of strength, but rather fear. Your entire modus operandi is that of a coward too weak willed to truly live."

His body began to quiver in rage, impotent as it might have been.

"Apathy in the face of adversity is not difficult. It is not strength. It is not a source of power. Apathy is DEATH. Nothing but a poison that eats away at the mentally feeble and weak willed. You deny your heart the capacity to feel anything because you fear pain and grief more than you desire pleasure and joy. That doesn't make you the Warrior Poet you seem to consider yourself to be, it just makes you pitiful. Another soul lost the to the great black void of 'not giving a shit'."

"Stop it…" Ramiel growled.

"A life without the joy of wealth and the primal fear of loss is a life of utter stagnation." She continued undeterred, knowing full well they could do nothing to stop her. "To just go on surviving for the sake of survival is pointless. I do not live to survive, I live to WIN. I strive not because I am guaranteed success, but because the act of taking what I have earned is in itself all the reason one needs to be alive."

"Bastard!" He shouted.

She adjusted her glasses before reciting from a book she read. "Be I a louse like all the rest, or a creature ineffectual? Nay, I have a right. A privilege to take, to conquer, to thrive. Through bitter acts of callus evil or through virtuous moments of inspiring heroism, it makes no difference. I do not fear chaos, nor change, nor things that maybe could happen, that might happen. Because fear, that's the worst of it, that's the thing that kills Gods and Men alike."

Power erupted from her being.

"I am a Devil! A seeker of power! No matter what happens, I am free! I am free despite the rules that surround me! If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them! If I find them intolerable, I break them! I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything that I do!"

Three Water Dragons appeared from summoning circles behind her.

"So long as I draw breath, I will continue to build my Empire on the bones of the unworthy and fearful like you!"

And just like that, she had broken him. With the threat of their imminent demise moments away, Ramiel hung his head and began to laugh. Laugh harder than he ever had in his entire life. Tamiel looked up at him curiously before finally realizing what was going on.

"Ramiel...is it time?"

With a joyous nod he knelt down on his knees and faced her. "Yes, Little Sister. It's time...we're finally free."

She smiled at him, though it was a sad placated smile. One devoid of any true joy or happiness.

"Okay." Tamiel nodded back. "Okay, I'll do it."

Ramiel lifted up his shirt, revealing a swirling sigil that looked like a tattoo of a portal. Tamiel raised her right hand and five purple flames appeared on each of her fingers.

"What are you doing?" Sona asked warily.

"Setting ourselves free." Tamiel answered happily. "It's the only way...I'll be right behind you Brother. I promise."

He nodded. "At least we will finally be able to sleep, right?"

Tears formed in her eyes. "Right…"

She slammed her fingers into the sigil on his chest. The air left Ramiel's lungs as the sigil began to glow. A portal formed in his stomach that Tamiel's hand passed through. The rest of her body soon followed, space bending around her to allow her body to shrink as she was sucked into the black hole in his stomach.

"Wh...are you insane?!" Sona was taken aback. "Do you realize what you've done?"

He looked so serene as he spoke, as if nothing could bother him now.

"I'll finally be able to sleep...we both will."

His body twisted and contorted into a swirling vortex before being swallowed up by the great black nothing he formed in his abdomen. The vortex swallowed itself before fizzling into nothing.

Ramiel was gone, his very essence erased entirely from existence.

* * *

Reapers were no joke. That's what Jon was learning fairly quickly. Their scythes were infused with Death Magic that passed right through the skin and attacked the soul, sapping your strength and lifeforce away. That wasn't taking into consideration if they were also shedding years off his lifespan in the process, something he tried not to think too terribly hard about while fighting them. In addition, they could summon phantoms of the dead and make fully lumbering corpses appear from seemingly nothing but a handful of dirt, only further adding to their ranks.

Jon blasted three shambling corpses in the head with his revolvers before twirling them and firing four shots at a group of phantoms, causing their ectoplasmic bodies to dissolve. The Reaper he was fighting then floated up into the air and cast a ball of death magic from the tip of his bony finger. Jon dodged out of the way and watched as the attack splashed on the ground, killing all life it hit and turning it brown. He retaliated by spinning his revolvers on his fingers and spraying the Reaper with Hellfire and Holy Rounds. His opponent extended his palm upwards, forming a dark barrier that deflected every shot.

"Christ these things are tough." He growled moments before the Reaper swooped down and swung his scythe, nearly decapitating him in the process.

Rias and Akeno weren't having much luck with their opponents either. The President's Power of Destruction seemed to be having little effect on their Death Barrier's and Akeno's lightning produced a similar result. Jon was beginning to wonder if there was anything that could kill these creatures. Considering they were the spectral manifestations of Death itself, he wouldn't have been terribly surprised if that answer was no.

But damned if he wasn't going to try. He'd find some way to take these bastards down.

Meanwhile, Koneko and Hati were wrestling with the fearsome three headed dog of the underworld, Cerberus. Hati clawed, bit, and kicked his hind legs at the creature, who took everything the noble Moon Warg threw at him and returned it with molten lava. Koneko leapt from Hati's head and performed a spinning wheel kick on the creature's middle head, sending it to the ground. Cerberus quickly recovered and went back on the attack, raising up on its hind legs to swipe at her with its front paw. Hati retaliated by jumping on his hind legs and latching on before sinking his fangs into one of the three cerberus heads.

Kiba and Xenovia's fight with Freed was unrelentless. Both sides refused to concede a single inch to the other and their speed meant that only the aftermath of their attacks could be seen by mortal eye. Fresh craters were formed, houses were knocked down, the ground itself was overturned. It was impossible to tell who was winning from an outsider's perspective as they were simply moving too fast.

"Well this is going to hell in a handbasket real quick." Jon continued to boost his power before dodging yet another attack from the reaper he was facing off against.

A terrified shriek caught his ears. He turned to see Asia slowly backing away from a group of shambling corpses as they lunged for her. Thinking fast, Jon summoned his Dragon Boots and ignited the thrusters, leaping up into the air over the horde of Undead before grabbing Asia by the waist and pulling her to safety. With his Devil's Colt, he then fired upon the mass of flesh, popping each undead's head off whereupon they immediately dissolved into dust.

"Rias! Any ideas on how to kill these things?!" Jon asked while still clutching a frightened Asia tightly to him.

"Reapers are strong against almost everything, even Holy Magic! There's only one form of energy that's been proven to be effective at repelling them!" She dodged another powerful swing.

"What kind?!" He asked desperately.

"Their opposite!"

So in other words, their only weakness was Life Energy. Fat lot of good that information did. The Phenex Clan was miles above their heads and he somehow doubted...

"Umm, Jon?"

He turned around to see Asia offering two trembling hands out to him. In her palms was a small orb of Green Energy. Of course! Asia's Twilight Healing was based off of Life Energy! In fact, hers was probably the strongest Life Magic they had at their disposal.

"Do you think this will be enough?" She asked curiously. "I've never used my magic to attack before, so I don't know how much will do."

Honestly, that wasn't the biggest problem they had. The REAL issue was how the hell she was going to attack them with it. As strong willed as their Bishop had become, Asia was still no fighter by any stretch of the imagination. Forget combat, this was a girl who would rather spend ten minutes guiding a fly out of the ORC Chapter Room window rather than outright swat it.

So if she couldn't go on the offensive, then he would have to do it for her. Jon took Asia's hands in his.

"Don't ever let anyone tell you you've lost your way. Even as a Devil, your heart is still as pure as it was the day I met you."

Tears formed in her eyes. "Thank you…"

He kissed her lovingly before summoning his twin gauntlets and taking the orb of light from her.

"Rias! Akeno! Can you keep the three boneheads off me for a second?!"

"Do we have too?!" His President shouted back, now struggling to keep two deadly Reapers at bay.

"What are you gonna do, Master?!" Akeno asked him before conjuring a freeze spell to slow down her opponent's advance.

"Asia and I are perfecting a new technique!" He explained while using his boost ability to amplify the power of the life energy in between his palms.

"A new technique?" Asia blinked at him. "When did we decide that?"

"Oh you know…" He chuckled nervously while continuing to boost the spell's power. "...right about...now-ish."

She gulped before nodding in understanding at his words. They were essentially winging this one. While he continued to boost the spell's power, she used her magic to mold it into a more potent form.

"How will we know when it's strong enough?" She asked worriedly.

"I can tell." He assured, all his focus on amplifying the spell's power.

Back over on the fight with Cerberus, Hati and Koneko were in trouble. Despite their combined strength and resilience the much older and much more tenacious Guardian of the Dead had their number. In a single move he forced the Moon Warg off him before firing magma at Koneko with one of his three heads. While she managed to avoid the attack, the heat burned her clothes and left her vulnerable. Seeing an opportunity, Cerberus opened his middle mouth and chomped it shut down upon the tiny Rook.

"Koneko, no!" Asia wailed in terror.

Cerberus's jaw was pushed open to reveal the Gremory Rook fighting for her life. Covered in slobber and half naked, she gritted her teeth while pushing out with her heel into the beast's pallet to pry his maw open. Then, with a swift back handspring she kicked one of its razor sharp incisors out of its jaw and escaped. The beast howled in pain at the loss of its tooth before Koneko jumped off its other head and delivered a swift side kick to the middle face with all the strength she could muster, successfully knocking Cerberus over and giving Hati an opening to pounce. She landed gracefully on her feet before falling to a knee and clutching at her wounded arm.

"Asia, I can take it from here!" Jon insisted vehemently. "Go help Koneko!"

"On it!" She broke away from the spell and ran over to Koneko. "Are you okay?!"

"For the most part." Koneko assured, wincing in pain.

Asia immediately began using her Twilight Healing on Koneko's injuries while Hati wrestled with Cerberus on the ground.

"Dammit, it's not strong enough yet!" Jon cursed as he poured everything he could into the spell.

This was bad. Rias couldn't take on two High Level Reapers alone for much longer. And Akeno was struggling just to keep up with one. Meanwhile, Kiba and Xenovia were in a complete deadlock with Freed, and there was no telling how long it would take before Asia could get Koneko healed up enough to help out his Familiar.

During which time, Kokabiel continued to simply sit on his throne and stare down at them in amusement. The moment he decided to join the fray with everything else that was going on, it would all be over.

"Jon! Help!"

He turned and gazed in horror as Cerberus kicked Hati off of him and stood. Looming over the injured girls with snarling, fire spewing teeth. The girls both quivered nervously, waiting for their Dragon to come to their aid.

It wasn't ready yet, the spell needed a little more time!

"Jon, we need help!" Rias called. She and Akeno were in dire straights. If he dropped the spell now they could get wiped out.

What was the answer here? What would get him out of this nightmare? If he could just boost a little faster…

"JON!" Asia screamed in fright as Cerberus brought his head down upon her and Koneko both, intent on swallowing them whole.

Six revolver shots rang through the air, two of which landed in the middle head's right eye. Cerberus reared back and roared in pain, leaving both girls unharmed.

Koneko sighed in relief before turning to her savior. "For fuck's sake, wait till the last minute a little more why...don't…you."

It wasn't Jon. The woman looming over her twirled the still smoking silver revolver on her finger before holstering it and summoning her Katana.

"You guys need a little help here?" Irina asked with a slick grin on her face.


	39. Chapter 39

Twelve Watchers. That's how many Riser capped out at was twelve damned Watchers before both he and his Peerage began to run out of gas. The Sitri Peerage wasn't faring much better. With the arrival of Kokabiel's Elite, the Fallen Forces moral had effectively turned. They were on the winning side now and they knew it. But he wasn't done yet. Riser was a Phenex, the Immortal Bird. A man for whom death turned a blind eye. He'd see this through to the end no matter what.

Besides, they did have one more card to play.

"Things are looking pretty dire, Big Brother!" Ravel cautioned over the sound of battle while she hurriedly tended to Yubelluna's wounds. "Should we break off?!"

"It's too soon!" He insisted before parrying an Angel's attack with his polearm and basting them back with magic.

"We won't survive this if we keep going the way we are!" Yubelluna insisted. "My Lord, we need to retreat!"

"If we break off now the ground forces will be slaughtered!" He fired rays of deadly light at another Fallen Watcher, searing one of its wings in the process.

"We can't maintain our position like this! We need more help!"

It was then a portal opened in the sky.

"Oh sweet Lucifer, what now?!" Riser bemoaned in sheer exhaustion. "More Fallen?!"

Yubelluna narrowed her eyes at the lone figure descending from above. "Wait a minute...that's-"

"Sona!" Tsubaki called to her President, her voice filling with excitement.

Ravel looked towards the sky where the Sitri King was descending from. Sona proceeded to blast three Fallen Angels who charged her with Arcane Missiles from her staff before blink warping to her Queen, Tsubaki.

"I see you've been keeping your hands full."

Tsubaki smirked at her. "Sure, we'll just completely gloss over the fact you're in your Leviathan Form."

Sona rolled her eyes at her. "The Hybrids had me up against a wall. Taking them to the Leyline was my only choice for winning."

"I'm just saying." Her Queen teased her a little. "I recall a very serious conversation involving you and your parents about never doing that under any circumstances without your Sister's supervision. Something about...destabilizing the veil and causing an earthquake large enough to split the continent in half?"

"My parents and Older Sister can bitch at me later." She declared indifferently. "I did what was necessary."

Tsubaki chuckled lightly in amusement. "Of course, Ms. President. Now if it's all the same, care to lend a hand?"

Sona nodded, her focus returning. "Right, I have just the thing to help."

She raised her staff into the air and summoned an orb of blue light. The light shot into the sky before scattering into dozens of smaller orbs. Each orb hit a different member of the Sitri and Phenex Peerage, restoring energy to their bodies and revitalizing them.

The battle was far from over.

* * *

"IRINA!" Jon laughed ecstatically upon seeing his old student. She had come back. Despite all evidence to the contrary, Irina had come back to help them.

The Holy Swordswoman turned back and smiled at him warmly. After all this time, she finally understood where she was needed most.

Wherever her family needed her.

Irina turned and focused her attention back on the massive three headed canine in front of her. "Alright, I'll keep Poochy here distracted while you finish getting Koneko back on her feet, Asia."

The Bishop smiled at her and nodded. "Thank you, Irina."

With that she charged towards the now incredibly pissed off Cerberus. Her Excalibur Mimic formed into that of a whip as she proceeded to lasso the beasts left neck and launch herself up into the air. With a spin of her body, Irina slashed her razor whip across Cerberus's back, making the creature howl in pain yet again.

Xenovia stopped battling Freed long enough to turn and gawk in abject surprise at who had just showed up. "Is that, Irina? She's here?!"

"So she came back after all, huh?" Rias commented warily while continuing to do battle with the Reapers. "While I can't say I'm happy she ignored my warnings I'm glad for the help all the same."

While Irina kept the three headed beast distracted, Jon continued to boost the power of the Life Spell Asia had helped him create. Finally, the spell reached an acceptable level of power, growing to the size of a beach ball. He proceeded to shrink the ball down to a fraction of its original size before clutching it in his right gauntlet and charging towards the Reapers.

"Rias, Akeno, move!" He shouted.

Both girls quickly dove out of the way as he reared his fist back.

"Eat this, Boneheads! TWILIGHT FLARE!"

He launched the ball of energy from his fist. The Reapers watched as it soared above their heads before erupting into a flash of brilliant green light. High pitched shrieks like the wails of the damned rang from their cloaks as they blocked the radiant light with their hands. The brilliant glow healed and revitalized every single member of the Gremory Peerage while also burning the Reapers cloaks away and stripping them of a massive portion of their power.

Now fully healed, Koneko stood up and gave Jon a weird look.

"Twilight Flare?" She asked in cringey disbelief.

"Look, if you wanna come up with a better name for it, then go ahead." Jon replied in exasperation.

Asia giggled and blushed at the name. "I think it's sweet…"

Jon then turned his attention back to the three Reapers. They had them right where they wanted them. Now it was just time to finish the Death Spirits off. Jon summoned his wings and took to the sky.

"Oh girls!" He whistled to both Rias and Akeno.

"Good boy!" Rias cheered.

"Oooo, fun." Akeno commented playfully.

Both girls each placed themselves at their Dragon's right and left side.

"You ready to finish this?" He asked in a flirty tone.

"Only if you are, Cowboy." Rias murmured in his ear.

Akeno pouted jokingly. "And here I thought we would play with them some more, Master."

"Oh don't worry." He grabbed both his Treasure's by their firm, round asses causing them to arch their backs and gasp in surprise. "I'll make it up to you both later."

He hit them with his Transfer ability, filling their bodies with power and causing them to both moan in euphoric delight. With their Dragon's power now coursing through them, the girls moral soared.

"We're ready now!" Rias boasted.

"Oh yeah!" Her Queen cheered.

"Now Akeno, Love? Care to do the honors?"

"With pleasure, Rias." Akeno channeled her lightning magic and formed a yellow magic circle in front of her. A massive beam of electricity hit the charred reaper furthest to the right, sending light energy all throughout his body until his bones began to crack and break away into dust.

Rias quickly followed suit, channeling her Power of Destruction into a concentrated ball before hurling at the Reaper on the far left. The orb of energy hit him square in the chest upon which his body disintegrated into nothing.

Finally, Jon summoned his Revolvers and fired on the reaper in the middle, riddling its skeletal body full of holes and causing it to break apart. He finished it off with Devil's Colt, sending a boosted round straight through the Reaper's skull, causing its entire body to explode into nothing.

"What?!" Freed stopped long enough to gawk in disbelief at the sight of three dead Reapers, giving Kiba the opening he needed to assist Koneko and the others.

"Koneko, over here!" He shouted.

She nodded. "Right!"

The Rook jumped into the air and grabbed Cerberus's middle head by the throat before summoning every last bit of strength she possessed to hurl the massive creature over her head. As she did this, Kiba slammed his fist into the ground while channeling Sword Birth. A bed of blades sprang up from the earth, impaling Cerberus upon them as Koneko slammed him down.

His body burned away into ash, returning once more to the land of the dead. Exhausted and wounded, Hati vanished back to his realm. Having helped win a battle well fought.

"Hell yes!" Jon cheered. "Nice one you two!"

"Jon!"

With the immediate threat gone, Irina ran up to her old Mentor and jumped into his arms, hugging him tight. Though initially taken off guard, he nevertheless spun her around happily before placing her back on her feet.

"Oh gimme a break." Freed stuck his finger in the back of his mouth and gagged dramatically.

"You came back." Jon placed a hand against her cheek, gazing into her eyes lovingly.

"I had to." She smiled up at him, her violet orbs glassing over. "You're my family, and I love you no matter what."

They embraced each other again. Rias took this moment to descend back to the ground, her arms folded, a cold glare on her features.

"I thought I told you to leave." She spoke frankly.

Irina pulled away from him and scowled sourly at Rias. "And I made it clear I don't take orders from Devils."

"Why come back at all then?" Xenovia asked, using the break in the fight to speak to Irina.

Her former partner cast two woeful eyes at the former Hunter turned Knight. "It's good to see you too, Xenovia. You look...different."

She frowned and cast her gaze away shamefully.

"Answer her question." Rias demanded. "Why did you come back here?"

"Because you were right about one thing." Irina retorted somewhat spitefully. "I can't be what you are. I could NEVER be what you are." She then turned back to Jon and her expression immediately softened again. "But...Jon is important to me. He's the only family I have left. I wouldn't let that die for anything."

They hugged once more.

"Aww, what a touching display. Such a shame you'll all be dead soon."

They all turned back up towards Kokabiel, who smiled down at them with that same cruel humorless face.

Rias flared in anger before taking to the sky and conjuring a massive blast of Destruction Energy. "Take this!"

She hurled the destructive spell at him which he proceeded to casually swat out of the air like a passing fly. It hit the ground a couple yards away, obliterating everything around it.

"Impressive." He complimented before sitting up in his throne. "Look at how much stronger you've become now that you've had a little Red Dragon Emperor inside of you. Sexy...and fascinating. But I'm afraid you've officially lost. The missile is due to fire any minute now and you haven't even laid a scratch on me."

"Oh really? How about this!" She conjured another massive blast of energy before firing at him. Kokabiel caught the destructive power and formed it into a ball in his left hand.

Akeno matched Rias's move by casting a massive chain of lightning at him. The Angel of Stars caught the attack as well and formed it into a ball. He brought his palms together and coalesced the two energies together, forming a massive purple ball of death.

"Fools!" He roared before hurling the ball at them.

"Rias!" Akeno quickly darted in front of the President to protect her.

Moments before the ball made contact, Jon appeared in front of them and crossed his gauntlets together in an X formation, forming a barrier between his Treasures and the death ball. All three of them were sent flying by the blast, with Rias barely managing to maintain altitude while Jon and Akeno went careening down to the planet below.

"Jon!" Irina sprinted towards his falling body before catching all of his weight on her shoulders. The three of them went tumbling to the ground with Jon landing on Irina and Akeno landing on Jon.

"Thanks...Irina." Jon groaned in pain.

"Don't...mention it." She groaned back, also clearly hurting.

The awkward dog pile was made even more awkward by the fact that Akeno's robes were shredded and her breast was now out. They rolled off each other before taking a moment to regain their senses. Jon was the first to sit up, rubbing his now bleeding forehead whereupon he noticed his hat was missing and his jacket was now shredded along with most of his shirt.

"Dammit, not again." He grumbled in frustration.

Akeno sat up and turned her head away, a shameful blush on her cheeks. "I'm sorry Master. You wasted all that energy on me."

"I ain't worried about it right now." He assured before placing a hand gently on her cheek. "What matters is are you okay, Ju'Kara?"

She nodded, sighing gently into his touch. "Yes Master. Thanks to you."

As the two were about to kiss, Irina cleared her throat abruptly.

"Jon…" She was sitting on her knees, clenching her fists until her knuckles turned white. "...did I just hear her call you...Master?" Irina spoke through clenched teeth, her left eyebrow twitching in anger. "Care to explain?"

Akeno turned her head curiously to Jon, who at that moment looked as if he suddenly had something bigger to worry about than even Kokabiel, then back at the VERY angry looking Irina, before realizing what was going on.

Despite the imminent danger looming over them, this was simply too good an opportunity to pass up.

"Errr…" He turned white as a ghost. "...now is really not the best time to be-"

"Oh it's quite simple really." Akeno giggled before pulling on her Master's arm and holding him close. "You see, in the Harem he's formed, I'm his Love Slave."

What was most terrifying of all was that, in that one moment, he could hear something audibly snap inside of her. The look on Irina's face was one of a woman who wasn't sure which emotion she should be feeling more of right now, rage or embarrassment. And the expression she bore was something in the middle of those two.

"Really…" Jon refused to look her in the eye as she craned her neck to him. "...you don't say? As low as you've sunk into your base perversions...I never pictured you'd be into THAT."

He didn't move. He didn't breath. All he did was pray that if he stood still enough, MAYBE, she wouldn't be able to see him through the blinding red rage she was experiencing.

"Oh there's no need to be a prude about it. I love serving him sexually." Akeno rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. "Master has had me in just about any position you can think of. I especially love it when he fucks me rough though. It's my absolute favorite."

"Dear Sweet Lucifer, what is she doing?" Kiba looked completely mortified. Meanwhile, Xenovia was silently praying to turn invisible so she could run away. This conversation was NOT going in a direction she liked at all.

"But that's not all. Asia was actually his first treasure. She was so shy the first time they had sex but now she's basically as hungry for his cock as I am. Even if she still likes to pretend she's not."

"WAAAAAAAAAAH!" Asia's mouth dropped open and mortified tears leaked from her eyes, her whole body quivered in one giant pile of total embarassment.

A murderous aura began to waft off Irina, Jon could feel two predatory orbs on the back of his neck. Meanwhile, Koneko couldn't breath as she was laughing too hard.

"Oh and don't even get me started on little miss Koneko over there." Akeno spoke in that slight vocal fry before turning her flushed face over to the Rook next. "Or as he likes to call her, Kani."

Koneko suddenly stood up stiff as a board, her body brisling from head to toe as she proceeded to turn white as a sheet.

"I swear, every time I see those two come out of her room my Master is ALWAYS covered in claw and bite marks. It's a little concerning really."

Koneko was now the one quivering in abject embarrassment. Meanwhile, Asia's head was slouched to the side and her soul was leaking out her mouth.

Irina's dark aura was now more like a blazing inferno. Jon was DEFINITELY not turning around now.

"Really? Now?" Rias stared down at her Queen in complete disbelief. "You're doing this right now?"

"Oh please, do let her go on." Kokabiel leaned back in his throne and laughed in amusement. "This is QUITE entertaining."

"You stay out of this!" She shouted at him angrily. "Akeno, what the hell?! We're in the middle of a war! You can't just be-"

"Oh and the President? She's the worst out of ALL of us. Our monthly meetings almost always get cut short because if she doesn't have her Dragon inside her at least three times a day she gets cranky."

"A...Akeno!" Rias went wide eyed, her face breaking out almost as red as her hair.

"Some days I feel a little bad for him. We can be VERY demanding ladies. But fortunately, Jon's a Dragon, so we never have to worry about that healthy stamina of his running out any time soon." Akeno stuck her tongue out playfully.

"The relationships I could understand...but you mean to tell me you have been having overly indulgent sex…with ALL FOUR of these women…and you're not married to ANY of them?!" Irina's voice couldn't even be described as mad anymore, it was more like a banshee trying to hold back her shrieking with just her teeth alone.

"Oh no no, sweety. Not FOUR of us." Akeno corrected.

Xenovia blanched in abject horror. "Dear God no…"

"Your ex-partner has ridden our Dragon as well. We used Ritual Sex to initiate her into the Peerage and Jon had the honors of popping her cherry just last night."

"GYAK!" The words hit Irina in the back like a spear. Her mouth fell to the floor and every last bit of color drained from her whole body as she shakily turned her head to Xenovia for confirmation.

Xenovia was gone. Though her body was still present her ghost had drifted off to join Asia's. Merrily drifting away as they both tried to escape this situation that was completely not okay for ANYONE involved.

Kiba couldn't have looked more uncomfortable at that moment if he tried. He thought the nightmare realm and the coffin was bad but compared to THIS that was a cakewalk.

"Ju'Kara…" Jon spoke in a low, severe tone, still refusing to move. "...you do understand that...the MOMENT we get back to Headquarters, I am going to tan your hide SO hard you'll stay bruised into the next year."

Akeno licked two of her fingers and moaned in arousal before casting a lustful gaze at him. "Please Master, don't get me so riled up during a battle. You know what it does to me."

That was it. That was officially it. Irina had reached her threshold. The young Hunter proceeded to pounce on her former Mentor and grab him by the neck before attempting to throttle all of the sinful and overindulgent thoughts out of his head, looking like a woman possessed by spirits of pure righteous fury.

"I HAVE HAD IT UP TO HEAR WITH YOUR ANTICS! YOU LECHEROUS TWISTED DEVIL FUCKING MANWHORE! WHY CAN'T YOU EVER EVER EVER KEEP IT IN YOUR DAMN PANTS?! IHAVEHALFAMINDTO-"

As Irina proceeded to knock his head repeatedly into the ground with her throttling, Rias shook her head from side to side, completely beside herself with embarrassment.

"Akeno...why?"

She placed a hand up to her mouth to stifle her giggling while Irina pummeled Jon into the dirt. "Sorry, Rias. I just couldn't resist."

While Irina continued to throttle Jon, Kokabiel's amused grin slowly faltered into one of passive annoyance. Finally, he sighed and raised his hand up in the air.

"Okay, this was amusing at first but now it's just tedious. I've had enough."

Immediately sensing danger Jon grabbed Irina, rolled to his feet, grabbed Akeno, and dodged out of the way right as Kokabiel threw his Lance. It detonated upon impact, creating a shockwave that sent all three of them tumbling.

"Jon!" Asia and Koneko ran to check up on them. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Asia." Jon assured before standing to his feet and glaring at Kokabiel.

Freed cackled maniacally. "Time we got this pain train rolling again!"

Kiba and Xenovia's battle with the Stray Hunter resumed as they began to clash at superhuman speeds once more.

"I'm impressed, Ddraig." The Angel of Stars called down to Jon. "It's been a long time since I've met an opponent who can dodge one of my direct attacks."

"Don't fuck with me!" He growled in a threatening tone.

"But I mean really…" Kokabiel rested back in his throne. "...to think the almighty Red Dragon Emperor wants nothing more than to be Harem King. You know Ddraig, if that's REALLY all you want then why not come work for me? In my new world, beautiful girls will fall at your feet wherever you go. Just point at the ones that you like and they'll be yours."

At that, Jon's angry scowl faded and he laughed at him. "Right. Like window shopping in Argentina. Get real, Buddy." He popped his neck and rolled his shoulder. "I'll let you in on a little secret, Kokabiel. Dragons don't collect Treasure out of greed or some petty desire to horde vast amounts of wealth, power, and beauty to themselves."

Kokabiel glowered in irritation at his response.

"Just think about it. When is the last time you heard of a Dragon using his cave of gold to invest in high end Real Estate? Or buy a multibillion dollar company? To a Dragon, gold is not some symbol of power to be exploited and controlled. No...it's just a rare shiny metal that makes their cave brighter and feels soft against their hard scales. To a Dragon, Treasure is a comfort to be respected and appreciated simply for what it is, not what it can do for them."

Irina gazed up at him curiously as he spoke.

"I'll be honest, when I first started to change. When it first became clear to me that I would never be capable of feeling monogamous love the way a human can, I hated it. I hated the idea of being a Dragon." He smiled at his Treasures before continuing. "But now? I'm honored just to be a part of these lady's lives. Their passions, their hopes, their dreams, the fact that I can help them make those a reality is what I live for."

His Treasures smiled at him. Each and every one.

"I don't consider the love and affection they give me to be anything short of a gift. And so long as I still have that gift I will covet and protect it with my very life."

He ripped his tarnished coat and shirt off his body. Twin gauntlets appeared on his right and left hands as well as metal boots on his feet. His body became covered in the Dragon's Mark and two horns grew on his forehead. Finally, two Dragon's Wings appeared on his back.

"They're not my Treasures because they belong to me! They're my Treasures because I belong to THEM! What's precious to them is precious to me and I will destroy ANYTHING that tries to bring them harm!"

Xenovia felt her heart skip a beat. At that moment, the same thought kept replaying through her mind.

Does he mean me as well?

Irina, for her part, looked noticeably more calm. Hearing the passion in his voice. The fury. She could feel the sincerity of his words as clearly as she used to feel the faith in Father Kyle's. Jon truly loved these women. They gave him strength.

And that's when it dawned on Irina. Was it the same thing for her? Did Jon's source of strength come from their bond at the Monastery? Was being a Dragon's Treasure not as shallow and lascivious as she initially thought? There must have been more to it.

"Ju'Kara, stay here while Asia tends to your wounds." With that, Jon flew away to rejoin Rias in the sky.

Akeno smiled up at him lovingly while Asia used Twilight Healing on her. A deep blush set on her cheeks. "And there he goes. The passionate Hero as always."

"Can I...ask you something?" Irina asked her meekly with her head turned away. "Why is it you love Jon so much? How is it you don't mind sharing him with each other?"

Akeno quirked her head in surprise, as did Asia and Koneko. After a moment of thought, the Gremory Queen explained.

"Do you see this pendant?" She gently placed her hand on the pendant she wore on her collar. "It belonged to Jon's mother. It's one of his most prized possessions and a piece of his heart."

She narrowed her eyes at the jade figure. "Wait a minute...I've seen that pendant before!" Irina couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. "Jon never let anyone even go NEAR that thing! Let alone wear it on their neck!"

Akeno nodded, blushing even more deeply. "Honestly, I still think it's too much. But ultimately, I couldn't refuse."

"Jon sacrifices so much for us every day." Asia explained. "He goes out of his way to make us all feel special and loved. And never once does he ask for anything in return."

"So wait…" She gave Akeno a disbelieving look. "...that whole 'Love Slave' thing was YOUR idea?"

She nodded, completely unbothered by it. "Mhmm. I was the one who initiated it. If I had said nothing, I'm certain Jon would have continued to behave like a perfect gentleman around me as he always did. But I wanted something else." Akeno then grinned mischievously. "Did you really think it was his idea?"

She frowned sourly. "Considering what I know about him it wouldn't have surprised me. Back at the Monastery, Jon would flirt with just about every pair of breasts and nice butt he could find."

"Is that a hint of jealousy I hear in your voice?" Koneko asked mischievously.

Irina peeped in surprise before shutting her lips tight and turning completely red.

Back in the sky, Jon and Rias took turns testing their power out against Kokabiel. Sure enough whatever they threw at him he would swat out of the way or catch and throw right back.

"What do you think?" Jon asked Rias cautiously. "Are you ready?"

"It's not time." She shook her head. "I need to feel out the situation a little more."

"Rias, what was the point of that whole ordeal we went through together if you're not gonna use it?" Jon insisted. "I know it still scares you, but at this rate we're gonna run out of time."

"What if we were wrong? What if I still can't control it?" She asked nervously, suddenly getting cold feet.

"You're stronger than that." Jon assured her. "I would trust you with my life."

"But Jon, it's not just you this time. My whole Peerage is at risk."

He pointed to Kiba and Xenovia, who were once again duking it out with Freed.

"They're already at risk."

The two Gremory Knights were losing. Freed's sword was gaining more and more power by the second as he rapidly adapted to it.

"You're starting to fall behind, you two!" The Psychotic Hunter taunted them.

With a beastial warcry Xenovia jumped in the air and slammed her blade into the Earth, trying to cleave him in half.

"Too slow!" He taunted again while appearing behind her, having seemingly teleported. Moments before he could slice into her back, however, she lifted her feet up into the air, balancing on her hands while narrowly avoiding his blade.

Xenovia went into a full upside down split before turning with slight pivot of her hip. Her heel connected with the side of his jaw sending him flying into the dirt. She then sprang off her hands and landed gracefully back onto the ground with her sword at the ready.

"My face!" Freed railed in fury. "You scum bitch! Who kicks a beautiful creation like this!" He jumped back to his feet, his eyes wild with rage. "I'll tear you apart for that! I'll turn your corpse into a slip and slide, you hear me?! Prepare for your final reckoning!"

Freed charged her yet again only to be blocked by Kiba. Xenovia dashed to the side and tried to hit him on the right flank only for Freed to flash step out of the way, causing her to nearly decapitate Kiba instead.

"This isn't just a powerful sword you know."

The homicidal Hunter began to split into copies of himself and surround the two Knights. They readied their swords and stood back to back in anticipation for whatever he was about to do next.

"This is the power of Excalibur Nightmare." The Freed clones all spoke in unison while taking it in turns to charge at them. "With this sword I can cast powerful Illusions and even control Dreams."

"Which one is the real one?!" Kiba shouted in frustration. "Dammit, none of my attacks are hitting anything!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Xenovia saw one of the Freeds glare at Kiba with murderous intent before vanishing into thin air. Already knowing what was coming next she quickly darted in front of her fellow Knight and blocked.

Freed's invisible attack clashed with her Excalibur Destruction and knocked her to the ground. Kiba swung at him only for Freed to use Excalibur Rapidly and dash out of the way.

"That one was Excalibur Transparency." He boasted with maniacal glee. "I can turn completely invisible to all senses. Sight, sound, even smell."

Xenovia attempted to stand back up upon which a sharp pain radiated through her leg. She looked down to see a small cut on her thigh. Barely a flesh wound and yet it felt like it went down to the bone.

And that's when she began to notice her energy draining away. It seemed even she, with her Holy Blood, was not immune to the wrath of the Devil's Curse.

Freed cackled like a madman. "How's it feel getting a taste of your own Holy Weapon?! Painful isn't it!"

The power that Fused Excalibur had was incredible. If this was what a flesh wound felt like, then a direct hit from that blade would mean it was all over.

Kiba dashed to her aid and helped her up. "You alright?"

"This is bad." She grimaced in pain while shakily standing back to her feet. "He can use every ability of the four Excaliburs Valper fused together."

"You think those two were impressive, then wait till you see this one." Freed stuck out his tongue before raising his sword into the air. A massive ray of light began to form from the tip of the blade.

Xenovia's eyes bulged in horror. "Oh no…"

"This is Excalibur Blessing! Now watch as I use it to blow you Devil Scum away!"

"Get behind me!" Xenovia pushed herself in front of Kiba before driving the point of her blade into the ground, erecting a Holy Barrier from the pommel of her weapon.

What followed was a massive wave of Holy Light that washed over everything in all directions. Xenovia's barrier shattered and they were both sent flying backwards. She cried out in pain as holy light tore at her body like razor sharp scalpels cutting away at her flesh.

Both Knights collapsed, holy poison coursing through their veins.

"Kiba!" Jon called out to his Peerage Brother in worry.

"Xenovia!" Akeno shouted as well.

The Knights both struggled to get to their feet. As Kiba attempted to stand up, Valper slowly approached him.

"As Freed attunes himself to the Holy Sword, he will continue to grow in power. Sorry my dear boy, but you were simply no match."

"Valper…" Kiba snarled while bracing himself against his sword and slowly standing up.

"And to think, for a moment there you almost had me nervous." He sneered down at the Knight hatefully. "But look at you now. Just another failure whom I should have disposed of a long time ago."

Jon was about to intervene when Rias stopped him.

"Don't!" She warned severely. "Right now we're the only thing stopping Kokabiel from wiping out the others."

"But you know something?" Valper's expression seemed to soften. "As big a thorn in my side as you've proven yourself to be, I see a lot of myself in you. The anger, the bitterness, the drive to destroy those who did you wrong."

Kiba was fuming though he couldn't will his body to move.

"The problem is, you didn't aim high enough." He explained. "Vengeance is a good start but there has to be more. Wiping out the Catholic Church? Yes that will bring me no small amount of personal satisfaction. But wiping out all their filthy followers and recreating the world in your image? Well...that is how Gods are born."

He snatched the Phylactery away from Kiba who lunged at him to get it back. It was ultimately futile, he had little strength left.

"Take this phylactery for example. In it is the gene responsible for giving each of my test subjects the capacity to wield a Holy Sword. Your Genes are in here as well, as I'm sure you're already aware. Alone, the subjects, did not possess the capacity to wield a Holy Blade, but with their genes combined, we created a means to induce the capacity artificially."

He tossed the useless Phylactery into the dirt which Kiba immediately picked back up.

"I proved two hypotheses with that experiment. One, that genetic disposition alone does not dictate a Holy Sword users power. It is their bloodline that is chiefly responsible for their abilities. And two...that the vast majority of human beings are USELESS. Nothing but so much excess flesh that serves no purpose than to dilute what once were powerful hereditary gifts. The only way to regain those lost powers was to get rid of all the excess."

"You're completely insane." Kiba seethed bitterly.

"I'm insane?" Valper laughed hysterically. "My boy, you do not even know the meaning of the word. But allow me to enlighten you."

He kneeled down in front of Kiba.

"The true definition of insanity, my boy, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Such as these ill fated attempts at extracting your petty vengeance against me. Each of which has failed miserably."

The Knight hung his head while clutching the crystal to his chest.

"Don't feel too down." Valper assured. "After all, I spent forty years of my life making that very same mistake. Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result every time." He stood up and began pacing back and forth as he spoke. "I tried to explain to the Church the reason they were losing the war. Why the faithful were abandoning them. But they never listened. They were more than happy to take credit for the results of my research, but did anything ever come of my sacrifice? Of course not."

He stopped, his expression suddenly darkening as a particularly sour memory came to the surface.

"And then one day...in the midst of my research...I learned something I wasn't supposed to." He grinned viciously at Xenovia. "She knows of what I speak."

Xenovia cast her gaze away painfully.

"Naturally, I tried to expose what it was I discovered. Confident the Church couldn't send their Hunters after me, too many people knew my name."

He clenched his fists and began to quiver in anger despite the smile on his face.

"So instead...they ruined me. Tarnished my reputation and made turned me into a monster. I was slandered with every scandal you can possibly think of under the sun. False child molestation charges, multiple non-existent affairs, fraud, bribery, simony, purgery!"

He took a moment to calm himself down.

"I lost everything. My thirty year long marriage. My children. My livelihood. And my life's work."

Finally, he smiled again.

"But as one door closes, another one opens, as they say. Everything the Church tried to take away from me the Nazis gave right back. And all I had to do in exchange was the same work I was doing for the Church. Come up with more effective ways of exterminating their mortal enemy." He chuckled sadistically. "Of course, killing Jews is far easier than killing monsters, so my research was always able to take priority."

Irina felt her stomach lurch. She didn't even want to look this monster in the eye. "I'm gonna throw up."

"It was during my time with the Nazis that I actually came up with the idea for this Virus. Hitler was tasking special interest groups with coming up with a method of selectively eliminating specific genetic populations on a massive scale in the form of a global bioweapon." He cast his gaze up to the sky, now free of the barrier. "But I thought...why stop there? Why not use those same genes to our advantage? If you could take the general population and turn them into an army, then you would be unstoppable. So I began work on the prototype during my tenure with the SS."

He raised his hands up towards the sky.

"And so here we are. My magnum opus. A global pandemic that will wipe out the human population, and raise an army of almost eight billion for my Lords. In hindsight, I owe both the Nazis and you a lot, my dear boy. You both helped me learn a valuable lesson."

He smiled villainously down at Kiba.

"If a man dedicates his life to good deeds and the welfare of others, he will die unthanked and unremembered. But if he exercises his genius bringing misery and death to billions, his name will echo through the millennia for a hundred lifetimes. Infamy shall always be more preferable to ignominy."

As Valper concluded his speech, Kiba finally found the will to stand. His whole Peerage watched him, their hearts going out to the Knight.

"That's it? That's really everything? That's all there is to why my friends and I suffered? Why so many have died?"

He nodded pridefully. "Yes. That is all."

Kiba gripped the crystal tighter. "That's so...so…"

His expression softened and his demeanor relaxed.

"...pathetic."

Valper scowled at his words.

"I always wondered…" Kiba continued in a dull placated tone. "...what sort of man could take so many lives so casually? Hurt so many people without even an ounce of remorse? But now I think I get it." He glared at Valper in disgust. "There's just...nothing in you. Is there? No hope. No joy. No sorrow. You're...completely empty inside."

The Genocide Priest's features boiled red hot. Meanwhile, Kiba began to chuckle.

"You know what? I always questioned why Jon never pulled the trigger on Raynare. But I think I get it now. I used to hate you, Valper. I used to think you were no different from the monsters we once hunted. But now? Now I just pity you."

"How dare you." Valper seethed in rage.

"After you used this Phylactery against me, I was forced to confront the demons in my own mind. All my darkest thoughts, all my worst inner demons, they were all there. All except you, Valper. You were never even mentioned once. I finally understand why that was. The problem was never you, or the Holy Swords, or anything else…"

Guilt seized Kiba's heart as tears welled up in his eyes.

"It was me. I was the problem."

"Oh Kiba…" Asia's heart broke for him.

"For so long I prayed...and wondered…" His voice was practically a whisper. "...why me? Why was I the only one to escape?

His lip began to quiver as tears rolled down his cheeks and stained the crystal in his hands.

"There were kids there with bigger dreams than me. With stronger faith than me. Wesker, Clyde, Abigail….Emile…they all wanted to live more than I did. I was the only one without a dream. I was the only one who didn't care if I lived or died."

He collapsed to his knees and wept.

"It was a mistake! Why was I the one to survive?!" He released all the pain he'd kept buried for so long. "It should have been someone else! Anyone else but me! I didn't deserve to live! Not when it could have been one of them in my place!"

All were silent as the grave. Jon, Koneko, Asia, Xenovia, Akeno, even Irina. None of them said a word.

Until at last, someone spoke.

"You're wrong, Fynn."

Rias wasn't the one who spoke. It wasn't Jon. It wasn't Asia, or Koneko, or any of them. Kiba recognized that voice.

He looked down to see that the Phylactery in his hands was glowing.

"I told you before...you need to forgive yourself."

Jon gripped Rias's hand, both of them going wide eyed with shock. Valper, for his part, couldn't believe what he was seeing either.

"Im...Impossible." He took a step back.

Jon tugged on his President gently, slightly dazed. "Rias...are you seeing this?"

She nodded, unable to say a word.

All around the Knight, spectres of light began to form, each one taking the shape of a person. As Kiba gazed around at the faces smiling down at him, he recognized each and every one. The shrouds over their faces were gone now. The jumpsuits they were wearing in his dream now replaced with their old Church Uniforms. It was his memories, his friends, his family.

A small hand tugged on his sleeve. He slowly turned in abject disbelief to see a familiar young face smiling up at him.

"Emile…" He spoke breathlessly. "...why are you here?"

She giggled at him. "Isn't it obvious silly? We never left. We've always been with you."

"But…" The pain returned to his voice. "...why me? It should have been you. You were the youngest. You had dreams. I just-"

She shushed him. "You were always looking out for us. Protecting us whenever you could. No wonder you don't have a dream of your own, silly. You were always protecting ours."

Tears streamed down his face as he slowly began to break down completely.

"That's why we all agreed. You had to survive. We didn't die losing our dreams, Kiba. We died passing them on to you. Because we knew you could protect them. But also because…"

The smiles on all their faces brightened. Emile placed her hands on his cheeks.

"...we love you Kiba. We love you from the bottom of our hearts."

All the strength left his body as decades of emotion came spilling out through his voice. Finally, at long last, he was at peace.

Emile disappeared, her spirit sailing back into the crystal. One by one, the others followed suit, each of them saying what their hearts truly felt as they returned to the crystal.

"It's okay, Fynn."

"Let's all gather together now."

"Take us in, Fynn. It's time."

"You don't have to be sad. You should be happy, Fynn."

"We're going to be a family again. We will always be together now."

"We love you, Fynn. Our hearts will forever be one with yours."

Kiba smiled for the first time in decades. Not the forced, polite grin he would often give in polite company. This one was real. His first real smile in a very long time.

"Yes…" He wiped his raw cheeks and nodded. "...yes it's time. I promised you we would all see the light again."

He slowly stood to his feet, the glowing crystal beginning to resonate with the power of his Evil Piece. Finally, it merged with his chest.

"Thank you for this gift you've given me."

Asia was the first to start crying. Her hands were tightly bound in prayer as she openly wept in both joy and sorrow.

"Oh Kiba…" Koneko's bottom lip was quivering and tears were streaming down her face.

"At long last...he finally found peace." Akeno was smiling, though she too had tears rolling down her cheeks.

"That was...a genuine miracle." Irina stated in total shock. "But he's a Devil…"

Xenovia was just as much in shock as Irina was. This changed everything. Slowly, she lowered her hands in prayer, ignoring the pounding headache that followed.

"Maybe...you are watching after all."

Rias beamed with pride. "Kiba...you finally did it. I'm so unbelievably proud of you, my dear Knight."

The sound of someone sniffling right next to her made Rias turn her gaze to the side.

"Jon...are you crying?"

"Ah shut up." He quickly wiped his eye with his forearm and turned his head away. "I'm just happy for the stubborn asshole, okay?"

She smiled at him and nodded in agreement. "Me too."

"Oh Jesus Fucking Christ! I have had enough of this!" Freed leapt into the air, intent on bringing his sword down upon Kiba. "Stop ignoring me and DIE!"

"Kiba, lookout!" Xenovia shouted.

The Knight vanished into thin air and Freed was left looking from side to side in utter confusion as to where he had gone to.

"What the hell?!"

The Stray Hunter felt a sharp kick to his back that sent him flying to the ground. Kiba slowly lowered his back to Earth, still as tranquil as he was before.

"That speed…" Valper took a horrified step backwards. "...there's no way he can be drawing that kind of power from the Phylactery. He's a Devil!"

Jon narrowed his eyes at Kiba searchingly. "How in the hell?"

"The Knight has peaked." Came a booming voice in his mind.

"What the...Ddraig?" He peered down at the gauntlet on his arm. "When did you get here?"

"Bro...I'm always here." His gauntlet insisted. "How many times we gotta go through this song and dance?"

"I know, it's just...it's been awhile since…" Jon shook his head clear of distractions. "Oh never mind. What did you mean when you said Kiba has peaked?"

"His power has broken through the threshold imposed by the Laws of Natural Order. This is what happens when strong convictions of a Sacred Gear User oppose the natural order of things. It's known as Balance Breaker."

"Balance Breaker?" Jon repeated aloud.

"So you DO know what it is." Rias spoke up, her gaze still on Kiba. "More of your old memories must be coming back."

"Err...something like that." He commented awkwardly.

"Balance Breaker is a technique that allows a Sacred Gear User to unleash power that defies the laws set by God and the Underworld alike." Rias explained. "The Three Factions have a different name for it. They call it the Forbidden Technique."

"Interesting…" Kokabiel leaned forward in his Throne, now somewhat intrigued. "...to think I would find someone capable of wielding the Forbidden Power amongst the Devil Clans. Truly, yours is a fascinating Peerage, Rias Gremory."

"B...Balance Breaker?" For the first time since Jon had met the man, Valper seemed genuinely stumped. "What is this? Nothing in my research suggested a power that can defy the natural order!"

"Valper Galilei." Kiba calmly spoke his name. "My friends never wanted me to seek revenge. They wanted me free." As he spoke, he calmly approached an increasingly more terrified Valper. He summoned his sword back to his hand and pointed it at him. "I promised you would see everything you love crumble in front of you, but I fear that is a promise I can no longer keep. You die by my hand, right here and now. It's time the world was rid of your evil once and for all."

"Freed! Get up and help me, you idiot!" Valper shouted at him both angrily and desperately.

Freed jumped in front of Valper and readied his blade. He summoned as much power as he could, murder now in his eyes.

"Little fool!" Valper barked angrily at Kiba. "You should have just died with the rest of them!"

"Hey Kiba!"

The Knight looked up to see Jon grinning down at him.

"Kick his fucking ass, Brother."

"You can do it Kiba. Your whole Peerage is behind you." Rias encouraged him.

"Come on Kiba!" Akeno cheered. "We all believe in you!"

"I wanna see blood." Koneko added.

"Ugggh, gross!" Freed griped obtusely. "Enough of these touching scenes from the group of Gag Me Gremory. This is creeping me out and I CAN'T TAKE IT!" The psychotic murder returned to his eyes as he readied his sword. "I need to kill you now! That should make me feel much better!"

Kiba took a deep, calming breath before raising his blade in the air. "Dear Comrades whose souls have merged with mine. I forge this new blade in your honor. May it stand as testament to the dreams I now defend."

Power radiated from his sword, both light and dark.

"Together, we shall overcome this! Now...SWORD BIRTH!"

The blade absorbed the powers of both light and shadow, turning into something completely different. Something powerful. Something impossible.

He brought his new creation to bare. A sword of both Holy and Demonic power. A silver blade with a dark ebon core inscribed with demonic runes.

"This is the Sword of Betrayer!" Kiba explained while bringing its ungodly power to its peak. "A blade infused with both Holy and Demonic powers alike. The very first of its kind."

"Demonic and Holy powers fused together?!" Irina could not for the life of her believe what she was seeing. "There's no way! God's divine protection can't possibly coexist with Demonic Corruption...can it?"

"So that's what Ddraig was talking about." Jon commented to himself. "That thing is Kiba's Balance Breaker."

"A Holy Devil Sword?!" Valper laughed obtusely. "What a childish notion. Holy and Demonic energy cannot fuse together, it is simply impossible. Such a thing would be an aberration!"

Xenovia was so stunned she didn't even notice Asia had run over to heal her. Never in her life had she seen something like this. Two dynamically opposite forces working together in harmony.

"That sword...it's…"

"I know. I almost don't believe it myself." Asia insisted.

"...beautiful." Xenovia finished, a bright smile forming on her face.

"I don't believe this garbage!" Freed wasn't even laughing psychotically anymore. He was just livid now and it was clear in his words. "That sword can be made out of whatever nonsense you say it does! I'll still destroy you!"

He charged Kiba and attempted to strike, only for the Knight to knock him away with a single swing of his new blade.

"Dammit! I fucking hate plot twists!" Freed got back up again and used Excalibur Nightmare to make illusion clones of himself again.

Kiba raised his sword in the air and used Holy Light to cut through the illusions.

"My swords Holy Power can cut through such simplistic illusions easily."

"Bastard! Stop taunting me!" Freed bellowed in psychotic rage.

He next tried turning invisible again. With a slick grin, Kiba channeled his demonic power and zapped the invisible Freed long before he could even come close to hitting him.

"And the Demonic Energy in my sword can detect your weapon's Holy Energy with ease, rendering your invisibility useless."

"Stop! Fucking! With! Me! And! DIE!" He tried yet again to take him down. Once more, Kiba easily knocked him to the ground with the sheer power of his sword swings alone.

"That blade of yours is just a broken old relic." Kiba insisted before readying his weapon yet again. "It can't compare to the Sword of Betrayer. You may as well give up, Freed."

"Kiss my ass!" He snarled before charging once more. Their swords clashed together and they began a furious struggle for supremacy.

"I've decided I don't like you!" Freed shouted at him venomously.

"The feeling's mutual!" Kiba retorted before knocking him back once more with both Holy and Demonic power.

"Die! Die! DIE! DIE! DIEEEEEE!" Freed shrieked, having finally lost it completely. He swung wildly at Kiba, no real rhyme or reason to his attacks.

Kiba easily blocked and parried each strike. With each wild swing Freed took, his Fused Excalibur began to crack and chip away.

Until at last, with one final swing, the sword shattered, sending Freed to the ground for the last time.

Valper reeled back in abject horror of what he just witnessed. One of his greatest masterpieces, destroyed by a magically summoned blade.

"My sword!" Freed slammed his hands into the dirt furiously. "Are you fucking kidding me?! After everything I had to go through just to get these damn blades! I refuse! I refuse to lose to Devil Scum like you AGAIN!"

He drew a Sword of Light from his robes and charged, blind fury taking over any reason he may have had in his skull. With a single, swift strike, Kiba finished him off. Slicing clean through his left arm at the bicep.

Freed shouted in unbridled agony as his amputated arm fell to the ground. He collapsed to the ground, a mixture of pain and rage in his eyes as he clutched his bleeding stump.

"You're finished Valper. Spare yourself the indignity and just give up." Kiba insisted.

"My arm!" Freed threw his head around before slamming it against the dirt in a blind wild tantrum. "Fucking Devils! I hate you! You hear me! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"

As his beaten opponent's mind continued to degrade, Kiba sighed and rolled his eyes. "Okay...now this is just getting sad."

He flash stepped behind Freed before knocking him over the head with the pommel of his sword. His eyes fell shut and Freed mercifully collapsed face first into the dirt.

With him out of the way, Kiba turned his full attention to Valper.

"B...But how?" He was too horrified to even move, not that it would have done him any good. "That's...that's simply not possible! My formulae were perfect! The alchemy was sublime! You can't destroy my sword with a mere conjuring! I refuse to believe it!"

"And to think, for a moment there you almost had me nervous." Kiba responded with the very same words Valper threw his way not long ago. "But look at you now. Just another failure whom I should have disposed of a long time ago."

"SHUT UP!" Valper railed against him, his terror turning into the rage of a cornered animal. "Shut your damn mouth, Brat! You're nothing compared to me! You hear?! Nothing! I gave you those powers! Without it you-"

The pommel of Kiba's weapon connected with Valper's gut, knocking the breath from his lungs and sending him flying backwards, tumbling head over heels before landing on his wounded belly. The old man gasped and gurgled for breath, clutching at his abdomen before vomiting up a large clot of blood.

"My friends gifted me with this power. You had nothing to do with it." Kiba calmly explained. "In the end, they made something far greater than you."

"You little piece of shit." Valper dug his hands into the dirt, trembling with unbridled rage. "Who the hell do you think you're speaking to?! I am Valper Gallilei! I am the Genocide Priest! The man who will wipe out the human race and-"

He vomited up more blood, the internal hemorrhage in his gut finally catching up to him.

"Look at you, Valper." The Knight aimed his sword at him. "Broken, obsolete, and now...rendered useless. Like it or not, this is where you're going to die. And I promise you…"

He brought his power to bare.

"...no one will remember your name!"

As he was about to finish him off, something made Kiba stop. Valper was laughing. At first it was just an unhinged chuckle, but it quickly built into full blown laughter of madness.

"I understand now." Valper slowly got back go his feet, still clutching at his stomach. "Yes...it all makes sense. In theory I knew it was possible but I never truly believed...if the balance between light and dark has been disrupted than it can only mean one thing. Not just the original Four Great Satans but also-"

His words were cut off by a spear impaling him through the back, pinning him in place. Upon seeing the spear impale him in the back, Kiba's entire body froze in place as his blood ran cold.

Valper's internal bleed was now an external hemorrhage. After coughing up more blood, and allowing his brain time to process what had just happened he slowly turned his head up towards Kokabiel.

"My Lord...why?"

"Ah, Valper." The Angel of Stars tsked him while shaking his head in disappointment. "You were a talented scientist in your own right, but you've always had a knack for figuring things out you weren't supposed to. I fear you've just outlived your usefulness."

His gaze cast back down to the spear pinning him to the ground. "You...you knew…you knew all this time." He coughed up more blood. "...of course you did. I should have guessed it."

Kokabiel chuckled in amusement. "You'd think you would have learned your lesson after the Church. But such is life I suppose. Well...not for you. Not any longer."

"Jon...look." Rias got his attention and pointed to the ground near Valper.

The space near him was distorting into what looked like a portal. Albeit a very unstable one.

"Ahhh good. They're right on time." Kokabiel spoke approvingly.

A single figure forced her way through the unstable portal and collapsed on her hands and knees. Gasping for breath and clearly spent.

"Fuck that was janky!" Tamiel griped before standing up and dusting herself off.

"Oh great." Jon groaned in annoyance. "I was REALLY hoping she was dead."

"Tamiel, where is your Brother? The ritual cannot be done without him." Kokabiel demanded.

At that, she hung her head shamefully. "He's...dead, Father. My Brother gave his life so I could get back here."

The Angel of Stars expression dropped into somber silence. For just the briefest moment, Jon ALMOST felt bad for Kokabiel. As monstrous as he was, no Father in Earth, Heaven, or Hell, deserved to hear their child was dead. That at least, was something that deserved pity.

"Well...that will certainly make the ritual more complicated, but perhaps all is not lost."

Any sympathy he felt vanished. Of course Kokabiel didn't care his son was dead. He just didn't like having his plans ruined.

"Tamiel, both Freed and Valper have received transfusions of my blood." Kokabiel explained. "Their magic may not be as potent as ours. But either one should work as a sacrifice."

With that, Kokabiel produced a small sarcophagus from a magic circle. It was tiny, no bigger than a small vase. He floated the small sarcophagus down to Tamiel who took it in her hands and clutched it to her chest lovingly.

"Hello Mother…" She greeted in a somber tone. "...it's finally time."

Tamiel kissed the sarcophagus before breaking it open and pulling out what was inside. In her hand was a sickly green crystal spike reminiscent of the magical object Jon encountered in the underground lab. This one, however, was far more polished.

"I've seen something like that before." He spoke to Rias warily. "It's got some crazy power in it."

"That's another form of Phylactery." Rias explained, whereupon she suddenly blanched in fear. "And I have a pretty good idea whose soul resides in it. We need to stop her! NOW!"

"Say no more!" Jon drew his revolver and aimed.

Whereupon he was immediately blasted out of the sky by Kokabiel.

"Jon!" Rias swooped down to check on him. "Are you okay?"

"Yep." He grunted before dragging himself up out of the mud. "My barrier absorbed most of that. Still, it was a cheap shot."

Kokabiel chuckled. "Sorry Ddraig. I'm not about to let you ruin all of my fun." He then turned to Tamiel. "Now go ahead, Dear. Pick out a sacrifice."

"Hmmm." Tamiel mulled it over in her head while shifting her gaze between the unconscious and bleeding out Freed Sellzen and the impaled Valper Gallilei.

"Now which of you did I find more obnoxious? Eenie Meanie Miney…." She laughed. ...oh who are we kidding? Of course it's Valper!"

"W...wait!" He cried desperately. "Just WAIT!"

The streak of a scythes blade ran through his neck as Tamiel stopped time to slice him open. Valper's body slumped over as the blood in his neck began to drain. Before hitting the ground, however, it floated away into the phylactery located in Tamiel's hand. His skin began to peel off and fly into the gem as well, along with his flesh, tendon, and bone. Every last bit of the Genocide Priest was absorbed by the crystal save for his robes, which floated harmlessly to the ground, now devoid of any occupant.

Kiba stared in stunned silence at the empty robes. Valper Gallilei, the man who plagued his life for all these years was finally gone. Just like that.

The gem began to glow and vibrate with power. A spectre deep within its core was calling out to them. Demanding to be let loose.

"Now then, Tamiel, you know what to do." Kokabiel instructed.

She nodded, her expression turning solemn as she gripped the gem by its head in her right hand.

"Well Brother...it's like you said." Tamiel spoke softly. "We finally get to sleep."

A psychotic grin formed on her features.

"And mother gets to wake up!" She snarled.

Tamiel slammed the gem into her forehead and her knees immediately gave out. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and her body floated a couple inches off the ground, swaying in the breeze as if being held aloft by the gemstone alone. Her eyes began to glow sickly green. Her mouth opened up whereupon a bright light and banshee like wail emanated from the back of her throat.

"That...cannot be good." Irina took a step back, her Katana at the ready.

The Hybrid's body began to come apart. Her skin and flesh burned and flaked away, revealing the bone beneath. Green and black energy streamed from the cracks in her flesh and her skeleton began to morph. The form of the corpse floating in the sky changed. Turning into a skeletal banshee with long black horns as well as a crown of spikes on the back of her skull. Tamiel's wings were replaced with a set of skeletal ones. Finally, her body began to grow.

"Rias...what the hell is that?" Jon asked nervously.

"The ultimate embodiment of the Necromantic Arts." She explained grimly. "A Lich."

Koneko swallowed nervously as the Lich continued to grow in size.

"A Lich?" Asia took a fearful step back. "Those are real?"

"Not just any Lich." Akeno shook her head in denial, her eyes uncharacteristically unsettled. "Rias...that power…"

She nodded, her expression grimm. "I know...it's her."

The Lich opened her eyes and looked around her environment.

"The White Haired Prophet of Madness." Rias declared. "Eurus Agares."

"My rest has been disturbed. The great silence I embraced has fallen into noise once more." Her voice was a wispy rasp of death and decay that leaked from the skeletal teeth in her withered head.

Kokabiel laughed loudly in approval, baring his razor sharp teeth. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Eurus Darling. How do you like your new body?"

Eurus inspected her skeletal arms and hands curiously. "Cold...lifeless...unfeeling...just like my old one. It's perfect."

"Jon…" Rias swallowed back her fears and reservations. "...I'm sorry. But you're going to have to take on Kokabiel by yourself."

He snapped his head to her and glared in disbelief. "Are you fucking kidding me?! Rias, the whole plan was-"

"I know what the plan was, Jon." She cut him off sharply. "But the plan just changed. Kokabiel is no longer the most dangerous threat we face now."

A chill ran up his spine. Jon stared down at the spectre of death looming over his family. Finally, his eyes cast back to Kokabiel, a fire forming in both orbs.

"Okay." He growled with intent. "Leave the Megalomanic to me, Rias. You go keep our Peerage safe."

She nodded before floating backwards away from Jon, who kept his gaze firmly on Kokabiel.

"So...the Red Dragon Emperor is to face me alone?" The Angel of Stars slowly rose up from his seat and cracked his neck. "Did I ever tell you, Ddraig...how much I respect you?"

Jon quirked a brow at him in annoyance. "What?"

"Don't get me wrong, I absolutely despise you." Kokabiel commented bluntly. "I hate everything about what you are and what you stand for. Unlimited potential wasted on the most base and simplistic of gains. But for you to stand toe to toe with me like this, and not so much as flinch. I've gotta say, that takes balls."

"Does it though?" Jon challenged, a hateful grin forming on his features. "I've gotten pretty used to hunting your kind, Kokabiel. You're the same thing, only bigger. The same brand of cockroach I've been squashing my whole life. An ugly, evil, belly to the ground, supernatural piece of crap. The only difference between them and you is the size of your ego."

Kokabiel's smile fell as his suit vanished, replaced with armored robes of black and deep brown. He slowly took to the sky, the throne he was sitting on vanishing into dust beneath him.

"You were amusing for a time, little flea. But you have caused me great discomfort. Now...I feel inclined to scratch."

Ten black wings sprouted from his back.

"Please forgive me the horror we both know you will make me put you through."

Power the likes of which Jon had never felt before erupted from Kokabiel's being. Such, raw, disgustingly obscene potential all compacted into a single being. Of course, Jon had been in similar situations before. He may not come out of this fight with all his teeth, but he would survive nonetheless.

As he brought his power to bare and squared off against Kokabiel, Rias made her descent down towards the others, becoming eye level with Eurus. Akeno, meanwhile, summoned her wings and joined her President in the sky.

"Who are these spirits in front of me?" The Lich of Eurus asked curiously, her voice like an arctic wind. "My eyes cannot see their faces very well."

"I am Rias Gremory. Next heir to the Gremory Clan, and younger sister of Sirzechs Lucifer." The President declared boldly.

"Sirzechs...the False King. Yes...I remember." Her words were completely detached from any semblance of emotion. "He sent his Silver Haired Witch to silence me." She cast her chilling gaze onto Rias. "Your family has many secrets it has long since tried to bury. But memories can resurface. Wounds can reopen. The roads we walk have Nightmares beneath. And yours have been waiting for a very long time...Heir of Gremory."

"I will not be swayed by your insane prattling, Mad Prophet." Rias spat back venomously. "You attempted to forcefully seize control of your Family's house via a bloody Coup orchestrated by the Fallen Angels."

"I was merely showing them the truth. Your Brother, like my own family, silenced me for speaking of things they did not wish to hear." Eurus replied with cold detachment. "His Queen's presence at my throat does not surprise me any more than your presence here now. And just like him, the act you are about to attempt only proves all I have ever said or seen. I merely wished to punish those who had wronged me. Just as your false king now seeks to punish my Husband. Death is nothing compared to vindication. My Order understands this, as does my Family. I have shared with them my visions, and they...like me...have become enlightened."

Rias sneered at her viciously, her eyes beginning to glow. "I will not allow our eons of work and dedication to be consumed by Chaos. Neither will my Brother."

"You say that word as if it were a poison. Something to be cured, to be treated." She replied. "But do you truly know what Chaos is tangibly? Some might call it suffering. Oppression. Deceit. But could all these things not be said of Devils? You hunt down the talented and the strong willed. You break them into servitude or you destroy them. You lie to your citizens and wage war on those who would dare speak out against you. The Four Great Satans you call Masters assume guilt while executing millions of lives on a whim."

Rias's power began to grow more and more violent deep within her. Akeno could see it. She was about to let that 'thing' out they had all been dreading.

"And why?" Eurus continued unaffected. "Why do you do this? Because you know Chaos is already there. Our realm was BORN from it. You cannot deny what you are, Rias Gremory. You, more than any other Devil, should be able to feel it. Yet you crush your own power even now for fear that it may aid the enemy. The Imperium of Order suffers because of Chaos. No matter how hard you fight, that will never change. Chaos exists in a state of permanent victory over you. You dance to our tune, Rias. You butcher and torture and repress one another because our God demands it. Order was founded by Chaos. This war, which has barely even started, was already won a long, long time ago."

Rias's power erupted from her being like a volcano. "Asia! Do it now!"

"Right!" She channeled a ball of green energy into the palms of her hands before aiming it into the sky. Asia cast her Twilight Radiance spell on every single one of her allies, restoring their vitality and power to absolute maximum.

"Chaos...you and your children really do have a one track mind, you know that? Unlike you, Eurus, I once walked the same ground as your Idol. As do all descendents of the Baal Clan who possess the Power of Destruction. I breathed the same air as Chaos, spoke its tongue, and allowed it permeate my being." Rias's voice boomed with power and authority, not a single ounce of fear or reservation could be heard. "And I tell you this without lie or artifice. He never wanted to become what you have made him! Chaos does not wish to be your God-Thing! He abhors your ideals! The slavery of your crippled, blind, malaise of a philosophy would sicken him if he even possesed the eyes to see it!"

Eurus remained silent, a blank emotionless wall on her skeletal face.

"Chaos is not a God. It is a force that only seeks to consume. A wild, savage, thing that cares NOTHING for your worship anymore than a hurricane empathizes with the people swept up in its gust."

"I see…" Eurus commented in a dead, unfeeling tone. "...so you too do not yet understand the true depths of suffering."

Without another word, Eurus began to channel her power. The ground beneath them shook as she cast her hands up towards the sky. The powers of both Space and Time bending in her grasp.

"Thrill in the noise that breaks the skin and ravages the mind! Savour the shuddering, shaking screams that shiver the spine and shatter the skull! Let sensation wash over you, through you, claim you, and cast you aside!"

Reality shattered around them, beginning to warp and bend as it fell apart at the seems. The Earth twisted and cracked, bent and broke, green spectral energy coming up through the cracks around them as large chunks of building, earth, and road floated off into the endless ether. The members of the ORC and their allies all felt their very beings begin to rip and tear apart. Pain engulfed their senses as mind, body, and soul were twisted and stretched beyond their breaking point. Eurus was bending reality to her will, destroying all of them in the process.

A massive blast of primal destructive force shattered the spell she was casting, sending them into a neutral zone of primordial time and space.

As the other members of the ORC gasped for breath and regained their wits. Rias stood before the Lich of Eurus, obstinate, collected, and in perfect control.

"I have a secret I wish to share with you, Eurus." The President spoke in a dark, foreboding voice. "A secret I now share with all my Peerage as well. It's time the world witnessed what TRUE Chaotic power looks like."

Rias brought her hands out to either side with her palms facing outward. She shut her eyes and the red and black energy surrounding her began to swirl around her body like a vortex.

"You may think me weak, think me ignorant, think me a child for allowing warmth and compassion into my heart, Eurus. But I assure you, there is still PLENTY of Chaos within my soul. Just as there is in yours."

The green immaterium that made up the neutral zone they were standing in slowly began to turn red.

"But this is different from what you are. I've learned how to harness it, control it, use it to destroy anything that stands against me."

Her clothes vanished off her body as black tendrils of power snaked over her skin. Rias's eyes opened, revealing two blood red irises surrounded by a black sclera as dark as the void of space.

Her features contorted into an evil, megalomaniacal smile.

"So what do you say?" She spoke in a hushed tone. "Would you like to see my secret?" An unsettling giggle emanated from the back of her throat. "Very well...but I must warn you…"

The black tendrils surrounding her body snaked and slithered into black scales that coated and protected her most intimate regions while exposing the rest of her skin, which was quickly paling into an ashen grey color. Her ruby lips turned black and her teeth grew razor sharp. Two armored pauldrons carved into the shapes of skulls appeared on her shoulders and her wings transformed into a flowing crimson cape with her family's sigil emblazoned upon it. Her legs were covered in scaly thigh high boots and her arms in scaly elbow high matching gloves with razor sharp talons on each finger.

Finally, a tiara of onyx formed on her head with red gemstones encrusted in its circumference. Followed by two black Devil's horns sprouting from her forehead.

With her transformation almost complete, Rias brought her hands sharply down and let loose the angry shriek of a banshee with her head cast upwards towards the heavens. A column of red and black power shot out from her being, piercing the ethereal space above.

When at last she set her demonic eyes upon the Lich of Eurus again, Rias's hair had ignited into a blazing inferno of crimson flame. Her black lip curled into a wicked grin as she brought one talon gloved hand up in front of her, summoning an orb of power.

"You are NOT prepared!"


	40. Chapter 40

**::Author's Note::**

**Well folks! We're finally reaching the end of this Arc. Barring anything crazy happening, it will either be next chapter or the one after the next chapter that ends up being the Epilogue. I'd like to get it all knocked out in one chapter, but there may be too much to cover to get away with that, in which case it'll be two more. What's important is that the finish line is now visible. And to those of you who asked, YES, I am going to begin work on Arc Four as soon as I'm done with Arc Three. No worries there.**

**I wanted to make a call out to a Guest who commented on my previous chapter. You made a joke I thought was really clever so I went ahead and added it to the writing. If you'd like to be credited for it, please send me a PM so I know who to thank.**

**With that out of the way, I present to you all (Dear God how did we get here?) Chapter 40.**

**::End Note::**

Fire and destruction. Death and decay. Time and space warped beyond belief. A realm of infinite energy, of chaos unbound. Two forces colliding like freight trains of magical energy. Never in the history of their organization had the ORC done battle on a scale this massive.

On one side, Eurus Agares. A mad Pureblood Devil turned Lich, possessing both the necromantic powers of a spectre of undeath as well as the inherent mastery over space and time that came with her bloodline. The Lich of Eurus was locked in a titanic duel of magic with the President of the ORC and her Queen, using her spectral magic to hurl death curses at her opponents while trying to open black holes around them with her Spacetime Magic. Meanwhile, she conjured spectral servants from her ectoplasmic body that crystalized into cores and merged with the floating chunks of building and debris around them as well as fusing with the earth and dirt at their feet. Forming powerful Golems and gargantuan terrors of flesh that kept the other members of Rias's Peerage distracted.

On the other side was the Gremory Peerage. The Crimson Haired Princess of Ruin had achieved a form of power that allowed her to fight on par with the Lich of Eurus. Countering each of her curses and spatial disruptions with powerful spells of destruction. Each black hole that opened was almost immediately negated by her destructive energy. Meanwhile, Akeno assisted her President with the full brunt of her Elemental Magic. Summoning powerful Atronarchs to counter the Lich's Golems. As she did this, she unleashed her Holy Lightning upon their enemy, casting high level Thunder Spells that broke through barriers and surged Holy Electricity throughout her skeletal body, disrupting her ability to cast spells.

The fighters on the ground were doing their best to offer support, but primarily found themselves in a battle for survival. Koneko was smashing every golem she could while trying to ignore the cuts and scrapes she was acquiring from jagged cement and protruding rebar. She would smash through one, grab the core, and crush it before turning her attention to another golem and repeating the process. Irina focused her attention on the Flesh Golems that appeared from the soil. Using her Excalibur Mimic to cut them down to size before firing a single Holy Revolver Round at the core, shattering it to pieces. Kiba and Xenovia found themselves struggling to fend off Golems, Undead Abominations, and Spectral Phantasms alike in a bid to defend their only Healer, Asia. Who was, arguably the only thing that was letting them go full power for as long as they had. Her Twilight Healing provided the extra longevity needed to continue the fight and push the creatures back.

Amidst the chaos of this titanic battle, Jon was in a desperate struggle up in the skies. Kokabiel's power was nigh insurmountable. His lances hit with a force unlike anything he had ever felt before and when they detonated, the shockwave alone sent him flying backwards and hit him to the bone. It was a crapshoot if anything he threw at Kokabiel was hitting him or not, and it didn't take long for him to be knocked straight back after trying to close the gap between them.

"It's not enough." Jon boosted his power again and rocketed towards Kokabiel once more, avoiding Lances of Light while hurling hideously destructive fire spells his way. He just needed to hold out long enough for his Peerage to finish off Eurus and then they could attack the Angle of Stars as a group.

Back on the ground, Rias continued to trade blows with Eurus. As powerful as she had become, they were still completely deadlocked.

"This battle…" The Lich's voice was like a chilling gale on the wind, making the skin of everything living crawl with its icy sensation. "...it reminds me of my fight with Lucifer's Queen. You possess a Devil's Power to the highest degree, Sister of Sirzechs."

Rias crossed her arms and raised two fingers on each hand into the air, two orbs of destruction and two destruction spell circles appeared to both her right and her left.

"In that case, BE GONE!"

She flung her hands out sharply, casting the spell. A red and black Dragon of Destruction careened towards Eurus which she attempted to deflect with a green magic barrier. The Dragon shattered the barrier and knocked the looming Lich off balance. Rias immediately followed with a spell circle that unstacked to reveal a series of concentrically smaller circles through which she channeled her Power of Destruction. Firing it like a cannon in a small, concentrated blast.

The Lich's chest cavity blasted open and Eurus was completely knocked off her guard.

"Akeno, NOW!" Rias shouted.

Her Queen extended her arm upwards and pointed a single finger in the air. A powerful bolt of lightning hit her like a metal rod, surging through her body upon which she pointed the energy at Eurus's open chest cavity. A large yellow magic circle formed around her finger from which a massive bolt of Holy Lightning soared straight into Eurus's chest. Surging throughout her body whereupon it began to shrink.

"That's it, we've got her!" Rias cheered.

But she had spoken too soon. Eurus grew back to her original size and broke the spell with her own power. Akeno was sent flying backwards, hit with recoil.

"So even the power of Baraqiel has found its way into this fight." Eurus observed as her ribs reformed. "You've sunken low, girl. Siding with Devils the way you have."

Akeno growled at her in rage before blasting her with more lightning. The Lich quickly erected a barrier that completely absorbed the attack.

"Interesting, a propensity for traitors and hypocrites must run in your family, Rias."

The President gritted her teeth as rage and power surged through her body. "I will not stand for your insults to my Brother or my Peerage a moment longer! As done once before by the Silver Haired Queen of Annihilation you shall DIE by my hand, Mad Prophet!"

Back in the sky, Jon wasn't getting anywhere with Kokabiel. The Angel of Stars definitely had his number in terms of raw power.

As the fight dragged on, Kokabiel bellowed in laughter at the struggling Red Dragon Emperor. "I must say, Ddraig! You do not disappoint! This has proven to be an even more amusing distraction than I initially anticipated!"

Jon flared at him before blasting Kokabiel with another Dragon Shot. The Angel of Stars responded by wrapping himself up in his wings like a cocoon, taking the full brunt of the energy based attack without it seeming to even phase him. Once his attack was spent, Kokabiel proceeded to unfurl his wings and taunt him some more.

"And what a lovely young thing Rias has grown into. Perhaps once I've finished destroying YOU I'll spare her after all! She'd make a most amusing slave!"

The Dragon's eyes went wide and his vision became white hot. With complete disregard for his safety, having given in to total animosity, Jon charged straight at him. Kokabiel proceeded to summon another hideously lethal Light Spear, grinning down at him sadistically.

"Fool...so easily goaded."

Kokabiel hurled the deadly javelin at Jon, who boosted his power once more, reared his fist back…

...and completely shattered it.

"What?!" The Angel of Stars was taken aback.

Seizing the opportunity, Jon ignited the thrusters in his boots to full burn and drove his fist into Kokabiel's face as hard as he possibly could. Sending the Angel of Stars flying through a floating chunk of building, then the one behind it, before finally coming to a stop upon smashing into the massive chunk of earth that was directly behind the second building. Jon was on him within seconds, taking a deep breath and unleashing his Dragon's Roar attack. Kokabiel angrily rolled up into a wing cocoon again as the Red Dragon Emperor scorched him with Hellfire.

The massive column of flames finally dissipated and he unfurled his wings, snarling angrily at his opponent. "So you've gotten a bit stronger! You're still no match for-"

But Jon wasn't there. Not even a second later he felt two metal gauntlets drive into his back, the Red Dragon Emperor having flown around the large chunk of earth and drilled his way through it, just to nail him in the back. Jon ignited his thrusters and sent them both soaring high into the air, he then hit him with a flurry of monstrous punches and jabs to the back straight in the kidney area. Finishing with a massive hit to the back of the Solar Plexus.

Kokabiel was sent flying only for Jon to dash in front of his prey and deliver a massive two handed slam back down to the battle below. He summoned a giant ball of red energy which he immediately shrunk into the palm of his hand before grasping it and delivering another Dragon's Shot on his falling opponent.

With a furious roar Kokabiel righted himself mid air and caught the blast, though it continued to push him downward. The shot detonated with enough force to clear all the surrounding debris in the area and hit every other combatant with a noticeable shockwave, bringing the fight on the ground to a halt.

"Was that...Jon?" Irina asked in total awe.

Koneko nodded, a relieved smile on her face.

Up in the sky, Jon sucked in large quantities of oxygen as he attempted to regain his breath. He was now drenched in sweat and his muscles burned. Surely he got him that time. Surely.

Much to his horror, he watched as the smoke cleared and Kokabiel rose back into the air, still very much intact, a shield of white light engulfing his body.

"I must thank you, Ddraig." Kokabiel wiped a speck of blood from his lip and spat out a loose tooth before lowering the shield surrounding his body. "This has been most excellent. It has been centuries since I've faced an opponent capable of dealing damage to me."

Jon's head slunk back and his eyes closed in exhaustion. He still wasn't dead? Even after all that?

"But you've been fighting a losing battle this entire time." He continued. "And I don't just mean that you're hopelessly outmatched here. Don't you see? War between the Three Factions is inevitable. Whether it's started by my hand or another, we are destined to enter open conflict yet again. All I want is to be the one supplying the guns, the ammo, the soldiers for my team. I don't see what's so wrong with that."

"How many innocent lives have you slaughtered?!" Jon roared at him. "How many families have you torn apart?!"

"Come now, you can't honestly tell me this is about the humans. You're better than that." Kokabiel shook his head in disappointment. "Don't be a hypocrite, Ddraig. You're just as culpable as I am when it comes to 'innocent lives' as you so aptly put it."

"I don't kill children." Jon spoke vehemently. "I don't commit genocide."

"Oh, EVERYONE always gets up in arms about the children." Kokabiel spoke in mock exasperation. "Honestly, all they gain by being spared is a chance to commit themselves to hollow vengeance like your Knight or live under the rule of a Master who know longer exists like the Swordswomen over there. In the grand scheme of things I'd say killing them is a kindness." An evil grin spread over his lips. "I could retract that kindness if you desire, but THEN who would be the bad guy?"

Something he said caught both Xenovia and Irina's attention.

"W...wait." Irina felt a nervous quiver form in her heart. "What did he just say?"

"Woops." Kokabiel chuckled in amusement. "That just slipped right out, didn't it."

"Answer her!" Xenovia shouted at him angrily, a mixture of fear and concern on her face. "Answer Irina's question NOW!"

Kokabiel's chuckle built into a roaring laugh. The louder it got, the angrier Irina and Xenovia became. Asia felt a palpable dread form over her being, causing her legs to nearly buckle.

"My goodness, I really AM trying to start a war, aren't I?!" He continued to snicker quietly to himself before turning to his wife. "I guess there's no point in hiding it anymore, Darling. Would you like to tell them the brutal truth or should I?"

"It was the final vision…" She spoke in that same hollow tone. "...the last darkness I received before the light's in my eyes fell into the great black void. I saw a bright light in Heaven wither and die, its life and fervor snuffed out from eons of brutal conflict. Starved of hope, and fallen into despair, it flickered and died and all around it fell into a gloomy twilight. Heaven's spark was gone."

The dread in Asia's heart turned into palpable fear. "Wh...what does she mean by that?"

"Cryptic as always, Darling." Kokabiel spoke up with his usual arrogance. "Allow me to paraphrase. You see...after the fighting of the last Great War finally ceased, the battle between God's Forces and the Four Great Satans proved too much for the old being." He was having to physically hold back his laughter as he spoke these next words. "Eventually, the corruption and entropy that had infected his being proved too much for him to handle. In the end…"

A brutally hideous grin formed over his face, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth.

"...God was KILLED along with the Four Great Satans! He's been dead for eons and you fools didn't even realize!"

Every single one of them, Rias, Akeno, Koneko, Asia, Xenovia, but especially Irina, all of them stood in stunned, horrified silence. Their mouths agape and their eyes wide in both shock and dismay.

"N...no way…" Xenovia shook her head in complete denial. "That's a lie...it has to be...there's no way in hell that's true!"

"It can't be." Rias appeared to be just as much in disbelief as Xenovia was. "That's impossible…"

"Every single one of my Wife's visions have come true." Kokabiel assured. "Though we weren't there to witness it ourselves, we know it has come to pass."

"LIAR!" Irina shrieked, frightful tears rolling down her eyes and a fearful quiver in her lips. "I refuse to believe you! It isn't true!"

"Think about it, little girl." Kokabiel pointed towards Kiba's blade. "How could something like that Balance Breaker exist in this world unless God's Divine Grace was no longer here to prevent it? The balance of Order has been effectively disrupted, that can only mean one thing. God is DEAD!"

"It's not true." Asia collapsed to her knees, completely numb to everything as her world came quietly crashing down around her. "I won't believe it. God can't be dead. He can't be."

"All sides have been ruined to the point where humans now dominate the planet." Kokabiel explained. "We rely on an inferior species to survive in this new world all because our sides cannot repopulate the way they once did. Angels sealed away this information so that the God fearing humans would keep on fearing. But the truth is, his grace has not been felt on this planet for quite some time."

Xenovia collapsed under the weight of her own body, a look of pure horror wrought on her face. "Lies...they're all lies. Not the Angels too. Our Sacred Text was one thing. But please, Dear God, not them too."

"Spare me your empty and hollow prayers, Swordswoman!" Kokabiel snarled hatefully. "I could care less about your crisis of faith! What drives ME crazy is that after God and the Four Great Satans died, the Ceasefire was declared!" At the mention of the Ceasefire he despised so much, Kokabiel's temper flared. "Why would Azazel do something like that when we were in the middle of winning?! How dare he try to keep me from squashing my enemies when it was just getting fun! We could have won! We could have been the new Gods of this realm! I mean WHAT THE FUCK?!"

"God...doesn't exist anymore?" Asia slowly rose to her feet, a forlorn, hollow look in her eyes. "Then where has all the love in our hearts been coming from? Where have our prayers been going?"

The Angel of Stars sneered at her derisively. "Michael has been holding his own so far. He is the one who's been keeping Angels and the Church connected. But their influence is slowly waning. It won't be long before their entire infrastructure collapses, and with it, any hope Heaven possess of winning this war."

"The Archangel Michael has been working as God's surrogate? Then...all our Prayers...my family...they're all..." Irina turned green and vomited.

"As long as he keeps the system working, Prayer and Exorcisms still make effective weapons against the Underworld." He then pointed to various members of Rias's Peerage. "But as you can see, even THAT has begun to falter. If you don't believe me, just look around. We have a Hybrid Devil Queen capable of casting Holy Lightning."

Akeno glowered at him murderously.

"A Devil Swordsman with a blade composed of both Holy and Demonic energy."

Kiba dropped to a knee, using his sword to brace himself up.

"And a Holy Sword User who can still wield her blade despite her blood being tainted. The Law of Natural Order first established by God is beginning to break."

The strength left Asia's body and she fell. Koneko quickly caught her as she collapsed.

"Asia, are you okay?!" She asked, doing her best to compose herself.

"It's a natural reaction…" Irina commented in a dead, lifeless tone. Her eyes permanently cast to the ground. "...I'm surprised I can even still think right now."

"As the number of believers continues to dwindle, the balance will continue to degrade. It's no wonder something contradictory like the Holy Devil Blade can exist on this plane. Don't you see now? Chaos is inevitable! YOU are the ones who started it! YOU are the ones who gave birth to us! We will continue this war, and see it to its bloody conclusion!"

Xenovia couldn't hear him anymore. She couldn't hear anything anymore but a loud ringing in her ears and her own, nightmarish thoughts as she descended further and further into a bottomless despair.

"Why?" Tears streamed down her face and fell to the ground. "I gave you everything. All that I am. Even after learning the truth of my Holy Text...I still…" She swallowed back the bile that formed in her throat. "...I still believed. I still wanted to believe you were watching out for us. Why? Why did you have to die? Why have you forsaken us all?"

From the silence that engulfed her, a single voice carried through the darkness and brought her back to reality. It was the sound of someone laughing. As she slowly came back to her senses, she realized she recognized that southern voice that was now bellowing hysterically. Irina and Asia both turned their heads up, having recognized it as well. That obnoxious, overly indulgent laugh that southern men slipped into whenever they thought something was way funnier that it truly was.

They all turned up towards the sky to see Jon keeled over in a fit of hysterical mirth. He was laughing so hard he was crying. As if he had just been told the funniest joke he had ever heard in his entire life.

"What the HELL is he laughing at?" Irina dug her fingers into the dirt angrily.

"Jon...what are you doing?" Rias shook her head at him in complete disapproval. "I fail to see what is so funny about this."

He waved his hand at her assuredly, indicating he was trying to say something but couldn't. After letting himself calm down and wiping a mirthful tear from his eye, he finally spoke up. Addressing the crowd of confused and irate glares that were being cast his way.

"No no no." He shook his head profusely, still snickering under his breath. "I SWEAR I'm not laughing at that. It's just…" Jon stopped himself from laughing again before continuing. "...I cannot BELIEVE any of you are actually taking this seriously. Especially you three." He motioned to Xenovia, Asia, and Irina.

The three believers stared up at him in confusion. No longer angry, but still terribly lost.

"I mean...come on!" He insisted incredulously. "That has got to be one of the STUPIDEST things I have ever heard in my life!"

Kokabiel's amused grin immediately evaporated, replaced with a quiet seething glare. "Are you calling me a liar?"

"I'm calling you an idiot!" Jon retorted, still chuckling to himself. "For fuck's sake! God's DEAD?! As in...the LITERAL creator of everything has kicked the bucket?! THAT'S the story you're trying to sell us here?! You sound like an edgy fourteen year old on a religious subreddit!"

"Jon...what are you saying?" Irina stood back up, life and strength returning to her limbs.

"Yes...please tell us." Xenovia spoke as well, equal parts desperation and hope in her voice.

Asia's eyes opened again and she peered up at Jon with the same look the other girls were giving him.

He looked down at their desperate hopeless faces and sighed, shaking his head at them. "Honestly, you three. Working yourselves into hysterics like that? I can't believe you." Jon turned his gaze to Asia first. "Asia, I know you don't truly believe God is dead. I see you trying to pray to him every night. And despite the constant headaches, you still feel his eyes on you, right?"

Her smile finally returned and her eyes welled up. She wiped a tear from her eye and nodded. "You're right. I still believe in him."

"And Irina?" Jon lectured her sternly. "Father Kyle would be ashamed of you. Letting an enemy rattle you like that. Your Faith is the strongest out of all of us combined. You should know better."

After a moment, she took a deep breath and nodded, calming herself down. "You're right, Jon. Thank you. I just...lost my nerve there for a second."

Finally, he turned to the last believer. "Now Xenovia...I know that you've been struggling recently. I know better than most how it feels to be abandoned. We all do." He smiled at her warmly. "But I also know you still have faith. Even if you've been trying to hide it. It's scary when that faith is challenged, I'm sure. But it's still an important part of who you are. After all, I can see it whenever I look into your spirit."

Xenovia felt her heart begin to race and her body begin to glow. Her pupils dilated and her cheeks flared red. "He...he can see my spirit? He's been looking at my soul?"

Jon then addressed the remainder of the group. "Look, I'm probably the worst person to be making this speech given I was never much of a believer myself. But there's one thing Father Kyle once told me that always stuck with me."

Irina smiled up at him, knowing full well what he was about to say. After all, he told her the same thing.

"Faith is a knowledge within the heart. Beyond the reach of proof." He recited to them. "Now, my faith in God hasn't always been the strongest like Irina's. But one thing I DO have faith in is all of you. Asia, Xenovia, I'm not going to let what these two Jackasses say ruin something that is so utterly important to both of you. Even if that means I have to start praying for the both of you every day for the rest of time."

Asia clasped both her hands up to her mouth, completely overwhelmed with emotion. "Oh Jon…"

Xenovia's mouth fell agape as Jon's eyes met with hers. A familiar warmth enveloping her like a blanket. She remembered this feeling...it was the same feeling she used to get when she would pray.

"I see it...I finally understand."

In that moment...her heart answered a question.

Meanwhile, Irina beamed up at him with pride. Her own eyes began to well up. She was so unbelievably proud of him. In that moment, she could almost SEE Father Kyle in Jon's face.

"You can deny the loss all you desire." Eurus spoke in a grimm dark voice, completely ruining the moment. "But what I have seen is the absolute truth. The Light of Heaven is gone."

"Oh I ain't denying that for a second." Jon retorted without missing a beat. "I fully believe that God is no longer in Heaven. That would make WAY too much sense." He started chuckeling again. "But to say he's DEAD? Now that's just silly."

"My visions are absolute…" She repeated in a completely dispassionate voice. "...they cannot be-"

"Except, you ain't the only who gets these visions are ya?" Jon interrupted her.

For just the briefest moment, he could have sworn he saw a semblance of anger in her cold lifeless eyes.

"Rias filled me in on some of the horribly tragic details involving your freakshow of a family." Jon explained. "Now I can't make heads or tails of most of it on account of y'all being nine different shades of crazy, but from what I did gather it basically works like this. You and your twin sister could both receive the same visions of the future and see completely different things right? She saw all the good parts, and you saw all the bad." After a moment, a slick grin formed on his face. "Have you ever thought that maybe, your visions are only just part of the truth?"

"What are you saying, Jon?" Rias asked curiously.

"I'm saying...Little Miss Corpse Bride here ain't the only voice in this dog show. If we were to say...bring her Twin Sister back from the dead and ask her what SHE thinks of this little vision of yours? What insight would SHE have to offer regarding God's sudden disappearance?"

"Do not speak of her in my presence, Boy." Eurus hissed coldly.

"I'll admit, you got a pretty raw deal." Jon continued undeterred, showing pity for the Lich. "If I could only ever see the bad things that are gonna happen in life, I'd probably go mad too." He then smiled and turned towards his comrades. "But...that's what family is for, ain't it? To get you through those rough times."

They all smiled up at him. Eurus meanwhile, was rendered silent.

"In the south we have a saying. There's three sides to every story. Yours, mine, and the truth." He explained. "Personally, I think that you and your sister's visions were just two sides to the same story. And if you put them together, then you would get the truth." He shook his head assuredly. "And the truth is, God is NOT dead. Not by any stretch of the imagination."

Kokabiel flared in anger. "Even if what you say is true then it doesn't change the fact his presence can no longer be felt in Heaven! Even if he hasn't died, he HAS abandoned you! Abandoned ALL of you!"

"No!" Jon barked at him defiantly, shutting him up yet again. "He hasn't. God leaving Heaven and God abandoning his children are NOT the same thing. If he left his little palace in the sky, then it's only because he realized his presence there was doing more harm than good!"

Kokabiel, along with every other person there, was completely taken aback by his words.

"Look...as much as I tried to ignore most of the Biblical lessons Father Kyle shoved down my throat, there was one thing that always stuck with me. We're all supposed to be...in some form or other, his children right?" He smiled back down at Irina, Xenovia, and Asia again. "Well...while I can't speak for all parents everywhere, I do know that...there comes a time when a Father has to leave his children behind. Not to abandon them, but because they've grown up."

They looked up at him, hope, life, and fervor returning to their eyes.

"But that doesn't mean he's gone forever. It just means that he expects us all to clean up our act on our own now." He shrugged. "Seems to me like...that's a good thing. He's doing what a responsible parent does, and is leaving our lives in our own hands. The fact is, Earth has grown up. It's time for us to walk on our own two feet."

Xenovia placed a hand against her heart. What he said made so much sense. But more than that, the wisdom in his words touched her very soul in a way she was not expecting. The former Holy Woman remembered that day she first laid eyes on Jon, his power fully on display the way it was now. His terrible wrath, the ferocity of his spirit. And now...the way her whole body warmed up just having his eyes upon him. Finally...she was beginning to understand.

"Could it be? Is he really…"

"Ignorant words spoken from a misinformed cretin." Kokabiel spat at him angrily. "How could you possibly think to know better than the visions of a Prophet?"

"It's simple really, Kokabiel." Jon narrowed his eyes at him sharply. "There's a basic law about Gods of any kind that everyone, even someone like you should be able to understand."

Power erupted from his being, causing Xenovia's heart to leap.

"You can't kill a God, Kokabiel. Here...let me prove it to you!"

She clasped her hands up to her face, her eyes going wide with shock. She knew it! All this time, she knew it!

Jon's body became covered in thick red plates of armor, along with a metal helmet covering his head. Upon dawning his Scale Mail Jon used his boost ability, lighting up the sky with neon green energy and overwhelming power.

Kokabiel reared back and bellowed in angry laughter before casting two hateful eyes at his enemy. "Very well then!" A massive Lance of Light appeared in his hand. "Show me what you've got, Red Dragon Emperor!"

The two charged and their titanic clash continued. Xenovia's hands were pressed firmly against her heart, the spirit she thought she lost now back in full force. She was all but certain of what her soul was telling her. This feeling...it could not be ignored.

Her faith was restored. Through the Red Dragon Emperor, Xenovia could see the face of God again.

Her gaze turned next to the battle raging between the Lich Eurus and the rest of the Gremory Peerage. Her eyes suddenly bore a familiar steely intensity. With her purpose restored, she knew EXACTLY what it was she needed to do.

"Okay…" She spoke through gritted teeth, severity in her voice as she slammed Excalibur Destruction into the ground and raised her right hand out to her side with her palm extended upwards. "...enough wallowing in self pity. It's time to smite God's enemies."

A Holy Magic Circle appeared where her hand was outstretched.

"I call upon my guardians, most Holy Peter, the great Paladin Sir Roland, and the Virgin Mary. Hear my plea and grant me this blessing. Give me the strength to deliver this world from evil in our Lord's almighty name. Amen!"

From the summoner's circle the grip of a massive sword appeared. Followed shortly by a blade of equally massive proportions. Chains surrounded the blade, as if anchoring it to the magic circle. As Xenovia gripped the handle of the sword and pulled, the chains snapped loose and vanished, allowing her to completely free the blade from the pocket dimension she had it kept in.

What lay before them all was a uniquely shaped broadsword with a blue blade and a golden edge. The sword had a semicircular guard on the left side of the handle that extended to the bottom just above the pommel, with a small extension on the right side of the handle. Standing from the tip of the blade, the Durandal was slightly taller than Xenovia, surpassing the latter's height by just a few centimeters.

Kokabiel's attention was momentarily pulled away from his battle to reel in horror at the sight of the blade. "Th...that sword! It can't be!"

Jon quickly capitalized on his momentary distraction and delivered a devastating hook straight into his gut. Knocking the breath from Kokabiel's lungs before following with a haymaker that sent his opponent flying.

Back on the ground, Xenovia brought the massive blade in front of her as the others turned their attention to the newly turned Knight of Gremory.

"Is that...what I think it is?!" Irina did a double take. Unsure if she was truly seeing this correctly.

"This sword is called Durandal." Xenovia declared boldly while assuming a combat stance. "It is a blade on par with the original Excalibur, said to be able to cut anything in this world."

"Impossible!" Kokabiel was still reeling from the fact he was seeing that blade again while simultaneously having to fight off an ever stronger growing Red Dragon Emperor. "I was all but certain that bloodline was extinct!"

She smirked victoriously. "You thought wrong. The Roland bloodline has survived to this day. I am one of the last of the TRUE Holy Sword Users."

The earth beneath their feet began to tremble as the swords power slowly engulfed her being. Xenovia's hair began to blow upwards and small chunks of the ground around her floated off into the sky.

"This kiddo cuts everything he touches to pieces." She calmly explained, her eyes beginning to glow with untapped power. "In the years since I became a Holy Sword User I've only ever tried to use him once before against a Devil Pureblood of extraordinary power. During that fight, I caused an 8.2 magnitude earthquake that nearly wiped out a small indonesian town. I've never tried using his power since." A devilish grin spread across her features. "But seeing as we're technically not even on the same plane of existence anymore. What we have here is a rare instance where I can let loose and break everything in sight."

A single blue beam of light rocketed into the sky from off her body. Rias was completely taken aback by this development. With the Durandal, Xenovia appeared to possess powers on par even with HER.

"Rias, Akeno...my comrades." Xenovia brought the blade behind her, preparing to strike. "Please stand back, I would really rather avoid hitting you and I'm not entirely sure I can control this just yet."

Rias's perplexed amazement turned into a burning excitement as she grinned wickedly down at her new servant. "Well since you asked so nicely." She turned to the remainder of her Peerage. "You heard the woman! Everyone get back!"

Once they were clear of the blast radius, Xenovia gripped her sword tight and swung with a beastial warcry, her target...everything.

A wave of blue fire coated the field of battle like a Tsunami, turning everything it touched to ashes. Though Eurus herself remained standing, the flames scorched her skeletal body, causing her to wail like a banshee in pain. Every single one of her undead servants, her disciples, her golems, all of them were reduced to ash.

"Incredible…" Akeno marveled. "...with a single swing…"

Xenovia, upon seeing the devastation she had just wrought upon her enemy gazed at her sword, and then at the palm of her own hand before gripping it into a fist and chuckling in sardonic amusement. Her eyes began to glow red as her Devil heart beat madly in her chest. "You know...I get it now."

"Get what?" Rias asked with a hint of giddiness in her voice.

"How it feels to be Rias Gremory!" She declared whilst laughing at her own obscene power. "At least a little bit, Ms. President. All this power at your disposal, how could you NOT feel a little prideful towards it." Her gaze turned up towards the cold dead eyes of her adversary. "I must say, it's impressive that, despite how hilariously amateur this little act of terror your husband has committed is, you still obstinately refuse to move out of our way."

"Am I supposed to fear you? I am beyond such emotion." The wispy voice of Eurus replied.

Xenovia shrugged indifferently. "Your feelings on the matter are irrelevant." That same, completely out of character look of malevolent glee formed on her features. "It doesn't change the fact you're about to go from undead to just dead again very very soon."

Her wings sprouted from her back and she took flight. Irina's heart quivered nervously. The tone of Xenovia's voice, the pride, the arrogance. This was not the woman she used to know. And now? Seeing those two batlike wings as she took to the sky, their truly was no denying it anymore.

Xenovia was a Devil now. One of the Gremory Peerage. Her skill as a Hunter, and now both Excalibur Destruction and the Durandal had found their way into the arsenal of the Underworld. The legions of hells forces were only getting stronger. Meanwhile...the Church's future was uncertain.

As was hers.

Xenovia flew up to eye level with Eurus, assuming the front position ahead of Rias and Akeno.

"Ms. President, if you will allow your newest servant to make a selfish request. I would like to take point and destroy the Lich personally."

Rias folded her arms and gave her a curious look. "Oh? And why should I allow that?"

Xenovia slowly twisted her head back towards the President, her blood red eyes casting a look pure bloodlust over her shoulders while she bore her teeth in a smile that reeked of twisted pleasure.

"Because after years of systemic oppression, I'm finally starting to enjoy the work I do. This the most fun I've ever gotten to have in my life."

Rias's own Devil's Blood began to boil in excitement as she replied with a wickedly cacophonous laugh of her own. "Well who am I to spoil you of your fun then." She turned back towards her Queen. "Akeno, we're hanging back for this one. Provide supporting fire as needed but otherwise do not interfere."

"Our new Knight is growing into a mature young Devil it seems." Akeno's face was flushed with arousal, a wicked gleam in her eyes. She bit the tip of her finger in excitement and her panties became soaked at the sight of Xenovia's grin. "If I wasn't sure before I am now. I have a new woman in my life to play with."

The Knight of Gremory turned her full attention back to Eurus and readied her blade. "Now then, allow me to teach you in the ways of a True Holy Sword User."

"Pointless." Eurus hissed before conjuring a ball of green temporal energy to her hand and throwing it at Xenovia.

The Knight swatted the ball of energy away with a single swing of her blade.

"Okay...now it's my turn." She spoke in a low, threatening tone.

Xenovia sliced the air with her blade, creating a blue shockwave that cut deep into Eurus's skeletal armor. She followed it up with another, and then another after that. With each swing of her blade she created a wave of razor sharp energy that cut through the Lich and then through whatever debris happened to be standing behind her as well.

"Enough!" The Lich wailed like a banshee before bringing her skeletal palm down to swat Xenovia like a fly.

Her boney hand shattered into a million pieces as Xenovia smashed her overpowered blade into the palm of her enemy. She then charged straight at her other limb, slicing clean through both halves of her forearm, shattering it and severing her other hand.

"More…" Eurus calmly demanded before drawing further upon the ethereal realm they were located in. Her hands regenerated like building blocks as she brought the green energy into her body and grew in size.

Not done yet, Xenovia turned sharply around and dove straight for the Lich's midsection. With her sword out above her head she began to spin on her central axis like a drill, drawing energy around her that formed a corkscrew like pattern around her body. Like a spinning heat seeking missile Xenovia smashed straight through Eurus's skeletal being. Upon which she would dive straight back down and hit her again, and again, and again after that. Knocking out chunks of her torso, her spine, a portion of her jaw, as well as knocking out reserves of her power.

"More!" Eurus cried more desperately now.

She continued to consume ethereal energy and chunks of matter around her to regenerate and grow in size. Until eventually she began swallowing up the very ground the others stood upon.

"Everyone, into the sky!" Kiba warned before sprouting his wings and taking off.

Kiba quickly grabbed a bemused and befuddled Irina before taking off as well. Followed almost immediately after by Asia.

Xenovia finally stopped spinning long enough to size up the new stature of her opponent. Eurus was now the size of a twenty story building. She towered over EVERYTHING.

"Foolish Mortal!" The Lich's deathly voice bit into her opponent's skin like the icy sting of an arctic flurry. "I am the very essence of death itself! A being who bends space and time to her will! My power is limitless!"

The Knight's gaze turned towards Jon before falling to her navel as she shut her eyes and placed a fist against her chest. "There's only one who can claim to have limitless power. Your wrath is nothing compared to the power of my Lord."

"Still you cling to meaningless texts and hollow faith?!" Eurus's energy flared in manifestation of her anger and frustration. "Who do you think you are to ignore my visions like so many others?!"

A steely look returned to Xenovia's Devil Eyes as she brought her weapon to bare once more.

"I am a Hunter. And YOU are my Prey!"

Eurus raised her massive arms into the air to summon more of her deathly powers. Upon which five massive blasts knocked her off balance. She turned her eyes to see Rias Gremory hovering several yards away, five red and black energy balls above her head.

With a wicked grin, Rias raised her hand in front of her, sending five more massive blasts her way.

"No…" Eurus felt her form shrinking.

"Akeno!" Rias ordered.

"I hope this is as painful for you as it is arousing for me!" The Queen of Gremory raised two electrically charged hands into the air, summoning a massive stream of lightning from the sky that surged through Eurus's body, shrinking her even more.

"No!"

Xenovia built her psionic energy into the blade and aimed it straight for center mass. A massive blue beam of light ripped straight through the Lich, completely destroying its central chest cavity.

"NO!"

"Rias, Akeno!" The Knight called to them both before raising her blade up into the air again.

"On it!" Akeno snickered devilishly before licking two electrically charged fingers and raising them into the air. A jolt of electricity danced into the air before being drawn to Xenovia's blade like a lightning rod. Rias channeled her own demonic power into the blade next. Red particles of destruction drew into Durandal and danced off its surface.

The two opposing energies merged together at the tip of Xenovia's sword, forming a massive ball of light as she added Durandal's blessing to the power. With both hands firmly gripping the handle of her weapon, Xenovia brought the blade down with a single sharp pull. Launching the ball of light like an iron round from a cannon. Breaking the sound barrier in the process.

As the ball of light hit Eurus's gaping chest cavity, it spread throughout her ethereal being, changing the color of the energy in her undead body from green to white. The Mad Prophet shrieked in unholy agony as the coalesced magics burned her from the inside out. Bright white lights bursting from her eye sockets and cracks of white energy forming along her skeletal frame.

As the final death consumed her, Eurus's thoughts turned to her past. A little girl with snow white hair. Ostracized by her clan. Abused by her parents. Neglected. Abandoned. Next, she thought of another young girl. One raised on the shoulders of her peers. Adored and cherished by all. Loved. Admired. Respected.

"Maevra...you were always the strong one. They called you the bright light of our Clan. The hope of our people. You stood above everyone, an inspiration to all."

More memories came back. Two sisters, twins, absconding away from the light and the dark to meet in their secret playspace below the stairs of the family estate.

Two sisters, the best of friends.

"I just...wanted to stand next to you. To be by your side. You weren't just the light of our people…"

A single tear rolled down Eurus's skeletal cheek.

"You were my light too. My ONLY light. And in the end...as I am consumed by this darkness...I...have...nothing…"

The Lich of Eurus crumbled into dust before blowing away into nothing. The negative zone they were standing in twisted and contorted as it began to crack and fall apart at the seams.

Time stopped, went backwards, then stopped again. The world reformed around them and unpaused itself as they were all sent unceremoniously tumbling back into reality.

The Phylactery containing Eurus's soul fell from the sky before clanking against the asphalt and rolling harmlessly until it came to a dead stop.

Asia stared down at the Phylactery in stunned silence as she descended back down to the Earth along with the rest of her Peerage. Leaving only Jon, Rias, and Akeno remaining in the sky. She slowly reached down and picked up the Phylactery, the spirit within it now felt so cold...so empty. But she was certain that at the very end, she felt something akin to sadness and remorse in the Lich before she was destroyed. It broke her heart to imagine what awful thing made her this way.

"Maybe now you can finally rest in peace." Asia hugged the Phylactery to her chest. "I'm sorry that this world was so cruel to you."

"Do you make it your personal prerogative to shed a tear over every broken and useless thing you come upon, girl?"

With the threat the Lich possessed now gone, all eyes turned to Kokabiel. Who sneered down at Asia derisively.

"Spare us all your excessive tears. What you're holding is nothing but garbage now."

Asia's face contorted into a bitter, hurt scowl as fresh tears formed in her eyes. "How can you be so cruel? She was your wife! The mother of your children! She gave her life fighting for you! They all did! And you would just cast that all aside as if it were nothing?!"

Jon's helmet vanished from his head, allowing him to cast two concerned eyes down at Asia. All this death, cruelty, and barbarism was likely becoming too much for her.

Kokabiel scoffed at the compassion filled Bishop, completely waving off the hurt in her voice. "Oh spare me, Child. Eurus and her spawn served their purpose, but it was inevitable they would need to be sacrificed at some point. Unlike your foolish Master, I don't attach emotional sentiment to MY Servants."

Rias flared at him angrily, her power erupting once more. Asia, meanwhile, clasped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with horror at his words. Her lips began to quiver as she lowered her head and dug her nails into her palm with one hand while gripping the crystal tightly with the other. She looked as if she might start breaking down at any moment. To think that something so wicked, so heartless, could truly exist in this world, was almost more than she could bare.

"Save your breath, Asia." Rias insisted while glaring up at Kokabiel in disgust. "A creature like him could never hope to understand what love feels like. He's nothing but a hollow shell of a being. Devoid of any true emotion beyond his megalomaniacal lust for power and glory. Your pure heart is wasted on a monster like him."

"Aww, Rias you wound me. I think I'm going to cry." Kokabiel mocked before laughing cruelly. "Give me a break! Mercy and compassion are traits only found in the weak willed and fragile! All power demands sacrifice and pain! The universe rewards those willing to spill their life's blood for the promise of glory!"

Asia's entire body trembled as tears streamed in rivets down her face. Koneko frowned softly at her before reaching a hand out to touch the Bishop reassuringly.

"Asia...are you okay?"

Her head snapped upwards to reveal not a woman on the brink of sobbing, but a sharp, hateful, angry glare. Asia's lips were contorted in rage none knew she possessed and her teeth were bared like that of a canine.

Most surprising of all however, was how her emerald eyes had changed to Devil red. They NEVER did that. Not for her.

Asia placed the crystal in her skirt before placing both hands out in front of her with one hand interlaced over the other, palms extended upwards. Her hair blew into the sky as she summoned a powerful swirling orb of life energy. The sudden shift in character and burst of power that came from Asia was so jarring to those around her, Koneko especially, that none of them said a word as she charged up her energy. To do what? They had no clue.

Kokabiel cackled in obtuse laughter. "Oooo, I think I hurt her feelings! Don't make me laugh! What exactly are you planning on doing with THAT, little girl?! You intend to heal me to death?"

A knowing grin formed on Asia's features. "It's not for you." Her intense gaze then turned to her Dragon. "Jon!"

The ball of energy scattered into ethereal rivets and headed straight for him. Realizing he was being called, Jon snapped out of his shock induced stupor long enough to cross both his gauntlets in an X formation, absorbing the life energy into the gemstones on his armor.

The surge of power he could feel coming from his boosted gear made his arms start vibrating.

"Holy shit…" Was all he could say in response.

All eyes turned to Asia as she glared up hatefully at Kokabiel. Tears still streaming down her mad face.

"As long as I've lived, I've always tried to be kind to everyone. I never wanted to use my powers to hurt others. Because the truth is, I HATE this. I hate everything about it. All this blood. All this death. All this sadness. I HATE violence." She steadied her trembling lip before continuing. "But right now…the only thing I hate more than violence...is YOU!"

Kokabiel's amused smirk fell into an angry scowl.

"And that's the first time I've ever said that of another person!" She continued, her blood red eyes honed sharply on him. "Even when I was Raynare's prisoner, I still felt sorry for her! I still tried to find compassion in my heart for a woman who actively tried to kill me!" Asia shook her head emphatically. "But not you! I won't show any compassion for you, Kokabiel! Because you're an insane degenerate piece of filth who doesn't deserve life!"

"Did she REALLY just say that?" Irina mumbled, a dumbfounded look on her face. Kokabiel, meanwhile, looked genuinely perturbed by the Bishop's sudden boldness.

Asia turned her attention back to the man she loved. She stomped her foot on the ground defiantly with her fists clenched up to her chest. "Jon! I don't care what you do with that energy I gave you! But promise me this! Promise me you'll use it to take him down and...and...just…"

She shut her eyes tight, breathed in sharply, and screamed.

"KILL THIS FUCKER!"

Every single member of Rias's Peerage as well as the President herself had relatively the same reaction. That of their jaws hitting the floor and their eyes bulging in sheer unbridled shock. Who was this woman? Because it sure as hell wasn't meek and timid little Asia.

Whoever it was, she had just lit a massive fire under everyone's asses.

Jon grinned at her, pride shining in his eyes. "Well yes Ma'am!" He called before saluting. Clearly beyond impressed, judging by the tone of his voice. He then turned to Rias. "You ready, Love?"

"Oh absolutely." She had the biggest, most tickled smile on her face imaginable. And the look in her eyes let him know she was ready for blood.

"My my, it seems our Knight isn't the only one growing up." Akeno pressed a devious little finger to her lips. "How bold our dear little Asia has become."

"Seriously…" Irina shook her head in bewilderment. Even SHE couldn't help but be impressed. "Where the hell did that come from? All this time I thought you were a quiet little wallflower."

"Clearly our Bishop possesses far more strength than we give her credit for." Kiba spoke approvingly. "That was Badass, girl."

Xenovia nodded in agreement. "It certainly was something."

Rias's Bishop saw all of them staring at her in admiration and almost immediately reverted back to timid mousy little Asia again. Her face heated up in embarrassment and her eyes reverted back to their natural color.

"Oooooh, come on guys!" She whined. "Don't embarrass me like that!"

From the corner of her eye she saw Koneko staring up at her with a gaping mouth and heated face. Her pupils were dilated and she was fidgeting in place. As if trying to hold back from doing something.

"Wh...what is it?" Asia asked nervously.

"No it's just…" Koneko was trying to find the words. "...I'm pretty sure this is the most turned on I've ever been in my life and I kinda just want to pounce you right now."

Again, Asia's face heated up like a thermometer and she wailed in embarrassment. Hiding her crimson face in her hands.

Up above them, Jon's focus was now entirely on the Angel of Stars. The helmet of his Scale Mail reformed on his head and his visor gleamed with untapped power.

The Red Dragon Emperor hit his boost ability and power erupted from his being. Power enough to send a shockwave in all directions that blew everyone's hair back, even Kokabiel's.

The Angel of Stars bellowed thunderously in unsettling laughter. Pure malice in his eyes.

"Now THAT'S more like it!" He brought the full extent of his monstrous power to bare, as fifteen hideously deadly Spears of Light appeared above him. "Come Ddraig! Let us do battle as true beings of Myth! This shall be most entertaining!"

From beneath his helmet, Jon smirked. "I'm not here for your entertainment, Kokabiel. And I have no intention of fighting you alone."

Kokabiel looked terribly confused for the longest time. It wasn't until Jon curled up his armored body and opened a series of missile silos on his back that it occurred to him what he was doing.

"You wouldn't dare!" He shouted in rage.

"Oh but I would." He assured before releasing his full salvo. "Boosted Radiance!"

Green orbs of light fired from the silos in his back plates and rained down on every single one of his comrades. Rias, Akeno, Koneko, Xenovia, Kiba, even Irina, they ALL received massive boosts of power, Jon's Transfer ability having been fused with Twilight Radiance to propel their abilities beyond anything they could have once conceived of.

"Now then!" Rias's power exploded as her voice boomed over all of them. "Members of the ORC, bring this bastard DOWN!"

* * *

Sirens blared in the massive concrete halls of the Nexus as Wesker battled with Sammy in an all out war. Both sides throwing everything they had in their arsenals at the other. Sammy blasted Wesker with purple fire who responded by surrounding his skin with the black tentacles on his body. These fleshy masses hardened to be as tough as steel, absorbing the heat of his attacks and protecting him.

Wesker retaliated with wild swings of the massive boney scythe that had replaced his right arm. This thing could cut through damn near anything as Sammy quickly learned after their chance encounter with a layer of reinforced rebar. That scythe appendage of his could also stretch out ridiculously far and made getting in close to hit him with his gauntlets extremely difficult.

"Why can't you understand?" Wesker took another wild swing at Sammy who barely had time to dodge as his opponent brought the boney scythe down into the concrete floor before dragging a massive divet into its surface. "Do you truly believe the world can be saved?"

Aika flew over his head and rained Arcane Missiles down upon him. Wesker curled up his tentacle scythe and absorbed each attack before lashing out with his left hand and lassoing her with a single black tentacle. Aika yelped in surprise moments before being slammed hard onto the concrete floor.

"Natural selection leaves the survivors stronger and better. War and pestilence rids us of the loathsome resource consuming masses while leaving the others to adapt and overcome."

Aika backed away as Wesker brought the scythe down once more, only to be scooped up and saved at the last second by Sammy.

"What do we do?! Our attacks don't even phase this guy!" She insisted in a panicky voice.

"I'd use my absorption line but he doesn't have any magical energy to steal." Sammy growled.

After a moment, an idea occurred to her. "Maybe not him...but I do."

He quirked a brow at her worriedly. "You sure about that? If you give up any more juice you could pass out. You'll be completely vulnerable."

"Then I guess it's up to you to make sure I stay safe, Dragon." She teased him, trying to put on a brave face.

Sammy then pushed her out of the way moments before Wesker grabbed him with another mass of black tentacles, bringing him close to his face. "The human race requires judgement! You must see this, surely?!"

"And you're the one who's gonna judge them, eh?" Sammy challenged while summoning his absorption line and struggling to get free. "Do you get all your ideas from fucking comic book villains?"

"You are ignorant! Just another unworthy specimen attempting to play God." Wesker growled before morphing his boney scythe into a spiral drill and beginning to spin it rapidly. "But I will make you understand! The only one who deserves to play God is my Lord!"

As he prepared to deliver the final blow, Sammy fired his absorption line at Aika and began draining her power as fast as he could. She helped the process along by willingly channeling magical energy through the line to him, creating a surge of power that caused the markings on his skin to light up. Aika collapsed to the ground and passed out, just as he predicted.

Meanwhile, Sammy summoned his strength and broke free of the tentacles, burning through them in the process. With a Feral Dragon's Roar he then knocked wesker back, scorching his skin.

"Funny you should mention God." He was smiling now, the Dragon's Mark on his body glowing neon red as he approached Wesker. "See, I represent one of the single most powerful races in all the three realms. And all this time, I can't say I've ever once tried to play God." Sammy shook his head. "No...all this time…"

Thick plates of black Exoskeletal Power Armor covered his body, charged by a plasma based core. A round metal helmet covered his head, with two square, robotic eyes boring into Wesker's being. A massive black Minigun shaped to look like a Dragon's Head appeared on his back which was attached to a robotic arm that auto loaded the weapon and moved it to his hands, ready to fire. The gun spooled up and he finished his thought.

"...I've been playing human."

His Minigun fired, sending over six thousand rounds a minute towards his opponent. Wesker quickly tried to block by forming a mass of tentacles into a makeshift wall in front of him. But the green plasma based rounds melted through the steel tentacles like wax, forcing him to use more and more just to keep the wall up.

Meanwhile, Sammy slowly approached Wesker's wall of tentacles before shouldering his minigun again and raising both fists into the air. Two massive flame throwers appeared on his wrists which he fired at point blank range. Twin purple flames sprouted from the guns in a thick cone pattern that completely incinerated everything in front of him. Wesker surrounded himself in a dome of tentacles, desperate to keep the flames at bay.

When Sammy finally stopped blasting him with flames, Wesker was in rough shape. Most of the protective tentacles were gone and his skin had been badly burned.

"I...will not lose...to YOU!" He barked angrily, now struggling just to remain standing.

"Hate to break it to ya, Pal. But this ones already over."

His chest plate opened revealing a cylindrical plasma core building up energy.

"Game over!"

Sammy fired a deadly plasma grenade at him. Wesker attempted to block with his scythe hand but it was futile. The last of his black tentacles were blasted to pieces and the Chief of Security was sent flying onto his back. Armless, powerless, and his flesh seared. He was done.

The armor plating covering Sammy began to recede back into his gauntlets and boots from where it came, before vanishing entirely. The mark receded form his body and Sammy collapsed to a knee, exhausted but still in one piece. He'd never used that form in combat before. And frankly, there was no guarantee it would have worked.

All things considered, he really lucked out there.

Upon catching his breath, Sammy stood back up and ran over to the downed Aika who was still unconscious. After gently patting her face a few times she began to stir.

"Wake up, Aika. Seriously." He insisted. "Sona will kill me if I let you die down here."

She groaned complacently before finally opening her eyes and sitting up. "So...did we win?"

He shrugged. "Eh, more or less." Sammy checked the ammo reserves on his Desert Eagle. Seven shots left, not exactly ideal if they ran into anymore zombies. "Come on, we need to get going."

He offered her a hand up and the two began limping their way back towards the control room. Upon passing Wesker, however, they noticed he began to stir. Sammy immediately aimed his gun with his free hand as their downed opponent slowly opened his eyes.

"You're too late…" Wesker commented in a weak tone. "All you've done here is delay the inevitable. Those sirens you're hearing are a warning that the missile is about to fire. Even if your friends attempted to manually disable the launch sequence, it won't stop the rockets from igniting. You've failed."

Sammy and Aika gave each other concerned looks for a moment…

...before both of them broke out into knowing grins.

"Yeah...about that." The Black Dragon King chuckled at him in a coy manner. "See...we was never actually planning on stopping the launch."

Wesker slowly turned his head towards him, casting two confused and nervous eyes his way.

"In fact…" Aika added with a slick tone. "...we were counting on the missile firing."

* * *

Delta Squad fought their way to the blast door leading to the missle silo. They didn't have long to pull this off, which only fueled the extra momentum they put into their legs. Matsuda lead the charge alongside Rei, who used her new powers to harden her skin, deflecting the bullets of the Husk security personnel stationed around the silo while he shredded them with his Lancer. Upon reaching the blast door, Saya immediately began hacking her way in on the nearby computer console.

"Cmon, we need to hurry!" Motohama insisted, already getting antsy.

"Rushing me is not gonna help!" She shouted back while furiously inputting console commands. "Okay, I've got it!"

The blast doors began to slowly creak open, moving so agonizingly slow it was physically painful.

"Oh you've gotta be shitting me!" Matsuda began pacing around like a caged animal.

"Can't you make it open any faster?!" Rei asked hurriedly.

Saya growled at them before baring her fang. "Go pull on it if it makes you feel better! That's as fast as the damn thing goes!"

The moment the doors were even remotely wide enough to allow them to squeeze through Delta Squad kept moving. A group of Husk security blocked their path armed with assault rifles. Matsuda sprayed them with Lancer rounds while Rei charged ahead, popping them in the head with her rifle while using her gymnastics to stab the remainders with her bayonet. After expending the last of his ammo, Matsuda finished off the last one with his chainsaw, completely shredding the husk into mulch.

With them out of the way, the group sprinted down the hall into the massive silo where the Bio Weapon was located. The missile was damn near the size of a high rise hotel.

"How the hell do we find the dispenser system on THAT thing?" Rei asked in exasperation.

"It's over there!" Saya pointed to one of the missle entrances a couple yards away connected to a series of gangplanks.

The group immediately began running towards it despite their reservations.

"How do you know this is the correct entrance?" Matsuda asked nervously.

"I memorized the schematics for the missile before we left." Saya explained confidently. "This is the one."

Rei chuckled in amazement. "Honestly, what the hell would we do without you, girl?"

Saya shot her a slick grin. "Burn to a crisp after hopelessly getting lost in a massive missile silo."

It didn't take them long to reach the outer door. Saya immediately found the emergency hatch and popped the steel shell while Matsuda pried it open. Once Delta Squad was inside they located the central chemical dispenser and got to work. Motohama stayed behind, using his sniper rifle to pick off the husks on the gangplanks above.

"How much time do we have before the launch?" Saya asked while breaking open her briefcase and inspecting each glass vial of blue liquid.

Rei checked the screen next to the feeding system and gulped in fear. "You don't wanna know…"

"You're certain this will work, Saya?" Matsuda asked nervously while helping her place the vials into individual feeding tubes. "It's a big risk."

"A little late to be asking that." She insisted while placing the final vial into the dispenser and making her way to the administrators terminal. "Trust me, it will work. Once Tsubaki explained the principles of how Alchemic Formulae work in comparison to standard Chemistry, solving the Decay Rate Algorithm was as simple as working out a math equation."

After punching a few keys, the vials began to dispense the compound into the central payload canisters onboard the missle.

"Did that do it?" Rei asked.

Saya nodded. "Yep, we're good to go!"

"Then now would be a VERY good time to leave!" She insisted while pointing at the built in monitor on the missle. Which at that moment was counting down from thirty seconds.

Without another thought they exited the central dispenser before slamming the missle door shut and dead sprinting down the gangplank moments before it detached from the missile and began to retract. The ground beneath their feet trembled as the rockets Stage One Thrusters kicked on. A fire built beneath Delta Squad and the sky above opened up to them as dirt and grass fell into the silo. They knew they were quickly running out of time.

"We're not gonna make it!" Matsuda shouted over the roar of rocket thrusters.

"Just trust me! We'll make it!" Saya assured.

Moments before they made it to the blast door the rockets ignited. All four of them dove through the whereupon Saya hit the button to shut the doors. A wave of fire came barreling towards them as the blast doors took their sweet time closing.

"Everyone behind me!" She ordered.

They all ducked behind Saya as she summoned her Psionic Power and raised her hands out in front of her. Moments before the fire incinerated them it was caught in a net of psychic energy, held back by the sheer power of her mind. As the pressure continued to build, however, it became clear she wouldn't be able to hold it for much longer.

"I...I can't…" Her face was turning red and sweat was pouring from her brow as she struggled against the force of the afterburn. "It's too much…"

"Saya, listen to me!" Motohama stood up and spoke to her desperately. "You've got this! Just a bit longer, the doors will be shut in just a moment!"

"Motohama!" She cried back before dropping to a knee. Pockets of fire came bursting out of holes in the psionic barrier as it threatened to collapse. "I...I don't think I'm-"

"I love you!" He shouted to her. "Saya, do you hear me?! I know I haven't said it out loud before but it's the truth! I love you and once we're out of here I'm gonna ask your father for permission to marry you!"

Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head at his words. Rei covered her mouth with her hands while Matsuda's jaw damn near hit the floor.

A fire lit under her ass. Saya's eyes began to glow even brighter and her fang grew in size. With a feral scream of anger she forced the flames back.

Moments before her power finally gave out, the blast doors shut. They were safe.

Delta Squad took a moment to process the fact that they were all still very much alive before Rei and Matsuda burst into ruckus cheering, grabbing hold of each other and jumping in relief. Just happy to know the other was still alive. Saya collapsed to her knees, completely spent. While Motohama ran up to check on her.

"You okay?" He asked worriedly.

"Dammit…" She grumbled before finally turning around to cast her gaze at him. "...I JUST did my eyebrows!"

He held back his snickering at her slightly singed brows before shaking his head at her and beaming in ecstatic relief. "I think you'll live, Honey."

Motohama pressed his lips firmly to hers. Saya went wide eyed in indignant shock for a moment before relaxing into him and wrapping her arms around his neck in a loving embrace.

They did it. Delta Squad beat all the odds and completed their mission.

* * *

The Angel of Stars was on the ropes. His battle with the superpowered Occult Research Club having taken a drastic turn against him. What started as a manageable if somewhat aggravating one on one with Ddraig was now a complete beat down as he found himself on the defensive for the first time in decades. While the Red Dragon Emperor continued his onslaught in that ridiculously powerful Scale Mail armor of his, Rias Gremory used her newfound Form of Destruction to barrage him with high tear spells designed to utterly annihilate normal opponents. Perhaps most infuriating of all was Baraqiel's daughter. That insipid lightning of hers could come from anywhere, and not even his strongest Javelins seemed incapable of reaching her from the distance she could cast her spells.

In the midst of their battle, Rias caught him with an Orb of Destruction that he wasn't fully prepared for. The blast knocked him off kilter and sent him flying out of control. Jon seized the opportunity and brought his fist down into Kokabiel's chest, sending him careening back down to Earth where the ground forces awaited him. Akeno kept up the pressure by raining down an onslaught of lightning from the heavens above which Kokabiel managed to avoid by landing on his feet and absorbing the electric attack with a well timed barrier.

With an angry growl he then tore his tattered robes off his body, revealing the chiseled, battle hardened muscle lying beneath that came from literal eons of warfare. He summoned two Blades of Light, one in each hand, as Kiba dashed towards him at damn near untrackable speeds. Wielding his Holy Devil Blade, the Knight of Gremory entered a fierce duel of swords with the Angel of Stars. His speed eventually won out and Kiba proceeded to cut and slice away at him, zooming in and out from seemingly multiple directions at once as he cut away at Kokabiel until his opponent took a knee. At which point he came to a dead stop, his back turned away from him as the Knight snapped his fingers, summoning a circle of blades in the sky that he brought down upon Kokabiel. The swords detonated on contact, sending Kokabiel tumbling across the landscape.

Next to fall upon him was Koneko. Who leapt up into the air and smashed her right fist brutally across his face. Using the excess energy in her system to fuel her muscles and smash through every guard he put up, be it magical or physical. She hit him again and again, breaking bones and lacerating organs with every swing. Until at last she finished it off with a spinning roundhouse kick that sent Kokabiel careening into the dirt, leaving a trail of uprooted earth nearly half the size of a football field in length.

Xenovia capitalized on Koneko's momentum and brought Durandel down upon her opponent. Kokabiel jumped out of the way despite his injuries and took flight. Barraging her with a flurry of Light Spears. With a single swing of her blade she destroyed the spears, sending a wave of power that blasted him out of the sky and back onto the ground. He quickly stood back up and summoned a barrier which she immediately smashed through. As well as the the next one he summoned and the one after that. The Angel of Stars was repeatedly pushed back further and further with each swing of her blade. Until, with a beastial warcry she brought the blade down in a downward slash, sending a massive wave of energy that pushed him back towards the rest of the group.

Irina channeled the energy given to her by Jon to morph her Excalibur Mimic into an entirely new form. A serrated broadsword with segmented links that she could use to extend its range. With a single fling of her wrist she launched the whiplike blade at him, driving the tip of her sword into his shoulder and drawing blood. She then drew back with a sharp pull, dislodging the blade and bringing the weapon back to its original form before charging him. Kokabiel summoned a blade of his own and the two clashed. Just as it seemed like he might get the upper hand, she used her superior agility to dive directly behind him and roll before jumping up with a twirl and segmenting her blade again in the process. Slicing up his back in a single move. She began spinning in the air, using her Psionic Energy and the sword to create a small hurricane that blew him away.

Having been knocked to the ground yet again, Kokabiel slowly stood up. Beaten, battered, and covered in his own blood. The members of the ORC all slowly descended upon him, encircling their wounded prey, sans Asia, who kept a respectable distance a few yards away. Rias descended from the sky, standing directly in front of him as he glared up at her bitterly.

"It's over, Kokabiel.' Rias declared with finality, her arms crossed in front of her. "You have been judged and found wanting by this Peerage, by the Three Factions, and those you so callously slaughtered. As heir of the House Marquis of Gremory, I hereby sentence you to death!"

She conjured five orbs of Destruction, intent on delivering the killing blow.

"Do you have any final words?"

After a moment, his bitter scowl curled into another malicious grin. He slowly began to chuckle, this chuckle built up into roaring laughter as he cast his head up towards the heavens, relishing in his own mirth.

The members of the ORC and Irina all exchanged nervous looks with one another.

"I must say, this truly has been a battle for the ages!" He cackled in delight. "Not since my duel with Cardinal Vasco Strada over eighty years ago have I enjoyed such a healthy challenge!"

"You're insane!" Irina shouted at him angrily. "Even now that's all you can think about?!"

He shook his head, still snickering quietly to himself. "Well...it's not JUST that. I'll admit." A sickeningly wide grin formed on his lips, baring all his razor sharp teeth. "It seems to me...you lot may have forgotten about something kind of important."

It was then they realized. Off in the distance, they heard the unmistakable sound of a rocket taking off. Up on the hills at least seven and a half miles away, Kokabiel's WMD took flight from the hidden silo below the ground. The rocket bolted up into the air, heading high into the atmosphere well out of reach.

Irina's heart sank deep into her chest and she dropped to her knees. "No...they didn't make it. We failed."

Kokabiel reared back and laughed hysterically yet again. "Yes! In just a few moments that missile will hit the atmosphere, saturating this entire planet with my virus! At last, the Great War shall begin again in full force!"

The Holy Sword User dropped her weapon and collapsed onto her hands. "It's over...this is it...armagedon."

The members of the ORC all exchanged knowing looks with one another. Now it was THERE turn to start laughing.

As the members of Rias's Peerage began to laugh amongst each other, both Irina and Kokabiel looked around at them, utterly confused as to why they would be laughing about this.

"What's so funny?" Kokabiel growled in irritation.

"You know...I WAS just going to kill you." Rias commented, a sadistic grin now plastered on her face. "Buuuuut, I think you should be allowed to see this."

He narrowed his eyes at her in confusion, not understanding. "See what?"

A horrifying thought crossed his mind. Kokabiel turned his head up towards the missle and then back towards Rias.

"What did you do?!"

She didn't answer. Rias simply continued to grin at him. They ALL did.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" He roared in unholy rage.

The missile reached its optimal altitude and detonated. Kokabiel's gaze turned back up towards the sky, expecting to see a wave of green plague infest the atmosphere signaling the start of his glorious apocalypse. Instead, what he got was an eerie wave of blue miasma. A cyclone of energy formed around the focal point of the storm where his missile had detonated, kicking up more clouds and bursting with heat lightning.

Finally, the soft patter of rain hitting his skin caught his attention. Kokabiel looked down at his hands as droplets of water continued to fall from the sky in increasingly greater volume until they formed a complete shower.

"Rain?" He spoke the word as if not quite understanding it before clenching his fists into two angry balls. "But...this isn't...this isn't right! Where is my plague?! Where is my virus?!"

"Yeaaah, we had the Sitri clan cook up a little...shall we call it...vaccination for your virus." Rias explained.

At the mention of the word vaccination he cast two disbelieving eyes up at her.

"It took them awhile, but our science team discovered a way to counteract the effects of the pathogen." Akeno added, clearly enjoying the look on Kokabiel's face just as much as the President was. "At this very moment, every creature possessing the undead genome created by your virus is being wiped out and every salvageable human currently infected is being reverted back into their normal forms. In other words...they're being cured."

Absolute fury formed in his features.

"It gets better." Rias continued undeterred. "The rain will permeate the air, aerosolizing our cure and saturating the entire atmosphere, insuring even the infected occupying buildings and the ones deep in your little Nexus are exposed to it. Once it's done here, the clouds will move on, saturating the rest of Earth's atmosphere and land masses in our cure. Inoculating the rest of humanity to your disease and rendering them immune."

The gravity of what they had just done was not lost on Kokabiel, even in the seething rage that was building up within him. Not only had they managed to cure the undead he had stationed here in Kuoh, they had essentially rendered his virus completely impotent. The spark that was to ignite the next Great War? Completely ruined!

Furious was ancient history, Kokabiel was a timebomb waiting to go off. They just didn't know it yet.

"Did you honestly think I would stake the fate of the entire world on an all out brawl with the likes of you?" Rias taunted him further. "In a game of strategy such as this you always need an ace in the hole. And ours was a couple of humans with a vial. Your grand apocalypse was just brought to heel by modern medicine."

As Rias continued to taunt Kokabiel, Jon felt something build up within the Angel of Stars that unsettled him greatly. Upon realizing what was happening, his heart stopped in terror.

"RIAS, WAIT!"

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

An inhuman cry of seething rage burst forth from Kokabiel's being as they were all simultaneously blasted several yards backwards by a massive shockwave of power. The Angel of Stars slowly ascended to the sky, black armor with intricate designs of silver emblazoned on its surface covering his body and two swords of equally intricate design appearing in both his hands.

They thought they had seen the threshold of Kokabiel's power. Clearly they were wrong. This was the TRUE Angel of Stars. The armored Captain of the Two Hundred Watchers. A warrior with eons of bloodshed under his belt.

"KNOW THIS RIAS GREMORY! NONE OF YOU WILL LEAVE THIS BATTLE ALIVE!" The monstrous fury conveyed by his voice was made only the more intimidating by the bestial form his face had morphed into. "I WILL DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU LOVE!"

A vortex of power swirled around him, kicking the rain up into a literal hurricane of wind and water. Thunder boomed overhead and trees uprooted in the massive gale of storm force winds and stinging rain.

Jon, Rias, Akeno, and Xenovia all took to the sky while the others remained on the ground, sheltering themselves from the storm as their four heavyweights did battle with the Ten Winged Angel. Akeno summoned a hale of lightning from the clouds above that hit Kokabiel's form like a metal rod. He absorbed the entirety of the attack before throwing it right back at her. Rias's Queen was zapped from the sky and fell towards the earth, completely unconscious.

"Akeno!" Kiba unfurled his wings and took to the sky, swooping up and catching her midair before bringing her back to Asia for healing.

"What is going on?!" Asia shouted over the torrential downpour and roaring winds as she tried to heal Akeno. "I thought we had won!"

"We did!" Kiba explained. "But Kokabiel is a sore loser! He's tapping into his full power here on Earth! That's the most grievous violation of the ceasefire he could possibly pull!"

"Has he gone completely nuts?!" Koneko shouted in response. "He'll draw the attention of every Satan Class being in the three realms doing this!"

"We just have to hold out until Lord Lucifer can intervene!" Kiba insisted. "I guarantee he can feel this!"

"That's assuming Kokabiel doesn't wipe out the whole city before he gets here!" Irina shouted back, clearly frightened by this development. "What do we do?!"

"We pray!" Asia insisted while continuing to channel healing magic into Akeno. "At this point, that's all we can do!"

Up in the sky above, the air was a cacophony of shockwaves, thundering explosions, and hurricane like power. Amidst the struggle, Xenovia was blasted from the sky next. Crying out in pain as she came careening down towards Earth in a manner similar to Akeno.

"Xenovia!" Irina cried in panic.

Koneko was the next to swoop in and save their comrade from hitting the ground. She returned the unconscious Xenovia for healing, who was still gripping Durandal despite being completely out of it. Asia began channeling healing magic into both of them once, knowing full well her magic reserves were reaching their limits.

"If we lose anyone else it's over!" Koneko spoke up hysterically.

"They can do this!" Asia insisted, focusing all her attention on her Twilight Healing.

Up above, Jon and Rias continued to clash with the Angel of Stars. The Red Dragon Emperor rushed his opponent who responded by rushing him right back. The two gripped each other's hands and pushed with all their might, channeling power into their being in a bid to force the other back.

"YOU WILL LAMENT IN MY WRATH MORE THAN ANY OTHER, DDRAIG!" Kokabiel roared in his blood frenzy. "I WILL STEP ON YOUR TREASURE'S NECKS ONE BY ONE! I WILL SHRED AND BURN THEIR CORPSES! I WILL SLAUGHTER EVERYONE YOU LOVE UNTIL YOU ARE LEFT KNEELING IN THE ASHES AND BLOOD OF EVERYTHING YOU HOLD DEAR!"

"Good God, you need to chill!" Jon grunted against the unbridled fury of Kokabiel's power, his armor starting to crack and chip away as he was slowly pushed back.

"JUST ACCEPT YOUR DEFEAT! NOTHING CAN SAVE YOU FROM MY WRATH NOW!"

With a beastial yell Jon slammed his visor into Kokabiel's face knocking him backwards and cracking the Scale Mail's helmet. He followed with a rocket propelled fist that pushed the Angel of Stars back.

"Rias, I need some time!" He shouted to her desperately.

"I'll see what I can do!"

The President clashed head to head with the full brunt of Kokabiel's obscene power while Jon began channeling every last bit of energy he had left into a red ball between his gauntlets. Everything he had left in the tank. They only had one shot to pull this off and it had to be perfect. As the power between his hands grew in size, he raised it up into the air. Summoning something big enough to finish off Kokabiel wasn't really the problem here. The problem was harnessing his power in such a way as to focus the energy enough to finish him off without also wiping out the city in a Hiroshima sized blast in the process.

While he dealt with that issue, Rias struggled against the full might of the Angel of Stars. The two were locked in a duel of power with the President using the very last of her energy to counteract the city destroying blast the mad man was attempting to create. With one last shout of agonized struggling she counteracted his city destroying spell and pushed him back. Her wings disappeared and her eyes rolled into her head as Rias fell the same as the rest of her comrades. Her form changed mid fall and she redawned her Kuoh Academy ORC Uniform, now completely spent of energy.

Seeing an opportunity and out for blood, Kokabiel summoned a massive spear of light and aimed for her heart.

Moments before he could throw, however, Jon's Dragon Bomb finished cooking. He hurled the massive thing down upon him, giving Kokabel just enough time to raise his hands up and catch the massive red orb. Its power proved to be too much, however, and it began forcefully pushing him backwards. Slowly...surely...it pushed him back down to Earth, slowly engulfing him in its mass and cracking away at his armor.

With one final scream of rage, the Angel of Stars was consumed as the Dragon's Bomb dug its way deep into the Earth. Below the city, below the nexus, deep enough to where the pressure of the Earth itself could smother most of the ensuing blast.

What followed was an earthquake that shook the entire city to its very core. Tectonic plates shifted, buildings toppled, and massive chasms formed. The members of the ORC below held on to each other for dear life as the ground beneath their feet trembled and shook.

Until at last, all was quiet. The hurricane winds subsided. The rain fell into a steady drizzle once again. Peace, at last, had been returned.


	41. Chapter 41

**::Author's Note::**

**Well folks, I thought we'd never get to this point yet here we are. The next Chapter will be the Epilogue but this one will completely wrap up major plot points of the story. It's been a long, crazy, (and at times arduous) ride but we're finally here. I'll be going over some things to look forward to in the next Arc once I've post the epilogue, but in the meantime I just have a couple of quick notes.**

**I wanted to address something one of my reviewers pointed out. I somehow completely left out Uriel when addressing all the major players in the Three Factions a few chapters back. Oops. I'll address this issue in the next Arc and fix the problem, so no real worries there.**

**One thing to be on the lookout for in this chapter. I changed the name of the Chaos Brigade. For no particular reason than I just don't think the name is severe enough for what is essentially the primary villainous force of the entire Highschool Dxd canon. Chaos Brigade is just too tame for my liking and sounds like something someone would call them as a joke. Not to be taken seriously.**

**Aside from that, I don't really wanna talk too much about this chapter as I don't want to spoil it. This chapter has been a long time in the making, and a lot of the story that I've crafted over the past few months has been leading up to this point, so I hope you enjoy it.**

**I proudly present to you all, Chapter 41.**

**::End Note::**

Jon's eyes closed and his thrusters went cool. He fell towards Earth alongside Rias, his armor breaking off and vanishing in massive chunks, leaving him bare. He had just finished the battle of his life. And now, spent of everything, Jon had officially lost consciousness.

Kiba and Koneko quickly swooped in and caught them both, bringing the pair back to the others where they belonged. Irina immediately rushed over to Jon and inspected him for injuries.

"Is he okay?!" She asked desperately, her nerve having been completely frayed some time ago.

Koneko nodded assuredly. "Just drained, that's all."

She breathed a sigh of relief. Slowly but surely, Jon began to come around. Groaning in pain as he shakily sat up in Koneko's arms.

"So...I take it we won?" He asked, clear exhaustion in his voice.

After a moment, Irina's breath hitched. A bright smile enveloped her features and tears formed in her eyes. She pressed herself against him and hugged tight, letting the relief spill out of her eyes now that the worst had finally passed.

It was over. It was finally over.

"Ow! Hey, easy easy!" He insisted. "I'm pretty sure I bruised a rib up there!"

"I can't believe we're alive!" She insisted sincerely before pulling away and smiling at him again. "Jon...that was INCREDIBLE!"

Koneko smiled and nodded her head in agreement. Before he could reply, Rias began to come to as well.

"Mmmm." She rubbed her sore temples with both hands and shook the cobwebs loose before checking to see if she was still decent. "Well...at least this time I didn't wind up half naked."

Kiba chuckled at her incredulously. "Really? That's what you're worried about, Rias?"

Akeno and Xenovia soon followed, each of them opening their eyes and sitting up. As the group collectively processed what had just happened, Jon finally stood up out of Koneko's grasp and slowly began making his way to the massive hole he'd left in the Lindou District. A look of severity in his eyes.

"Where are you going?" Rias asked worriedly.

"I have to see it." He spoke vehemently. "I have to know he's dead."

The President shot a concerned look to Kiba who nodded in understanding before running after Jon. The two approached the massive crater and peered down. There was no telling how deep it truly ran.

"We should fly down there." He insisted.

"Jon…" Kiba shook his head assuredly. "...save your strength. Come on, we both know he's dead."

"I need to confirm the kill!" He growled.

"Jon, trust me!" Kiba shouted back at him. "The fucking ratbastard is a charcoal briquette!"

The Dragon peered back down into the hole nervously before Kiba placed both his hands on his shoulders.

"You did it, Brother." He smiled at him ecstatically. "You won."

After shifting his gaze between the hole and Kiba several more times, at last, a bright smile enveloped his features. Jon began to laugh whereupon Kiba soon joined him. The two hugged it out, relief washing over both their beings as the finality of their ordeal truly began to sink in.

One by one, Jon's entire Peerage rushed over to him to join in the celebration. They were exhausted beyond measure, sore beyond belief, and completely drained of power. Not that anyone would have known that by the looks on their faces.

Irina watched from a distance as they each took it in turns to hug and praise each other. A content smile on her face. She felt a hand touch her shoulder and looked to see Asia standing next to her. Her expression was bright and friendly as always.

"You should go up there too. After all...you're one of his Treasures, aren't you?"

She gasped at her words, at a complete loss as to how to respond.

Asia giggled at her. "Well...give it some thought at least. Either way, you're still his family."

With that, she turned and merrily made her way towards the others. Leaving Irina to ponder her words while her heart thumped loudly in her ears. She had no clue what to do. If she went over there, Irina was certain she would never leave. On the other hand, if she just quietly left, she'd basically be ensuring that she never saw Jon again either. The more she thought about it, the louder her heartbeat became.

Until it suddenly stopped dead in her chest and all went quiet. Time seemed to slow down around her as she watched Asia run in, what looked to her at least, slow motion towards the others. Something was wrong...terribly wrong. She didn't know how she knew it, she just...did.

And that's when Irina saw it. Directly at Asia's feet, a figure burst up from the earth below her. Time continued to move at a crawl around her as the Ten Winged Monster himself burst up from the ground as if crawling out of Hades itself, causing Asia to shriek in absolute terror. Irina's feet were already moving even as Jon and the others turned their heads one by one to look back at the source of the scream. Each of their expressions changing from one of relief and merriment to that of sheer unbridled horror as Kokabiel grabbed the Phylactery roughly off of Asia's person, tearing her skirt and blouse in the process and knocking her backwards onto the ground.

A Lance of Light appeared in his hand and Irina willed her body to move even faster, using her Psionic Energy to propel her legs forward. Meanwhile Jon knocked over four people in a mad dash to save his Treasure. Kokabiel brought his lance up over his head and Asia covered her eyes with her arms, bracing for the end.

The lance came down right as Irina jumped in its path, embedding itself in her chest in Asia's place.

Jon's feet stopped and he stood paralyzed, his whole being shattering in a single moment. He, along with everyone else, watched in slow motion as Irina's body collapsed into the dirt, Kokabiel's lance protruding from her chest. A blank, vacant look in her eyes as time reverted to normal.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Xenovia shrieked.

Their faces all contorted into looks of stunned horror, save for Jon and Asia who both just looked completely vacant. Like they weren't really there. Meanwhile, Kokabiel calmly pulled the spear from Irina's breast, causing her to lurch up and cough blood onto Asia's shellshocked face.

The Angel of Stars flew up into the sky, laughing maniacally as he proceeded to raise his lance again. Kiba, having been the first to regain his wits, immediately sprung into action. Using his speed to swoop in and grab both Asia and Irina before beating a hasty retreat back to the others. All in the fraction of time it took for the lance to hit the ground and detonate.

"IRINA!" Xenovia grabbed the mortally wounded Holy Sword User from Kiba and held her in her arms. "Irina, speak to me! SPEAK TO ME!"

"Tsk! Quick little rat, aren't you?" Kokabiel slowly turned and glared at Kiba and the others hatefully. "No matter…you'll all be dead soon anyway." An insidious look formed in his eyes "You took away my future...I'm just returning the favor."

He proceeded to slam the crystal into his chest whereupon power rushed through his being. Sickly green energy coursed through his veins, turning his raven hair and wings grey and paling his skin.

While this transformation took place, Asia broke out of her stupor to see Xenovia shaking her desperately, sheer panic in her voice.

"Fix her!" She cried desperately. "Asia, please FIX HER!"

Realizing she was being called to act, Asia pushed Xenovia and the others aside and immediately began channeling her Twilight Healing into Irina's body.

Upon feeling the extent of the injury, dismay set into her being. It was bad...REALLY bad.

"I...I can't close this wound!" She shook her head in denial. There wasn't anything she could do, not for this.

Meanwhile, Kokabiel's transformation had finished. With the power of the Phylactery in his chest, the Angel of Stars was infused with his deceased wife's powers. His new form was a grim hybridization of a Lich and a Fallen Angel. The right half of his face was shrunken in and skeletal, his right eye was glowing that sickly green color, and a tattered waist cape formed on his back. With the transformation complete he landed on the ground in front of the tired and beleaguered Peerage. Having seemingly been completely restored.

"Now THIS is more like it!" Kokabiel laughed like a man unhinged, his voice taking on a deathly rattle. "With Eurus's power at my disposal we can REALLY have some fun!"

Xenovia's pain and despair quickly boiled into seething rage. She grabbed Durandal and charged at Kokabiel with reckless abandon. The Angel of Stars summoned a green blade of light mixed with ethereal ectoplasm and blocked her initial swing. Causing a shockwave that could be felt by all.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" She railed in equal parts fury and despair.

"My, but how quickly the tides do change." He taunted nastily, sparks flying off their swords as they both clashed for supremacy. "Don't worry, Little Hunter, you will not be far behind her."

He knocked her away with his blade, pushing her back several yards. Xenovia dug her heels in and remained standing, using her sword to brace herself before charging yet again and leaping into the air. With an angry shout she brought her sword down upon him once more. Kokabiel blocked the blow, leaving his back exposed.

Seeing an opportunity, Kiba quickly capitalized. Summoning his Holy Devil Sword and darting at lightning speeds to attack from the flank.

"Oooooh, now we're talking!" Kokabiel laughed before summoning another blade with his free hand and using it to block Kiba. "What's more fun than fighting Durandal and a Balance Breaker at the same time?"

"This!" Koneko, who had snuck around behind him dove straight down from the sky with her heels out in front of her, intent on delivering a spine shattering double kick to Kokabiel's back.

Glowing barbed feathers shot from his wings and detonated upon impact with her body. Koneko cried out loudly in pain as she was knocked into the ground and sent sliding on her back through dirt and debris. Most of her clothes had been blasted off in addition to being badly burned in multiple places.

"Koneko!" Kiba shouted moments before being blasted back alongside Xenovia.

Kokabiel crossed his blades together and then slashed the air sharply, creating an X shaped energy attack on a direct course for Kiba. Xenovia quickly darted in front of him and slammed her sword into the ground, erecting a Holy Barrier from her pommel.

The energy overwhelmed her shield and blasted them both. The Knights shouted in pain, their bodies riddled with injuries as they too were sent to the ground alongside Koneko.

Rias and Akeno both stood and hurled everything they could at him. Anything they had left. Kokabiel chuckled in sardonic amusement at the attempt. Deflecting both Destruction Spells and lightning bolts alike with his twin blades.

"Resistant to the end, eh Rias? Good! I want you to struggle as I meticulously tear every single one of your beloved Servants apart!"

He threw the blades. One at Rias and one at Akeno. They both immediately erected barriers but ultimately were overwhelmed same as the others. Rias and Akeno fell, alive but in severe pain.

Knowing full well he had won, Kokabiel ascended towards the sky, laughing maniacally at all of them.

"Yes! YES! Struggle and suffer little rats! Your pain has only just begun!"

He channeled Eurus's power and brought time to a complete stand still. Though all of them could still move, the world around the ORC was completely frozen.

"With this magic I can take my time in making you all suffer." Kokabiel explained with sick enjoyment. "I hope you're watching Rias. I'm going to slowly break them all one by one until they BEG me for death. And then, once you've seen every last one of your precious friends suffer and die, ONLY THEN will it be your turn!"

Rias tries to stand only to collapse onto her hands and knees. Tears streamed down her face as she gazed around at the broken and bloodied bodies of her Peerage.

"Again…" She whispered painfully. "...I let my pride get in the way again. I'm so sorry everyone…"

It was then she began to notice the earth beneath her was shaking. Rias turned to Akeno for confirmation on what she was seeing, who nodded her head in response.

Both of them, along with every other member of the Peerage, turned their heads back towards their Pawn. Jonathan Hyodo was building power into his body. How? They had no earthly idea. Yet there it was all the same.

"I will not…" His voice came out as a deathly severe growl. "...let you get away with this…"

His heart pumped fire into his veins as the Dragon's Mark covered his body once more. The markings pulsed with neon green energy and an aura of power enveloped his being. Jon reared his head back and roared in almighty rage, spewing hellfire high into the air.

"KOKABIEEEEEELLL!"

Jon's entire body was trembling, the raw, untamed power coursing through him making him growl and snarl like a feral beast. The pulsing marks on his body turned from neon green to gold as his features began to morph. His skin began to turn red and form thick, shiny scales. His fingers grew razor sharp claws and his ears turned sharp and pointy. Massive canines grew in his mouth and his Dragon Eyes darkened. His hair turned from brown to red and his forehead grew two shiny golden Dragon's Horns.

Finally, two red and gold Dragon's Wings sprouted on his back.

Kokabiel's face contorted into an intrigued grin at the sight. "Oh? Well now...this should be good."

Jon summoned his Sacred Gear, forming two gauntlets on his hands and two metal boots on his feet. The Boosted Gear responded to his new form and upgraded, morphing into better, shinier versions of the original with gold trimming on the edges.

Power erupted from his body in all directions. Clearing the sky completely of the frozen water droplets around them. An aura of red energy continued to flare off the creature whom Rias could barely recognize anymore as he stepped with purposeful strides until he was in front of her.

"What the hell?" Kiba asked, not knowing what else to say.

"Is that...really Jon?" Koneko looked nervous. The creature in front of her looked absolutely nothing like the man she knew.

"This power…" Xenovia found herself subconsciously dropping to her knees in front of him. Completely captivated. "...it...it can only be divine!"

"Oh Jon…" Asia looked incredibly worried. "...please be careful."

From below, Irina stirred, casting her gaze weakly at the Red Dragon Emperor.

"Rias...Akeno…" The voice that came from Jon's lips was not his own. "Look after the others. This will not take long."

"I…" Again, Rias turned her gaze towards her Queen, her eyes wide with shock. Akeno simply shook her head, unable to believe what she was seeing herself. Having no clue what else to do, the President simply nodded her head. "Okay Jon...we will."

Kokabiel bellowed in hideous amusement as Jon slowly ascended into the sky, meeting him at eye level. "Oh get real! You think a little power up will save you this late in the game?!"

He didn't respond, his murderous gaze firmly locked to Kokabiel.

"Don't make me laugh!" The Angel of Stars cast a powerful Time Spell, freezing Jon in place along with the rest of the world. "Everything here moves as fast as I want it to! So long as I control time you cannot hope...to…"

Slowly, the ether around Jon's body began to crack and tear, his power leaking through the very fabric of reality before shattering the spell completely.

"WHAT?!" Kokabiel reeled back in horror.

Moments later, Jon's fist connected with his stomach. Knocking the breath from Kokabiel's lungs and leaving a bewildered look of pain on his dumbfounded face. The blow knocked them back into reality and time reverted to normal.

"Im...im…possible." He sputtered.

With a single swift uppercut from his left gauntlet, Jon sent Kokabiel rocketing into the air. Up into the Troposphere and into the clouds.

Without so much as another word, Jon ignited his thrusters and fired up after him. Breaking the sound barrier, he left the others in his dust.

A moment later, rain began to fall on their heads once more.

* * *

All throughout the tunnels of the Nexus, Orc Warriors cheered in victory. Raising their Lancers and firing into the air in celebration over their decomposing enemies. As soon as the cure rained down on the city and began trickling into the sewers, Saya used her hacking skills to open up every ventilation system in every single tunnel of the nexus. Allowing the cure to spread throughout its entire network.

Humans who were once zombies fell into an unconscious stupor, their bodies slowly returning to normal. Mutants began to break down and liquify into nothing. The rest of the Nexus security forces were quickly overrun and before long the tunnels belonged entirely to the Assault Tribes.

Wesker took all of this in as his body slowly began to break down. "I see...so you used our virus against us."

Sammy nodded victoriously as the cure vented deeper into the tunnels. "In hindsight, you were probably better off running after the rest of my Squad than you were staying and fighting me. So much for the perfect lifeform eh? Looks like even you make mistakes."

"So it would seem…" Wesker didn't look angry, just...indifferent.

"In the end, it wasn't us that brought you down. It was just four ordinary humans." Aika boasted.

"Well...four ordinary humans with genetic mutations." Sammy admitted awkwardly. "But our point still stands. Humanity can do just fine without you deciding who lives and who dies."

"Still clinging to that tired old belief, are you?" Wesker chuckled in amusement. "I can't help but wonder, what if our roles had been reversed? What if it was we who got the upper hand and not you?"

"Then I would die still believing in humanity's potential." Sammy insisted. "I may not have been born human but I was raised by them. I fought alongside them. Bled alongside them. I know better than most the potential humanity has to offer the world."

"Sarge, Aika!"

Aika beamed upon hearing Motohama's voice. He, along with the other members of Delta Squad had survived. She quickly ran to go hug them while Sammy pointed with his thumb over to the four humans he was so ridiculously proud of.

"If ya don't believe me, just take a look at them."

Wesker shifted his gaze to the five friends hugging and celebrating boisterously with one another. He had that once...so very long ago. And now, as his genetic code continued to slowly degrade and his internal organs liquefied, he couldn't help but become just a tad sentimental.

"Perhaps…" He coughed up a huge clot of watery blood. "...you were right after all, Fynn." Wesker turned his head towards Sammy. "Can I make a request?"

Delta Leader quirked a curious brow at him. "Shoot."

"The Swordsman who now serves with Rias Gremory...don't tell him I was here." He requested. "I would...like for him to remember me as I was...not as what I became."

Sammy frowned in agitation and crossed his arms. "Not sure why I should do you any favors…" After a moment of thought, he sighed. "Fine. I won't say a word."

"You have my thanks…" The life began to drain from him completely. "...for whatever...that is...worth…"

As he gasped out his final breath, Wesker melted along with the rest of the bioweapons. With him gone, Sammy could finally return to his squad.

"One thing I still don't get though." Matsuda scratched his head. "Why is it the cure doesn't affect us?"

Saya pushed up the bridge of her glasses. "Oh well that one's simple really. Our Demon Blood makes us immune."

"Still...it's a shame we had to use the last of that mutagen making the cure." Rei admitted.

"An army of enhanced demons is a small price to pay for curing this disease, if you ask me." Aika insisted.

"I'll second that." Motohama smiled. "What's important is that we all made it out of this alive."

At that moment, a dreadful feeling washed over Sammy. For a moment, he thought he could hear someone shouting in Draconian. His ear perked up at the noise and he turned his head, but no one was there.

"Hey Sarge? Everything okay?" Matsuda asked.

"Huh?" He turned back to them, still slightly distracted. "Yeah yeah. Everything's fine."

"Well if it's all the same to you guys. I need to get the hell out of this tunnel. The Presidential Bath is calling my name." Saya insisted.

As they turned to leave, Sammy cast one last glance back towards the source of the sound he heard.

"I could swear that sounded exactly like Hyodo…"

* * *

Rain fell from the sky as Riser and Sona's forces continued to clash with the Two Hundred Watchers and remaining Fallen. Aside from Sona, Riser, and their Queens, almost every single member of both their Peerages were running low on magical energy. It was to the point where they had been forced fully on the defensive, their only escape route cut off. All that could be done was hold their ground and pray beyond hope that reinforcements of some kind would be arriving soon.

"I hate to say it Brother, but I think we might be in trouble!" Ravel gritted her teeth as she held the magical barrier keeping their foes at bay alongside Mihae.

"We can do this!" Sona blasted another group of Fallen with magic. "Just hold the line!"

Their last line of defense began to crack under the pressure of sustained attacks by the Watchers. Just as it seemed they were about to fall, a stream of silver lightning zapped seven Watchers faster than the eye could track. Disintegrating all of them instantly.

Riser and Sona, along with their Peerages, all turned their heads upward to see none other than Grayfia Lucifuge herself descend upon them, an aura of power surrounding her being.

Upon bearing witness to the presence of the Legendary Silver Haired Queen of Annihilation, every single member of the Fallen Forces, including the remaining 157 Watchers all took a healthy step back.

"Lady Grayfia?" Sona asked in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"You made it clear to us you would not leave Lord Lucifer's side for so long as he was in the city." Riser insisted.

A small prideful smile formed on her lips. "I haven't."

The hearts of every single one of Kokabiel's forces stopped dead in their chests as they suddenly felt the presence of an obscenely dark aura looming over them. One by one they turned towards the sky to see a single figure casting a very large shadow down upon them.

Lord Lucifer loomed over the battlefield like a Reaper of Death. The breadth of his power unfathomable, the terror brought by his presence absolute. No one moved, nor made a sound. There was no need. The Watchers, the Fallen, they knew that they were staring at their death.

Sirzechs extended a single hand out in front of him and wrought absolute devastation upon his enemies. Obliterating them all with a single spell that created a series of thousands upon thousands of detonations. Destroying everything they touched while leaving the defenders trapped in the middle completely unharmed.

Sona and Riser looked up after flinching at the massive blast to find the skies clear of any Fallen. With only black feathers blowing on the breeze serving as a reminder of their presence.

It was over. They had survived.

Lord Lucifer descended upon the defenders who immediately bowed with respect in his presence.

"Your Lordship, thank you for your timely arrival." Riser spoke graciously. "We were in a rather tight spot there, I'll admit."

Sirzechs smiled at him and waved off his respects. "It was no trouble whatsoever, Lord Phenex. With the barrier down, I figured I may as well make myself useful."

"We more than appreciate it, my Lord." Sona spoke up just as respectfully. "You have the Sitri Clan's eternal thanks."

"I should be the one thanking you." Lucifer insisted. "That was some excellent work on both you and your Queen's part developing a cure for this disease in so short a span of time."

Tsubaki made a small startled noise, not expecting to be complimented in such a way. "I...I could not have done it without Souchiro Takaga's Daughter, Sir. The girl is an absolute genius even by our standards."

"Indeed?" Lucifer sounded intrigued. "I'll ask my Father to pass along my compliments to the man, then." Next, he turned his attention to Riser. "And as for you, Lord Phenex. Your defense of the skies above Kuoh was remarkable. Be assured, you will be fully reimbursed for the Sentinels you lost."

"That's...far too generous, my Lord. I was just happy my House could be of aid." Riser assured.

"But we humbly accept, regardless." Ravel curtsied politely. "Don't we Big Brother?"

"Ravel!" Riser chided her in embarrassment. "Must you speak over me in front of his Lordship?"

She huffed at him while placing her hands squarely on her hips. "Don't you 'Ravel' me! You know good and well we're still recovering from our revolt. We need all the resources we can get."

"Still…" He groaned in protest before bowing his head. "Lord Lucifer I apologize for her outburst."

Sirzechs laughed in good humor. "Pay it no heed. I find your Younger Sister's frankness rather refreshing."

At that, Lady Grayfia snickered. "Remind you of someone, my Lord?"

He sighed wearily and rubbed his forehead as his thoughts turned to his own feisty little sister. "All too much. In any case, we best-"

His words were interrupted by a massive shockwave that hit the entire city. For a moment it stopped raining only to start raining again immediately after. As if the shockwave had literally blasted all the rain out of the sky momentarily.

"Goodness me. What in the name of the Four Great Satans was that?" Yubelluna asked while turning her head towards the source of the shockwave.

"Grayfia, do you feel that?" Lucifer asked his Queen.

She nodded in confirmation. "It would seem Kokabiel has acquired a resurgence in power…" Grayfia narrowed her eyes sharply. "And I feel the presence of an old enemy I have not felt in a long time."

"Yes, I feel Eurus's power as well." Lucifer assured. "However...that is not what I was referring to."

Grayfia quirked her head at him in confusion before reaching out with her senses again. The moment she felt what he was referring to her mouth fell agape and a small surprised noise escaped her lips.

"Oh...oh my."

He nodded in agreement. "My thoughts exactly."

"Well this is certainly unexpected." She admitted. "I knew the boy had talent but he shouldn't have been able to gain this much power that quickly."

"Clearly someone forgot to tell HIM that." Lucifer joked in a blithe manner.

Grayfia rolled her eyes at him when she was sure he wasn't looking. "We should check on your sister, my Lord. I get the distinct impression this is about to get messy."

He sighed wearily once more. "I fear you may be right, Darling. Best not delay."

Another massive shockwave hit the group. Interrupting the rain momentarily before starting up again.

"Grayfia...be honest with me. You know him better than I do." Lucifer felt a migraine coming on. "What am I looking at in terms of collateral damage?"

She cleared her throat and straightened her posture. "Well, my Lord. That really all depends."

"On what exactly?"

"On just how badly Kokabiel has managed to piss him off." She explained.

Meanwhile, Ravel peered off in the distance, worry etched into her face for a certain Dragon she knew was fighting at that very moment.

* * *

Kokabiel thought he understood what pure rage looked like. When he learned that his virus had been ruined, in his mind, that was the true essence of rage. Surely, he thought, there was nothing on this Earth that could come close to the depths of hatred and anger he felt in that moment.

How wrong he was. Whatever he may have felt at the time. It was nothing compared to what he had just unleashed. Rage didn't even begin to describe what the Red Dragon Emperor was experiencing. This was more akin to Berserk.

And yet Jon never said a single word. Not while he launched Kokabiel up into the air, not while he proceeded to pummel him with a flurry of near untrackable punches, and not even when Kokabiel attempted to retaliate with the glowing green Death Scythe he had summoned. Jon didn't say a word or make a single sound.

He didn't have to. The murderous aura Jon was giving off said it all.

The Angel of Stars swung madly at Jon who nimbly dodged out of the way of and blocked each slash. They both began wrestling for control of the scythe while flying through the clouds of the storm, heat lightning and thunder surging all around them.

"Interesting! INTERESTING! So this is the fury of the Red Dragon Emperor?!" Kokabiel shouted over the loud storm and the massive battle. "Not bad, Ddraig! I'm almost impre-GAK!"

His words were cut off by Ddraig jamming the handle of his own scythe into his throat. With a boosted kick he knocked Kokabiel backwards, dislodging the weapon in the process before smashing it to pieces against his knee.

With an angry bellow Kokabiel summoned a sword in each hand and charged. He swung with his right sword which Jon calmly caught with his left gauntlet. He then swung with his left sword which Jon caught with his right. Flaring in anger, Kokabiel summoned a short saber to his mouth and gripped the handle in his teeth before trying to slice through his opponent's throat.

Jon chomped down on the blade, crunching it to pieces between his teeth. The shock caused Kokabiel to freeze for a moment, allowing Jon to deliver a stiff punch to the face, sending him flying head over heel deeper into the clouds.

The Red Dragon Emperor took a breath and shouted in Draconian.

_"Strun Bah Qo!"_

The elements obeyed the Dragon's command and zapped Kokabiel with a massive chain of lightning from all directions. He screamed in agony as the lightning surged through his flesh seemingly endlessly.

_"Ven Gaar Nos!"_

Next, the clouds formed a cyclone around Kokabiel that swirled him round and round in its impossibly strong gust. Only to then spit him out above the cloudline into the stratosphere.

_"Lok Vah Kor!"_

Upon his next shout, the clouds parted around him. Revealing clear night skies above, along with his prey. Jon took one final breath and shouted his final command.

_"Yol Toor Shul!"_

A spinning helix of molten meteors flew from his mouth on a direct course for the still recovering Kokabiel. He quickly shook the cobwebs loose and roared in anger.

"Enough of this!" He shouted before forming a barrier in front of him. "You think to defeat ME with such a-"

A gleam caught his eye a moment too late and Kokabiel turned around just in time to see his opponent's fist come barreling towards his face as Jon nailed him with his vintage fake out maneuver. Kokabiel was sent careening into the meteors which detonated upon impact.

His smoldering body went into free fall, upon which Jon caught him by the wings.

"W….what are you doing?!" Kokabiel squirmed in his grasp, trying desperately to shake free.

With his metal boot pressed against the Angel of Stars back Jon gripped and pulled with all the strength he could muster. Kokabiel let loose a blood curdling scream of pain as two of his wings were unceremoniously torn from his flesh. Jon followed up by igniting his boots on Kokabiel's back, searing his flesh and sending him tumbling.

"Gyyyyyaaaahhh! Diiiiieeee!" Blinded by pain and rage, Kokabiel flipped around mid fall and began unloading on Jon. Hitting him with anything and everything he could conjure up.

The blasts of magic bounced off Jon's barrier harmlessly as he slowly floated down towards Kokabiel. He then gripped the Fallen Angel by the throat with his left gauntlet, stopping his stream of violent curses and angry shouts.

Jon charged energy into his right gauntlet while hoisting Kokabiel up into the air. The Fallen Angel went wide eyed in terror before being hit with the most vicious uppercut of his entire life.

He went flying. Past the stratosphere, past the mesosphere, past the thermosphere, into the exosphere. All went silent around him as he was left floating, bloody, and barely conscious in the vacuum of space.

Down below, Jon summoned his Scale Mail. Which now came equipped with shiny gold trimming around the armor as well as a pair of red and gold metal wings on the back. Six rocket thrusters on the wings ignited and Jon picked up the pursuit of Kokabiel. Joining him in space to deliver another solid right hook.

The Angel of Stars flew higher and higher, breaking out of Earth's gravity well as he was silently pummeled to death in the vacuum of space. With only the shockwave of Jon's constant, never ending attacks adding any noise to the onslaught.

As he spun around like a black sock in a tumble dryer, Jon grabbed him by the wings yet again and pulled two more off. A silent scream escaped his prey's lips, heard by no one in the void of space.

The Red Dragon Emperor then quickly rocketed in front of his opponent and set his thrusters to full burn, slamming into Kokabiel's sternum like a comet and bringing them both back down to Earth.

A cone of fire formed around their bodies upon reentering Earth's atmosphere. While Jon was protected by his completely sealed Scale Mail, Kokabiel's body burned in the heat of reentry. His remaining wings crumbled and turned to ash until none were left.

Down below, stargazers made a wish upon what they thought was a falling comet. The massive fireball that was Jon and Kokabiel came careening back down to Earth's surface before landing in a massive, snow covered forest that was in the middle of a galing blizzard. The blast upon impact with the ground was with such force it wiped out every tree within a ten mile radius, leaving the land around it bare and flat and clearing the air of the gale force winds and icy snow.

In the center of it all, Jon stood over the broken body of what once was the Ten Winged Angel Kokabiel. His Scale Mail slowly disappeared, leaving the still irate Dragon to quietly glare down at his beaten opponent.

Despite the hellish injuries Kokabiel received, he still found some measure of strength in his arms to roll over on his stomach and sit up on his knees. After sucking in some much needed oxygen, Kokabiel began to laugh, albeit very painfully, before coughing up a massive clot of blood into the ashen ground.

Hearing the Angel of Stars laugh at his situation only proved to piss Jon off even more. He slowly, with purpose, walked up towards Kokabiel who was still laughing and coughing up blood before grabbing him by the back of his hair and lifting his half dead carcass into the air.

"What is it now?!" He barked impatiently. "You've lost Kokabiel! Your armies, your weapons, your family, even your wings!"

Kokabiel responded by coughing up blood onto Jon's cheek. A livid growl emanated from the back of his throat as he wiped the blood off and proceeded to punt Kokabiel away, sending his body rolling across the ground before coming to a stop on his back.

Yet STILL he just lay there laughing. Jon's nostrils flared fire as he walked up to the Angel of Stars and planted his metal boot on his chest.

"All this death, all this destruction, all this chaos! I've taken everything from you! Yet still you laugh?! What is it?! What the hell is SO DAMN FUNNY?!"

His voice boomed over the horizon, creating an echo that could be heard for miles around. For a moment, all was silent until at last Kokabiel opened his bloodshot eyes and spoke.

"It's just funny to me…" He spoke in a hushed, blood choked tone. "...that you still think I give a damn about any of that." Kokabiel choked on more blood before continuing. "You may be old, Ddraig, but that vessel of yours is still young. You haven't shed your skin of naivete just yet."

Jon made a slightly surprised noise, his anger turning to confusion.

"In case my wife and children were not proof enough. Ours is a cult of Death and Nihilism." Kokabiel explained. "But unlike my family, I did not come to your city for cyanide and valium."

He weakly raised his arm into the air before clenching his fist.

"I came...for glory. To pit myself against Hell's strongest warriors." He chuckled painfully. "In a way...this is what I always wanted."

"You...you did all of this just to die...by my hand?" Jon asked incredulously.

He shook his head. "It wasn't supposed to be you. I was aiming for Lucifer. If anything, I feared you would just get in the way. But…" More blood spurt from his mouth. "...you proved just as worthy an adversary for my final battle."

Jon couldn't believe what he was hearing. This guy was just like that crazed Lich Lady! He was just as dead inside!

No wonder they made a good couple.

"When the Great War ended, men like me, those committed to winning by any cost, were ousted as the instigators. In the end, we lost everything to peace, and had nothing to show for it. We lost our friends, our families, our purpose. But more terrible than that...we lost the one gift that could be awarded to men such as us. A true...glorious...death."

Jon snarled in anger and clenched his metal fists.

"Without glory, our sacrifice...our deaths, they would have been meaningless. So in this new world of peace and stagnation...we had to break through." He coughed again. "Little by little, we carved away at the peace the Church tried so desperately to establish, until at last, we could see our glory on the other side." A hideous bloody grin formed on his features. "We found our inspiration in the form of another Great War. One fought between humans in the bloody trenches of a fractured world. Started by the hand of your Lord Lucifer, I might add."

"Bullshit…" Jon growled.

"Ask him if you don't believe me." Kokabiel chuckled and coughed. "It was by his hand that the Archduke fell. All so he could break up the monopoly of power held by the Church and replace it with his own." Kokabiel grinned back up at the sky. "A single strike of a matchstick creating a fire that can burn millions of lives at once. We were inspired. And so...after allowing the losing side to wallow in their own misery for a few decades, we reignited the War. We took a broken people, stoked their bitter resignation into seething hatred, gave them a leader we knew would inspire...and an enemy they could blame all of their suffering on."

He remained silent while Kokabiel finished.

"We had hoped by spreading the second World War over enough territory, we might be able to ignite our OWN glorious war once again." He laughed painfully before scowling in bitter resentment. "But in the end, we were bested. And I was left permanently crippled by that damn blade your Knight wields. The others were content to retreat back into the shadows and scheme for the future. But me? I still wanted my last stand. My final fight."

"So this whole thing…" Jon was trying to wrap his head around this. Equal parts angry, disturbed, and in denial. "...all this death and destruction. The nightmares you caused. All of this...was your fucking SWAN SONG?!"

He cackled on the ground in a raspy pitch. "When I married Eurus, heard of her prophecies, I bore witness to the lie that has been perpetuated by the Imperium of Order for so long. The factory seal on society. A world mired by complacency. Three factions of power all slaves to their instincts, fueled by nothing but anger and hatred. A rocket propellant as volatile as it is potent. And frighteningly…self sustaining."

"You're starting to bore me, Kokabiel." Jon did his best to keep his temper even. "Is there a fucking point to all this?"

"My point, Jonathan Hyodo…" He used Jon's given name for the first time since they met. "...is that as old as you and I are, we are still nothing but scared spiteful children playing at adulthood. We live a fictitious lie of comfort and complacency." He clenched his fists tight. "What is a man to do in such a time of life but wage war so calamitous that it would snap the nonbelievers out of this worthless charade…"

Finally, he cast his gaze back at Jon.

"...and who better an opponent than the Red Dragon Emperor?"

Jon took all of this information in. While most of what Kokabiel was saying was complete horseshit as far as he was concerned, there was one thing that stood out to him.

"You keep saying we, us, them...who exactly is THEM?"

The Angel of Stars chuckled. "Of course that's all you care about. Go figure." He coughed up more blood. "I tell you what...let's make a deal, you and I. You do me a tiny favor, and I'll give you all the information you need to know about my Order."

He scowled viciously at him. "There's still time to cause you pain, Kokabiel. How about you just give me the information?"

"You have nothing to threaten me with boy." Kokabiel stated with flat disinterest. "And what I would ask is quite simple. Once I'm done telling you, put a bullet in my head with that fancy revolver of yours.

His request threw him. "Okay, but what's the catch?"

Kokabiel chuckled. "I'm a dead man no matter what I do. My body is rejecting Eurus's power and soon I'll crumble into nothing. At least this way, all may know I was killed by the Devil's Colt himself."

After mulling it over for a moment, Jon summoned Devil's Colt to his right hand, twirled it on his finger, aimed for Kokabiel's head, and pulled back on the hammer.

"You want me to put you out of my misery then so be it. Now start talking!" He barked.

Kokabiel took a breath, spat out another tooth and began.

"They are known as the Legion of Ruin. Their objective is nothing short of the total destruction of the Three Factions."

"No shit. I gathered that much." Jon insisted bluntly. "I want details. What's their ultimate objective?"

Kokabiel snickered at him in amusement. "No you're not getting it, that IS their ultimate objective. It's their ONLY objective. The Legion of Ruin has no desires beyond destroying the established order and allowing glorious Chaos to spread in its wake."

"How many Fallen Angels make up their ranks?"

He shook his head, that insidious grin on his face only growing as he spoke. "Again you misunderstand. It's not JUST Fallen Angels. There are Devils among our ranks too. Even members of the Church have sided with us."

At that, Jon lowered his gun, a nervous pit forming in his stomach.

"You remember Salazar, yes? He intended to use your Master as a bargaining chip to gain a high ranking position within our Order. One of our own was right under Lucifer's nose and he didn't have the faintest idea." He laughed. "And Salazar wasn't the only one, either. Our numbers grow by the day. We are EVERYWHERE."

"In that case tell me everything!" Jon demanded. "How many more Devil Clans are aligned with the Legion of Ruin? Who is their Leader? I want to know it all!"

"Oh, but that's not part of the deal." Kokabiel insisted with a mischievous grin. "For that kind of information you'll need to sweeten the pot."

Before Jon could respond, the voice of Ddraig spoke gravely in his head.

"Jon...he's here."

"Who's here?" Jon asked somewhat impatiently. "Is now really the time for this, Ddraig? I'm kinda doing a thing here."

And then it hit him. A power that was both completely alien and yet so terribly familiar all at once. Like a distant memory of a past life coming over a great distance.

Jon slowly turned his head up towards the sky above and nearly dropped his revolver on the ground. Up above him, a blue streak of light came soaring towards the blasted lands they were standing in.

Ddraig didn't need to say it, he already knew.

"The White One…" He growled.

At the mention of the White One, a nervous look formed on Kokabiel's features. He turned his head just in time to see a figure crash into the Earth a couple yards away.

Jon covered his face with his arm before glaring back at the one now standing in front of him. He was wearing Scale Mail incredibly similar to his, only white and blue in color.

"The...the Vanishing Light is...here?" Kokabiel's body began to tremble.

"I think you've divulged quite enough, Angel of Stars." The figure spoke with a metallic voice full of power and authority as he slowly approached the downed Kokabiel. He didn't seem to regard Jon at all. Or at least, from what he could tell. With the helmet on it wasn't quite clear.

"What's the meaning of this?" Kokabiel tried to move but couldn't. "Albion...why are you here?"

"Do you realize how many articles of the ceasefire you've violated?" He responded completely indifferently. "I'd list them all, but we don't have the time. I'm here to deliver justice by the order of Azazel and the Grigori Council."

At the mention of the Council Kokabiel sneered viciously. "To hell with those cowards! I won't be a slave to their toothless machinations a moment longer!"

"You misunderstand." Albion corrected firmly. "You'll not stand trial for this, Kokabiel. You've already been stripped of your position within the Council and charged with high treason. I'm here to execute your punishment here and now. You'll be sent to Cocytus for this."

A look of absolute horror came over Kokabiel's features. For the first time since Jon met him, the Angel of Stars looked genuinely terrified.

"Ddraig!" Kokabiel suddenly lurched up and grabbed onto Jon's pant leg, a desperate look in his eyes. "If you truly are a man of your word then shoot me now! We had a deal, now fulfill your end of the bargain!"

"Get off me!" He kicked Kokabiel away.

"Your fate is not for the Red Dragon Emperor to decide." Albion stated matter of factly. "Azazel has already decreed you're to be sealed in the Ice Hell for eternity."

"So you just gonna keep ignoring me?" Jon growled.

Albion finally seemed to acknowledge him. Again, it was impossible to tell what the figure in the armor looked like or what his emotional state was, as he only had a glowing neon blue visor to go off of.

"It's been a long time...Ddraig."

"Albion…" Jon responded warily.

For whatever reason, Jon REALLY wanted to put a bullet in this guy's head. Almost even more so than he did Kokabiel. It wasn't for any particular reason he could think of. More like a deep instinct coming to life.

"Listen...I'm not sure what sort of deal he offered you Red One, but you're making a mistake." The White Dragon Emperor assured. "This man deserves to be punished for his heinous acts, wouldn't you agree?"

"I do agree." Jon replied, his eyes never once deviating from Albion. "Which is exactly why I was about to finish him off once and for all."

"Again, I must remind you that that's not your decision to make." His rival challenged.

"Last I checked it wasn't YOUR city he turned into a giant Necropolis." He spoke through gritted teeth. "If anyone deserves to take this bastard down it's me."

"Think about what you're doing for a second." Albion spoke diplomatically if somewhat aggravatedly. "By killing him you're just giving Kokabiel what he wants. In Cocytus, he will never know peace for as long as he lives."

That made Jon stop. He looked down at Kokabiel, who still seemed genuinely terrified of what Albion was referring to.

"And if he should escape?"

"No being has ever escaped the Ice Hell in the countless eons it has existed." Albion assured. "That is not likely to change any time soon."

He looked down at Kokabiel once again, considering his options. "He still has information my benefactors could use."

"I'll tell you everything!" The Fallen Angel pleaded desperately. "I'll tell you all you wish to know if you will grant me this one request!"

"You have, perhaps, two minutes before his body begins to undergo rapid cellular decay." Albion insisted vehemently. "At which point it will be too late. Which do you care about more, Ddraig? Information or justice?"

He narrowed his eyes down at Kokabiel, still weighing both options in his mind, his finger dangerously close to pulling the trigger.

"I heard about what happened to that Irina girl." Albion added apologetically. "It's a shame that someone so beautiful fell prey to this monster."

And just like that, Jon had made his decision. A wicked grin crossed his lips, sending a nervous shiver down Kokabiel's spine.

"We had a deal Ddraig!" He insisted angrily.

Jon slowly uncocked the hammer of his revolver and vanished it back to the pocket dimension he kept it in. "Yeah see...something you seem to forget about me. I ain't just a Dragon. I'm also a Devil. And there's a rule about making deals with our kind that everyone seems to forget."

He twiddled all five fingers on his now empty hand.

"If you don't shake on it and make a pact, no deal can be done."

An evil gleams shown in Albion's eyes. "A wise choice, Red One."

Sheer terror formed all through Kokabiel's being. "No! No please! Just kill me! KILL ME!"

Albion rushed him. Grabbing the Angel of Stars and sending him high into the sky in a bolt of blue light.

"NOOOOOOOO!" His victim screamed in abject horror.

Jon shielded himself from the bright light that followed Albion slamming Kokabiel back into the ground. Upon looking back at the result of the White Dragon Emperor's work, he was pleased to see the Angel of Stars was now frozen in a solid block of ice, a look of pure agony permanently contorted on his face.

"And this is how we will leave him." Albion assured. "Perfectly aware of everything around him but permanently frozen in space. Gasping for a breath that will never come, suffering from wounds that will never heal, begging for a death that will never arrive."

After taking a moment to appreciate the contorted expression on Kokabiel's face once more Jon nodded in approval. "Enjoy eternity you evil son of a bitch."

With a snap of his gauntlet Albion opened a portal beneath Kokabiel and the Angel of Stars descended into Cocytus. An eternity of suffering awaiting him at the lowest point in Hell.

Jon turned to leave, having seen all he needed to. Kokabiel was brought to justice and that was good enough for him. It didn't make him happy, but it did bring him peace.

"Ddraig..."

He stopped upon hearing his name be called by Albion. Jon took a breath and flared fire from his nostrils before slowly turning around to meet the White One once more.

"Yeah?"

"You understand we are destined to fight soon. It is inevitable." The White Dragon Emperor spoke matter of factly.

He nodded. "Yeah...looking forward to it. Should be a hell of a ride."

"Since you aided in my hunt, I'll go ahead and let you know, if you intend to claim victory over our next duel…."

Albion took to the skies.

"...you will need A LOT more power than that."

With those final words, the White Dragon Emperor vanished in a blur of white light. Jon's skin color returned to normal and the mark receded from his body along with his horns and Sacred Gear. All was as it should be.

He grinned before chuckling to himself. "Catch you later, Asshole."

Now that his business with Kokabiel and Albion was resolved, Jon could move on to the next issue. Getting back to his Peerage. The problem was...he had no earthly idea where the hell he ended up. At some point he lost control and just sort of started moving without any thought as to where he was going or where he'd end up. As a result, he was now here...wherever the hell HERE was.

A couple yards away, a portal opened up. Sirzechs and his wife Grayfia both stepped through and looked around at the damage that had been done.

Lucifer groaned before shaking his head. "Well...I was afraid of this. I suppose this is what I get for dragging my heels."

"I did say we needed to intervene before things got out of hand, my Lord." Grayfia chided gently. "We should be thankful it was just a few miles of trees this time. Next time we may not be so lucky."

"Lord Lucifer! Lady Grayfia!" Jon bowed respectfully. "Glad to see you're out of that cellar."

Lucifer raised his hand assuredly. "Save your respects, Jonathan. You performed remarkably."

Grayfia giggled at him. "Even if you DID wipe out a couple trees in the process."

"Errr…" He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "...speaking of which, where exactly am I?"

'You're in the middle of the Taiga. The largest forest in Russia." Grayfia explained.

That would explain the cold. Jon looked around at the damage after having had a chance to calm down. Now that he got a good look at it, he realized it was way worse than he initially thought.

"I did all of this?" He marveled at the blasted landscape.

Lucifer nodded. "Now you see why it's forbidden for high level beings such as us to use their full power while on Earth. Imagine if this had been a town or a large population center?"

"Lord Lucifer I am so sorry." Jon apologized vehemently. "I had no idea what I was doing and-"

Grayfia placed a hand up to her lips and lightly chuckled at him in amusement. "You misunderstand, Jon. We're not blaming you whatsoever. Kokabiel is the one responsible for all of this. Not you."

"Having said that, now that you're aware of these newfound powers, remember that the law of the Ceasefire applies to you as well." Lucifer warned. "We were lucky this time. The damage seems to have been restricted to wildlife only. Next time could be disastrous."

He nodded in understanding. "Understood."

"In any case, we best head back." Grayfia insisted. "There are some very worried ladies back at Kuoh who are waiting for you to return."

And then he remembered. Jon's entire being sank in on him as if the weight of the world had just come crashing down on his shoulders. Amidst the rage and chaos of battle...somehow he had entirely forgotten…

"Irina?" He asked worriedly.

Lucifer and Grayfia both looked at each other…

...and their expressions turned grave.

"Jon...I'm sorry…" Grayfia spoke, her heart breaking for what she was about to tell him.

She didn't have to say it. He already knew. He'd known from the moment that spear entered her chest.

* * *

It was still raining when he got back. But beyond that, everything was quiet. The world seemed...visibly darker around him. Maybe it was just the clouds...or maybe it was just him.

She was still where he had left her. With Asia and Akeno tending to her wounds as best they could while Xenovia held her hand and quietly wept. As Grayfia had explained it, the injury was too grave to be fully healed, even by Twilight Healing. The best they could do was keep Irina comfortable and give her a little more time.

Just enough time to say goodbye.

"Jon…"

As the somber, depressed Hunter returned to the group, Rias approached him with her eyes downcast and her aura dark.

"How is she doing?" He asked in a detached monotone.

She shook her head, not wanting to talk about it. "You should...go talk to her. It's best if you..."

Her voice trailed off. Jon walked away, heading towards the deathly pale body of Irina while Rias remained behind.

"Ms. President…"

She turned to see her Rook walking up to her. A grave expression on her face as well.

"What is it, Koneko?"

"Freed disappeared." She reported, her mind clearly elsewhere, same as Rias.

The President clenched her fists in anger. "Dammit...even with all that blood loss?"

Koneko nodded sadly.

"Well...there's nothing we can do about it now. At least the fragments of the Holy Swords are in our possession." She cast her gaze back at Jon, who was now kneeling down in front of Irina.

"Is there...really nothing we can do?" Koneko asked the President, a hint of desperation in her voice. "Maybe...reincarnate her as a Devil or something."

Rias sighed in a depressed tone. "Koneko, you know as well I do that's not how it works. Irina never gave up on her faith. She remained pure and virtuous until the very end." She gripped her aching heart, which was breaking for her Dragon. "There's nothing we can do."

Koneko joined the President in somber silence. Watching as Jon knelt down and took Irina's free hand in his. The young Hunter slowly opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"J...Jon? Is...that you?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

He smiled despite the agony he was in. "Yeah...it's me. I'm here."

"Did we do it?" She asked. "Did we win?"

He nodded silently. "Yeah...we won. It's over."

"Really?" Irina coughed painfully. "Go team…"

Asia and Xenovia were both a mess, tears streaming in thick rivets down their faces while Akeno shut her eyes and shook her head in somber, mournful silence. A few yards away, Kiba sat on a nearby boulder, his eyes cast away from everything.

"I'm glad...we have this chance to talk…" She coughed again. "...before the end."

"Don't talk like that." He was smiling though it was clear by the look in his eyes he was dying on the inside. "Come on, we've gotten out of tougher spots than this before. You'll be fine."

She chuckled at him weakly. "Where was this optimism back at the Monastery? It's strange seeing the shoe on the other foot."

He gripped her hand tighter, not wanting to let go for anything.

"Jon...the truth is...ever since we found each other again...I've been afraid. Afraid of what you had turned into...of what my partner had turned into...of what I was turning into. It felt like everyone was just...lying to me. Like the whole world was just...one big lie. I felt so...alone." She gazed at him proudly. "But...this is what you've been fighting all this time, isn't it? All by yourself. This feeling of isolation."

"Irina…" His voice shook.

"That's why...in the end...I just wanted to be someone who could at least be honest with you. And the truth is...I could never have been a part of this world you've created. But…" Tears formed in her eyes as she smiled up at him lovingly. "...dying for you. That's something I can do. And I'll do it happily."

"Irina don't." He shut his eyes and silently wept. "Don't do this. We were finally together again."

"I love you, Jonathan Hyodo." Her voice was becoming weaker and her skin more pale. "Even knowing what you are now, I simply can't hate you. Even though you left me, I still fell in love with you. Even though I tried so hard to forget you, I just fell in love with you all over again."

Irina's eyes began to close.

"Please no…" His voice came out as a pained whisper.

"Though our souls may have diverged onto different paths, I'll keep loving you Jonathan Hyodo. A thousand years from now, as I gaze down upon you from the sky above, I'll STILL keep loving you….forever…"

Her eyes shut and her final breath left her body.

"I'll love you...forever...my...Mentor…."

Irina's hand went limp in his grasp. She was gone. The last light of his old life...snuffed out. As her hand slipped from his grasp, Jon looked down into his palm.

She had placed her Mother's Cross into his hand. A final memento of their time together.

* * *

The ORC Headquarters was quiet that night. Outside, the others were celebrating a hard fought victory, while the members of the Occult Research Club had resigned themselves to mournful silence in their rooms. Koneko had gone to comfort Asia while Akeno was keeping an eye on Xenovia. Kiba resigned to his room to think about everything that had happened and how he had changed.

Which left the task of comforting Jon to the President of the Club herself. Rias took a deep breath and knocked on the door of her room. Her Dragon had holed himself up in their several hours ago and no one had heard a peep from him since.

"Jon? Can you hear me?" She spoke in a quiet, gentle tone.

No response. She tried knocking again.

"Jon...I'm starting to get worried. I'm coming in okay?"

Still nothing. Rias sighed in a sad tone before slowly creeking the door open.

"Jon? I'm just checking in. If you want me to leave I'll-"

She gasped upon seeing him. Jon was doing something she had never seen him do before. Rias half expected to find him comatose on the bed, or gazing off into space completely dead to everything. But that wasn't the case.

Jon was on his knees on the floor, hands clasped together, Irina's cross between his hands...eyes shut in prayer.

Upon hearing Rias's voice, he finally spoke. Keeping his head bowed and his eyes shut.

"Hey, Rias." His voice was a dull placated shell of its former self.

"Jon?" She did a double take and took a moment to really let this sink in. "Are you...doing what I think you're doing?"

He nodded in confirmation and continued to pray. "Does it make you uncomfortable?"

"N...no." She shook her head assuredly. "It's just...I've never seen you do that before."

Jon shrugged. "Never thought I had a reason to before now. Turns out I have several."

"Should I leave?"

After a moment, Jon sighed in woeful resignation before dropping his hands and opening his eyes. "No…" He stood up and sat on the edge of the bed, patting the seat next to him. "...I've spent enough time alone."

Rias slowly approached the bed and sat next to him. Jon continued to stare down at the cross in his hands while his Treasure simply kept her eyes on him.

"Some good news…" She reported, not knowing what else to say or do. "...there's talks of a Peace Summit between the Three Factions."

"Is there?" He barely seemed to notice her words.

She nodded. "Kokabiel's actions stirred up quite a lot of attention. And your report regarding the presence of this...Legion of Ruin has everyone on edge. But any talk of a lasting Peace is a ways off. Right now, everyone's focus is on keeping this catastrophe quiet."

Again, he barely seemed to notice. "That makes sense…"

"It's going to be at least a week before the city can be reopened to the general public." She continued. "Buildings and roads have to be repaired, minds have to be erased, and a cover story has to be worked up. The good news is, for the humans who survived this ordeal, it'll all just be like a bad dream."

"And the Holy Sword fragments?"

She bit her lip and turned her head back towards the door. "We decided to trade them back to the Vatican in exchange for having any and all information about you or Xenovia stricken from their records. They're useless to us anyway, in the condition they're in now. And this way no more Hunters will bother you or our new Knight ever again. You're both completely free of the Church."

He nodded. "That's good to know."

"And…" She continued, her voice becoming low. "...there was another condition of us leaving them the fragments. Irina's body is to be left with us. The Church would have her cremated but we...figured...you would want to…"

Her voice trailed off. After a few moments of silence, she began to tear up. Rias placed both her hands on his cheeks and turned his gaze towards her.

"I'm sorry." Her voice conveyed the pain she felt for him. Rias kissed his lips feverishly, staining his face with her tears. "I am so….SO sorry, Jon." She kissed him again, and then again after that. Desperately wanting to make this all better yet knowing full well she couldn't. "What do you need?" She asked while resting her forehead against his, eyes shut and tears streaming down her face. "Jon, tell me...what do you need?"

At long last, he smiled. If only briefly. Jon placed a hand up to her cheek and kissed her back. "I just need time...and you."

Rias nodded in understanding before wrapping herself tightly up to his chest. "I'm here, my Love. Whatever you need, I'm right here."

They kissed each other for a moment longer before Jon finally pulled away, his gaze returning to the cross. Meanwhile, Rias cuddled herself up next to him. Looking at the cross made her physically ill but she did it anyway. She wanted to be there for her Dragon no matter what.

"I think she's proud of you." The President spoke earnestly. "Even if she didn't understand why you chose this, I believe with all my heart that she was happy for you in the end."

His thumb caressed the silver rosary beads Irina's cross was attached to. "I wonder...if I really am going to wind up changing completely."

She frowned at him. "For becoming a Devil?"

He shook his head. "For being a Dragon. I understand what I am, and what I'll eventually become. I've accepted that..but...what if one day I forget all this?"

She remained silent, unable to answer his question.

"Before I met you, I did have a different life. A human life. My parents...Father Kyle...Irina. All I have to remember them by are the memories of that sad little human life."

"Jon…"

He gripped the cross in his hands. "What if one day soon...everything about that human life becomes a lie? What if everything I felt so desperately then...everything that was important...what if it fades away and is gone forever? What if...I was just fooling myself into believing any of it really meant anything to me?"

Again she frowned at him. Jon turned his head away shamefully and sighed.

"I'm such a damn coward…"

After a moment of thought, an idea crossed Rias's mind. She placed a hand against her favorite scar on his pectoral muscle and circled it with her fingers.

"This scar...do you remember how you got it?"

He gazed down at her hand curiously. "A Skinwalker gave it to me." A smile formed on his lips. "Funny story there, it was actually the first hunt that…"

She peered up into his eyes expectantly as it suddenly dawned on him.

"...that was the first hunt Irina and I ever went on together."

Rias nodded before moving on to a different one. "And this one?"

"Black Dog." He explained. "Again, another Irina hunt. Though Father Kyle was there for that one as well."

She nodded. "And then you have all these little ones down here."

"Errr…" He turned his head away in embarrassment. "Those are different…"

Rias quirked a playful brow at him. "Oh? How is that?"

"Those came from the Head Mother's kitchen knife." Jon explained. "She chased me around with it after she caught me in the pantry half naked with one of the neophytes."

At that, she giggled at him. "My point is Jon...nobody LIES their way into a body with this many scars. If nothing else, they're proof that what you did during your human life WAS important. It DID matter."

"I will never regret what we have. This Peerage, this home, my Treasures, you...all of it means the world to me."

She nodded in understanding. "But you still regret that you couldn't do more for her."

He bit down on his lip until it drew blood as the pain he felt resurged inside his heart. "It's not that I...didn't save her life...or that she died for her beliefs…"

His voice caught and fresh tears began to roll down his cheeks.

"It's just that I never once told her how much I loved her. That it was an honor to stand beside her as a Hunter…" Jon's face contorted with pain. "...and that...it meant so much to me to call her my Family."

Jon quietly began to weep again. Noiselessly, almost completely silently. Rias, meanwhile, allowed him to work through his grief while slowly undressing herself until she was completely naked. Once he had worked the worst of it out of his system, she wrapped her warm naked body around him.

"Rias?" He asked curiously.

"I can't heal you unless I'm naked…" She smiled while holding him tight, her eyes shut and tears gently falling down her face. "...you already know that."

After a moment, he smiled at her. "Forget it. At this point you'd just be licking my wounds."

"Fine." She stated insistently while running her hands along his scarred body comfortingly. "Even if that's all it is, I'm fine with that."

Rias leaned in and licked her favorite wound, and then the one below that and then another as well.

"I've already shown you everything." She spoke while licking each scar. "All my weaknesses have been laid bare for you." Rias chuckled quietly. "Somehow...I feel like we're finally even in that regard."

"Rias…"

"It wasn't just Irina. You've bled so much for me too, Jon." Her tongue passed over a more recent scar. "This one came from Raynare's Spear, right? And this one here came from the Rating Game with Riser."

Finally, her tongue passed over his most recent one. "And this one is the one I gave you when we fought. Licking wounds is good enough for me."

Rias gazed up into his eyes lovingly and kissed his lips once more.

"I too want a wound...that I can say you gave me."

They kissed each other passionately. Jon finally set Irina's cross down on the nightstand, allowing his troubles to be briefly moved aside so he could relish in the feeling of Rias's soft lips and silky warm body. She laid down on top of him, her crimson hair falling to the side as she kissed her Dragon with slow feverish intensity.

"My place is within your heart, Jon." She whispered to him, absolute adoration in her eyes. "Through suffering and in joy. I don't just want to be given happiness by my Dragon. I want to be able to give it back to him as well."

The two lovers pressed their lips together once more, finding peace and comfort in each other's embrace. No matter how much pain entered his heart, Jon knew that so long as Rias Gremory was there, so long as his Treasures were all there, he could take the pain.

And bare the scar to remember for the rest of time.

* * *

Six days passed before Irina's funeral could be held. Just as she wanted, Jon made sure she was buried in the same Cemetery as Father Kyle and the rest of their old Monastery's Hunters. Though the building itself had been abandoned by the Order, Jon was happy to see a Protestant Minister had taken over the building and that it was still very much in use. Getting a plot next to Father Kyle's was as simple as making a generous donation to their congregation.

This time around, the funeral was different. Jon knew that God was still important to several of his girls, and he was everything to Irina, so of course he allowed the Pastor to speak his metaphors, about life in God's eyes, the whole nine yards. But then once all the ceremony was over, and her casket was buried, they focused entirely on the woman who now lay beneath the freshly carved headstone.

Everyone was there, dressed in their most respectful black attire. Not just Jon's Peerage, but Sona's as well. Hell, even Riser Phenex was there with Ravel. Both having brought lovely bouquets of orange flowers to add to the massive pile of memorial offerings. Matsuda and Motohama were there with their Girlfriends, who spent most of the time helping to cheer up Xenovia. Something Jon was eternally grateful for considering she seemed to be taking this just as hard as he was.

Overall, it was a wonderful service. And though it didn't bring Jon happiness, it did at least bring him a small amount of peace to know there were so many present who would hold Irina's memory in their hearts.

When the service was over and done, the guests began to file out of the cemetery one by one. First to depart was the Phenex Clan. Before leaving, Ravel took a moment to hug Jon tightly to her and speak a few words.

"I'm so sorry for what you've lost." Fresh tears formed in her eyes as she spoke to him. "Jon...if you ever need anything at all from me…"

He smiled at her solemnly and nodded. "I know, Ravel. It was good seeing you again. Don't be a stranger for too long, ya hear?"

She wiped her face clean and smiled up at him. "I do. I've decided I'm going to stay with my Brother's Peerage for just a little while longer but…" Ravel placed her hands behind her back and cast a bashful look to the ground, her cheeks flaring red. "...I'll be applying to Kuoh Academy soon. And I'm...hoping we can see more of each other then."

"Of course we can." He then added with a slick grin. "You are my Treasure after all, aren't you?"

She peeped in surprise, her face going from red to scarlet. "So then...you're saying…"

He nodded. "I am." Jon then cast his gaze back to a rather perturbed looking Koneko who was glaring at him from a few yards away. "Errr….just don't tell Kani I said that yet...I think she's still coming around to the idea."

Ravel giggled before nodding in understanding. "Well then...until next time…" She reached up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek. Fire rushed through Jon's body at the gesture.

"I'll be seeing you again soon Johnny Darling." She waved two dainty little fingers at him before unfurling her parasol and rejoining her brother. Riser cast a weary gaze back at Jon before bowing his head respectfully and leaving with his sister.

"Guess he ain't warmed up to me just yet." Jon sighed.

"Hey, Hyodo."

He turned to see Sammy standing behind him, his hands firmly tucked in his suit pockets.

"My Peerage is heading out, but…" He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "...I was thinking, you know all the good dive bars around here right? If you wanna grab a beer before we all duck out, I'm game. You of all people could probably use a drink right now."

Jon chuckled before placing a reassuring hand on Sammy's shoulder. "I appreciate the offer, Man. But I'll be fine. I need to stay with my Peerage for now."

The Black Dragon King nodded in understanding before returning the gesture. "Keep ya head up, Jon. Those girls still need your strength."

"Will do."

With that, Sammy turned and rejoined his Peerage. Sona quietly nodded to Jon before taking her leave. Aika stopped before they left and ran up to give Jon one final hug. After saying goodbye, she rejoined her Peerage and took Reya by the hand before making her exit with the rest of them.

Jon went to rejoin the others, bumping into Matsuda and Motohama along the way. Accompanied by Saya and Rei.

"Hey Bro…" Matsuda spoke in a solemn, understanding voice. "How're you holding up?"

"I'll be fine." Jon assured. "It'll just take time is all."

"She was a remarkable woman." Rei spoke softly. "We didn't know her that well, but she still helped save our lives."

"Thank you." Jon replied quietly. "But ya'll don't have to stick around just for my sake. Go enjoy the break while we you can. The campus will be reopened before we know it."

"Ugggh, don't remind me." Motohama groaned. "After all the crap we've been through, classes are the last thing on my mind."

Saya smacked him on the back of the head. "He's not talking about classes, you doofus! We're Gremory Demons now. We'll have work to do once the city is back on its feet."

"So...does this mean we're part of the ORC?" Matsuda asked curiously.

Jon shrugged. "Ain't got a clue. I'd have to ask Rias." He then added with a slick grin. "But if that's really what ya'll want, I'm certain she'd be open to letting you in."

They all beamed in excitement. Even Saya seemed to like the idea.

"Just don't go getting your hopes up too much." He warned. "I still have to run it by her first."

"We understand." Rei assured.

With that, he walked away to rejoin his Peerage.

"Jon!" Motohama called back to him.

"Hmm?" He turned his head.

"Thank you for being our friend." Motohama smiled at him. "We won't ever forget how you helped change our lives."

Jon smiled at him before laughing and waving the group off. "Get out of here you knuckleheads."

Matsuda and Motohama left with Rei and Saya on their arms. Leaving Jon and his Peerage as the only ones remaining. Kiba had distanced himself from the group, prompting Jon to walk up and speak to him first.

"Something on your mind, Brother?"

"Hmm?" The Knight turned his head and peered at Jon, clearly lost in his own thoughts. "Oh no, it's just...I've spent so long obsessing over making Valper pay for what he did that...now I'm not sure what to do with my life. My friends wanted me to guard their dreams but...what does that even mean?"

Jon placed his hands on Kiba's shoulders. "You could always start by trying to find a dream of your own."

At that, Kiba smiled and nodded. "I...I think I'd like that. Thanks, Man."

They hugged it out before Jon turned his head towards the girls. Rias and Akeno were talking to one another about plans regarding the rebuilding of Kuoh, while Asia and Koneko were helping Xenovia say her final goodbyes to Irina.

"How is she holding up?" Jon asked gravely.

"The others are doing fine but...well…you know…"

He nodded in understanding before patting Kiba on the back and walking over to Xenovia and the girls. She was staring mournfully at the headstone next to Asia while Koneko held the Bishop's hand.

"It's okay to still be sad." Asia assured her. "I didn't know her as well as you or Jon but...I still thought of her as a friend. I understand how hard it must be for you."

"I'm not sad." Xenovia insisted, taking a breath to steady herself. "I'm angry."

"That's not unusual either." She continued. "Irina was a good woman. She didn't…" Asia's eyes glassed over and her voice hitched. "...she didn't deserve this."

The Bishop clasped a hand over her mouth and shut her eyes, refusing to give into her emotions yet again. She had cried enough over this, or so she thought. Yet still, poor Asia couldn't help herself.

Koneko gently tugged on Asia's hand while she quietly wept. "Come on. Let's go see Rias."

The Rook lead Asia away, taking a moment to cast Jon a look as if asking "Are you okay being by yourself?" to which he nodded assuredly. While she tended to Asia, he patiently stood behind Xenovia and watched her, his hands resting in the pockets of his suit. She was just standing there, not really saying anything. As if she couldn't quite bring herself to accept it yet.

"Umm…" Xenovia took a deep breath and cleared her throat."...you...told me once...when we first became partners that...you thought I was a hero…" She took a moment to steady herself and blink the tears away, trying to remain composed before speaking to the stone again. "But...if either one of us can rightfully say they were a hero it's you. You were...one of the best Hunters I had ever known. One of the best Holy Sword Users I had ever known…" She swallowed back her emotions, trying so desperately to fight it. "...one of the best friends I had ever known and...you helped me to believe in miracles again. So...there…"

Jon continued to watch as she fidgeted in place, unsure if she should leave or stay. Finally she settled on placing a hand on the stone.

"I was...so alone…" Her bottom lip began to quiver as she inevitably began losing the battle. "...and...your friendship, for as brief as it was, meant the world to me. I...I owe you so much."

With that, she let go of the stone and turned to leave and rejoin the others. Xenovia almost immediately turned around and spoke again.

"But please...Irina, there's just one more thing I'd ask. One last miracle you could give me. Don't...be…." Grief overpowered her features as fresh tears welled up in her eyes. "...dead."

Xenovia barely even got the word out before collapsing to her knees and silently sobbing. "Just...just for me...just...stop this….please."

She buried her hands in her face and wept. Jon, meanwhile, quietly walked up next to her and knelt down before placing a hand over her shoulder. Xenovia gasped and turned her head up to cast two raw cheeks and tear stained eyes at him.

"Asking nicely doesn't work." He joked sadly. "Believe me, I've tried."

She lost it again. This time burying herself in his chest. While she wept, Jon held her tight and stroked the back of her hair.

"It should have been me." Xenovia quietly cried. "Her feelings for you were stronger than mine. She knew you longer. Dear God, it should have been my sacrifice, not hers."

He shook his head vehemently. "She wouldn't have wanted that. You know it perfectly well." Jon pulled away and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I've thought that very same thing about myself so many times. As has Kiba. And we can both tell you that, when things like this happen, beating yourself up over it only poisons the mind. Instead…"

They both turned and looked at the gravestone.

"...instead, you have to figure out a way to go on living. If not for your own sake, then for theirs."

After a moment, Xenovia finally seemed to calm down. She wiped her face clean and took a deep breath, finally done crying. At least for now.

"Okay...you're right." She nodded with finality before standing and taking one last longful look at the stone. After which, she turned to him and bowed her head. "Thank you, Master."

"No problem." Jon turned and gazed at the stone. When it finally hit him what she just said his eyes bulged and he immediately turned back to her. "Wait...what did you just...call…"

Xenovia had already left to rejoin the others. Leaving Jon now completely alone with his thoughts. He turned back to the stone that bore the name of Irina Shidou within its carvings, took a deep breath, and sighed.

"You're leaving a lot of people behind. I hope you know that." He smiled before placing his hand on the grave, kneeling on one knee. "And while I can't say for certain if your dream died with you too, I can say that...you helped to create new ones." With another solemn breath he continued. "But more than that, you helped give me mine. Something I have never had. I may not have known it at the time but...it's because of you, that I can dream again. Your sacrifice gave me hope...but…"

He shut his eyes and rested his head against the stone, sighing one final time.

"...Irina...wherever you are now...I miss you."

Silence filled the gravesite as he allowed one last tear to roll down his cheek and hit the freshly laid dirt below.

"Hey Jon…"

He turned back to see Koneko standing behind him, her arms in her lap, a pensive frown on her features. "I think everyone is ready to go if you are."

He nodded before turning one last time to the stone and standing up. "Yeah...it's time."

Koneko took him by the hand and peered up with sad catlike eyes. "I'm so sorry she's gone."

Jon smiled and shook his head. "God didn't take her from us forever. He just needed his Angel back for a while is all."

They turned and rejoined the others. With heavy hearts, the Occult Research Club left the Cemetery and returned home.

Two figures, who had kept their distance during the entire procession, stepped up to her grave the moment the group was gone. They were both dressed in black, one appearing to be a young girl wearing a funeral veil that obscured her features, and the other her father, a tall man wearing a coat with the lapel turned up and a hat to hide his face as well.

"It was certainly a moving eulogy." The man spoke up.

"I cried a few times." The girl admitted. "Silly I know...considering what we're about to do. But still…"

The man shook his head assuringly. "There's nothing silly about that. These people care for her, even if they are Devils."

"Still, it's awfully bold of them to come here." The girl admitted. "Even if they did show proper respects."

"You know as well as I do that times have changed, Cassiel."

She quietly shushed him. "Not so loud. The Devils might hear you."

He chuckled in amusement. "Come now, where's the harm in it? We're here all by ourselves, are we not?"

"As long as we're on Earth we should maintain a low profile." She insisted. "Call me by my human name for now. Like we've been doing."

He nodded in understanding. "Very well, Alice."

"Don't you find it strange?" She considered curiously. "Us posing as Father and Daughter like this?"

"No more strange than me pretending to die in front of you." He admitted. "If it bothers you that much, we can always change up the story."

"It's not that it necessarily bothers me, per se." Alice admitted. "It just feels a lot like trickery is all. This poor woman died thinking she saved a little girl's life."

"She did save it." He assured. "And besides, it's not technically a lie. The bodies we currently inhabit used to be of a Father and Daughter after all."

At that, she glowered somewhat. "A shame nothing could be done for them."

"They were both bitten by zombies, Alice." The man insisted. "At least with us, their bodies could be put to good use while their souls ascended to heaven to be with their mother."

Her expression seemed to perk up a bit at that. "I suppose there's some merit to your words. Very well then, shall we get this over with 'Dad'?"

He sighed wearily. "Don't make this weird, please."

Alice approached the fresh grave and placed her hand on the stone. "This chapter in your life may be complete, Irina Shidou. But your story is far from over."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a playing card that glowed with magical energy. Alice proceeded to flick the card into the air before turning and walking out of the cemetery with her Father.

The card landed on Irina's grave, revealing itself to be the Ace of Spades, before glowing with magical power and sinking into the dirt.


	42. Chapter 42: Epilogue

Three and a half months had passed before the city was in good enough condition to be opened up to tourism and through traffic once more. The Gremory and Sitri families worked tirelessly day in and day out to repair their broken city, and restore peace to the region. After months of round the clock work, the city of Kuoh had finally been restored to some semblance of peace. The worst of the damage had been fixed with magic, the minds of the citizens had been effectively erased and replaced with false memories, and the underground nexus had been stripped of technology and information before being filled in with cement. Left to be buried and forgotten.

Still, even with all these measures taken into account, the damage could be felt by the cities people. Much of Kuoh's infrastructure had been destroyed. Shops permanently closed down en masse, larger businesses went under, and public utilities took forever to be effectively returned to working status.

More painful than that, however, was the catastrophic death toll the city had taken. Of the general population left after the outbreak was cured, a third was still lost to the epidemic. Over a hundred thousand lives extinguished in just a couple of days. What would eventually come to be known to the general public as the Kuoh Viral Outbreak Catastrophe would go down as one of the worst disasters in modern history.

Officially, the virus was labeled as a prototype airborne bioweapon that caused catastrophic organ failure in its victims, that was being developed illegally by Biorapture, Kokabiel's pharmaceutical conglomerate. All the blame was shifted to his company by the media, the Japanese government, and by the world at large. Many of the company's top executives were arrested and large amounts of their legal assets were forcefully seized and liquidated as restitution. Soon after, their stock prices crashed and for all intents and purposes, Biorapture was dead.

Behind the scenes, the rest of Kokabiel's underground laboratories were located and destroyed by Lucifer's Assault Tribes. In addition, agents of the Scout Regiments were sent on personal assination missions to eliminate any of Kokabiel's human conspirators. When all was said and done, the threat once posed by the Angel of Stars was nothing but a distant memory.

Eventually, the world at large moved on from the disaster. All save for Japan, who continued to lament the tragedy as being one of the worst their country had experienced since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the second World War.

But from this dark period in the Land of the Rising Sun's history, a hero emerged in the form of Souchiro Takaga. Saya's father used the tragedy to fuel a massive political campaign that emphasized the importance of Nationalist pride with a strong emphasis on Capitalist Reformations and building strong Foreign Relations with the US. One of his key issues during his campaign was rebuilding Kuoh's domestic economy and, in his own words "revitalizing the hope and prosperity of a city devastated by tragedy". His campaign was a massive success and the National Diet voted him in as Prime Minister during the upcoming election.

With his political power secured, Souchiro immediately began establishing large social reforms to the country that greatly bolstered Japan's economy and helped secure the Gremory Family's influence over not only Kuoh, but indeed all of Japan. As promised, he then began focusing all of his attention on rebuilding and revitalizing Kuoh's domestic economy. Encouraging immigration to the city, both domestic and foreign, with an emphasis on allowing American backed companies to invest heavily in the cities infrastructure and rebuilding efforts. If anyone had any protests over the new Prime Minister's heavy ties to foreign powers, they were quickly drowned out by the celebratory cheers of a city slowly being brought back to life.

As his greatest act of symbolism in restoring the hope and drive of the city of Kuoh, Prime Minister Souchiro commissioned the construction of a massive Sports Arena over the remains of the completely devastated Lindou District, which had received the worst of the damage by far. He invested part of his own personal fortune to secure financial backing for the project, and hasen its development, further endearing himself to both the city of Kuoh, and the people of Japan at large, for what would undoubtedly be years to come.

Six and a half months after the viral outbreak of Kuoh. Their new NPB Baseball Team the Lindou Demons, took to the field of the newly built Kuoh Megadome for their inaugural game against the Kansai Panthers. The event sold out within the first week of its announcement and tourism rates in the city skyrocketed, doing wonders to boost Kuoh's economy and place it on the map as a tourist hotspot in Japan. Rumors spread of the Lindou Demons possessing a particularly talented designated hitter, a young man by the name of Matsuda Komuro, who showed a lot of promise in the National Highschool Leagues, but dropped off the map due to a strange illness. Needless to say, the city was very interested in their new Star's potential.

None more so than Matsuda's friends, the students of Kuoh Academy. During the Megadome's construction, Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri secured the rights to construct a private sky box accessible only to their Peerages and guests. In order to view the games from a more luxurious and comfortable environment.

It also allowed them to speak freely, away from the prying ears of humans.

Strangely enough, or perhaps not strange at all if your name was Rias Gremory, a Multibillionaire Tycoon by the name of Aldin Zefford also invested in a private skybox for the Megadome. Having donated heavily to the Megadome's construction and proving to be uniquely interested in Kuoh's new team for reasons known only to the eccentric Billionaire himself.

As for Jon, he was still coming to grips with the death of Irina. But so long as he had his Treasures ever presently at his side, he knew in his heart he would be okay. Which was why, that night, as the ORC and Honor's Committee made their way to the Private Skybox to watch their home teams inaugural game, he was determined to put his grief aside, and simply enjoy some quality time with his friends and family.

In the comfort of a luxurious private viewing room of course.

Upon reaching the stadium, Rias, Jon, and the other members of the ORC ascended the private elevator up to the skyboxes.

"So how are you feeling?" Rias asked her Dragon, a patient smile on her face.

"I'll be fine." He assured, keeping his mind distracted. "It's been awhile since I've been to a live sports event."

She giggled at him. "Oh trust me, Jon. You've never been to a sports event like THIS before."

He grinned in response. "I'll take your word for it."

"So...how luxurious exactly IS this skybox, Rias?" Asia asked curiously.

"Oh she pulled out ALL the stops for this one." Akeno assured, a hint of arousal in her voice.

Kiba chuckled. "How many floors were in the design plan? Three?"

"Four technically, if you count the open bath." Rias corrected.

"Jesus Christ." Jon shook his head in exasperation at her. "You are the very definition of overindulgent, you know that?"

She snickered at him, a massive grin on her features. "What can I say? You know I like to spoil us a little."

If ever there was a bigger understatement to be made in history, Jon couldn't think of it. Ever since the new Prime Minister came into power, Rias had been enjoying the benefits of a Japan almost completely under her Big Brother's control. This of course meant more tributes, more demons, more power, more money, everything. One of her first acts with the riches she acquired was to completely overhaul her Peerage's wardrobe. Which was why the girls were all sporting Luis Vuitton while Kiba and Jon were in freshly pressed full black Givenchy Suits. With Kiba sporting a black tie while Jon's was blood red. In addition, he was also wearing a watch that he somehow suspected cost more than his Harley did.

As one final feature, Akeno suggested a pair of expensive black suit gloves for him to wear to complete the aesthetic. Koneko, especially, seemed to get excited by the addition to the outfit.

"Honestly, Jon, must you fiddle with your outfit so much?" Rias chided him while adjusting his tie.

"Hey, I still ain't used to this high end designer shit you insist on putting me in." He griped.

"Hey, don't knock it till you try it, Bro. You're looking sharp." Kiba complimented.

"I'll say." Koneko grinned lasciviously at Jon. "You should dress like this all the time. The gloves are a really nice touch."

He rolled his eyes in response. It didn't take much to imagine what was going through her wild little brain at that moment.

"I understand how you feel, Jon." Asia assured. "Rias spoils me with this stuff all the time and I'm STILL not used to it." She tugged at the hem of her slightly too short skirt. "For goodness sake, Rias, this skirt was over two million yen. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Rias snickered. "I just love the way you look wearing it, Darling."

"Master, do you approve of my outfit?"

Jon turned to see Xenovia standing straight, her posture prim and perfect as usual. She was dressed in a rather revealing navy blue cocktail dress with silk stockings attached to what he could only guess was an obscenely risque set of lingerie beneath the skirt as well as a matching pair of silk gloves. The dress was clearly designed to reveal as much of her bust as possible while also keeping it hoisted up for extra perkiness. That was clearly an Akeno decision, Jon deduced. Finally, a purple flower hairpin was added to complete the outfit.

As stoic and prideful as Xenovia was trying to be, she was clearly blushing like mad at the outfit. If he had to guess, the former Holy Swordswoman had never worn something this scandalous in her life.

Akeno snickered mischievously, dressed in her slender skin tight white dress that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. "Well, Master? What are you waiting for? She's waiting to hear what you think."

"I…" Jon mentally rolled his tongue back into his head, stopped staring at her breasts like a thirteen year old, and shook his mind clear. "...you look gorgeous, Xenovia. All you ladies do."

Her face flared even more red yet she kept her composure and bowed respectfully causing her breasts to bounce in a way that was completely unnecessary. "Thank you Master. I asked Akeno to dress me according to what you would find most aesthetically pleasing. I'm happy we were able to find something to your tastes."

This was a development Jon was still trying to wrap his head around. He definitely felt the Imprint with Xenovia same as his other girls but..something about it was off. Almost like her brain wasn't processing the emotions she was feeling the same way as the others. And the way she looked at him, spoke to him, ever since the battle against Kokabiel, her behavior towards him in general had changed dramatically. When she first called him Master, he just assumed Akeno had gotten into her head. But now he wasn't so sure. Something about this was different.

A couple days ago, he caught Xenovia completely engrossed in one of his Ju'Kara's S&M books. When he asked her about it, she referred to it as her new Holy Text. Something that made Jon nervous. When he asked Akeno about it, however, she simply told him not to worry.

The elevator finally reached the top floor of the Sports Arena and the ORC stepped off. Rias lead her Peerage to Box Three, where they would be viewing the game, before using her diamond studded gold wristband to open the keycard lock. The automatic door opened up for them and the group made their way inside.

Honestly, Jon couldn't even work up the capacity to be that surprised by just how ritzy it was. This wasn't just a Skybox they were standing in, it was a luxury mansion. At four stories tall, the Skybox boasted six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a bar, gourmet food and drink, a game parlor, and of course, the aforementioned twenty man luxury bath up on the top floor. The Skybox also came equipped with some special features only accessible by Devils that added some convenience to Jon and Sammy's unique situations.

"Hey hey! Look who finally decided to show up!" Upon seeing Jon and the others enter, Sammy immediately passed his fellow Dragon the extra beer he was holding and ushered them to the window. Clearly he and the rest of the Sitri clan had already made themselves quite comfortable. "You all are just in time. The Lindou Ladies are about to start their opening dance routine."

"Oh good, we didn't miss it." Rias smiled approvingly.

Jon and Sammy clinked beer bottles before heading towards the viewing window. Leather couches built into both sides of the viewing box offered panoramic seating and plenty of room to stretch your legs. As well as pillows for more informal seating on the soft carpet. Sammy had already made himself quite comfortable with his Treasures on the left couch. Momo and Ruruko were nestled up next to each other lovingly, while Sammy wrapped his right arm around both of them. They were dressed in short shorts and blouses, with Momo's being white shorts and a pink blouse with white polka dots and Ruruko's being a white blouse with pink polka dots and pink shorts.

Tsubaki was leaned up against the edge of the couch, resting against a pile of pillows looking quite comfy with her legs crossed over Sammy's lap and Tsubasa was sitting cross legged on a pillow on the floor between his legs, resting against the seat with her head while her arms daintily gripped his knees.

Meanwhile, Aika and Reya were cuddled up next to each other on the opposite side of the couch hand in hand. While Sona sat with Tomoe, who at that moment was making passing glances over towards Tsubasa and the other girls.

"Glad to see you made it." The Honor's President greeted Rias while helping herself to another sip of her blue cocktail. "We were worried you might be late."

"Getting seven people looking this nice is a lot of work, I'll have you know." Rias joked playfully before helping herself to a seat next to Jon, who immediately wrapped his arm around her waist. "Especially when some of us are a little difficult to please."

"I said I'm trying to get used to it, okay?" Asia pouted at her President before taking a seat next to Jon and curling up into his other arm. "These clothes are even more expensive than the limo we got here in. It's just a lot for me."

"It's not like you'll be in them for long." Koneko flirted with her before immediately helping herself to her usual spot on Jon's lap. "At least not if I can help it."

Asia smiled lovingly at Koneko while blushing fiercely. During which time, Xenovia and Akeno both stood in front of Jon, their hands folded in their laps.

"Master? Shall we make ourselves more accessible to you now that we're in private?" Akeno asked while swaying her chest ever so subtly. Xenovia meanwhile, immediately turned scarlet again.

He nodded. "Go ahead, Ju'Kara."

With a wicked little grin she unzipped the back of her dress and wiggled free from it. Revealing an overtly skimpy black lace bra and matching thong that just barely covered her areolas and labia. In addition to the super skimpy underwear, Akeno was draped in platinum linked diamond studs that formed a net across her breasts and a sparkly skirt along her waist.

"Well Xenovia? Your turn." The senior submissive grinned wickedly at her junior.

Xenovia took a breath before stripping out of her cocktail dress. She too was wearing an incredibly skimpy bra and panties, albeit with added wire mesh to help keep her Triple D breasts in place. Like Akeno, Xenovia was decorated in a mesh of jewels around her breasts and across the swell of her ass. But these were deep blue sapphires connected by gold chains.

"Good God…" Sammy's jaw damn near hit the floor as the two girls stripped down for Jon.

Tsubaki looked up from her nail filing and, upon seeing this, scowled sourly at her man before bringing a single immaculate foot up to close his mouth and turn his head towards her.

"That's your ONE for the evening." She warned him severely. "Anymore and you're on lockdown for the rest of the month."

He gulped. "Yes Ma'am."

Akeno and Xenovia both took their seats at Jon's feet, with the blue haired bombshell on his left and his beloved Ju'Kara on his right. Xenovia kept her knees tightly shut and her hands on her lap with her back straight while Akeno spread her thighs open and bore her brand proudly with her head lightly bowed and her eyes shut in total submission to her Master.

With everyone seated, the opening Cheer Routine began. The sold out crowd went wild upon seeing the scantily clad Lindou Ladies, the Demon's official Cheerleading Squad, run out onto the field to get them all fired up. They were dressed in their red and black Cheerleader outfits with each of them holding red and black pompoms in both hands. The ladies dashed out onto the field, doing gymnastics and waving at the adoring audience before forming two columns on both sides.

"Look, here she comes." Aika pointed out excitedly.

From the middle of the two columns, the Lindou Lady's Cheer Captain Rei Miyamota ran out onto the field before performing a series of back handsprings down the middle of the two aisles whereupon she finished with a glorious high curl somersault. Rei nailed the landing and raised her hands gracefully into the air, dazzling the adoring spectators with a radiant smile and a wave of her hands before leading the other Ladies in a choreographed dance routine.

"It's so brave of Rei to get back into the public eye considering her scandal." Aika marveled, happy beyond measure for her friend.

At that, Rias snickered. "Yeah...about that. Turns out some 'new evidence' recently came up regarding her sexual assault case. Her former gymnastics coach is now looking at ten to fifteen years in a Japanese Prison and a formal apology letter was sent to Rei from the new Prime Minister."

Aika grinned wickedly at Rias Gremory. "I don't suppose YOU had anything to do with that, did you?"

She shrugged. "Oh, I wouldn't be so bold as to claim I had anything to do with it. Saya Takaga on the other hand...I heard she was QUITE interested in that case. And well...when it comes to her Father...all that's really needed is a couple of phone calls."

Aika turned her eyes back down to Rei. The girl looked SO incredibly happy. And she made the transition from gymnast to cheerleader incredibly well.

"I understand her Grandfather received a very generous donation towards his funeral arrangements as restitution. His family plot is the nicest one in the cemetery now."

"It's just a shame Saya and Motohama couldn't be here." Aika commented. "I kinda miss those two."

"Motohama called me before we left." Jon assured. "They're watching the game on the big screen in the Prime Minister's Office."

"I guess now that Saya's Father is Prime Minister, she'll have more time to spend with her family." Aika suspected hopefully.

He nodded in confirmation. "And since Motohama's Uncle was selected by Souchiro to be the new head of the Public Security Intelligence Agency, he has a sweet new gig working as a firearms consultant for their new branch of Field Agents."

"Does this new branch have a name?" As if she had to guess.

Rias grinned at her and nodded. "The Scout Regiment."

"Guess we won't be seeing them again for awhile, huh." Aika responded somewhat glumly.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that." Rias assured. "From what I understand that's mostly going to be a Summer thing for him. He and Saya will be back in time for the new school year….provided they're done planning the Wedding of course."

At that Sammy laughed before shaking his head in pity. "That poor poor bastard. Between her Father and her Psychic Power his Fiancee's gonna have him permanently wrapped around her finger for the rest of time."

Tsubasa tilted her head back and quirked a brow up at him. "Like you're any better?"

Momo and Ruruko both giggled at her little jibe. Sammy meanwhile, grumbled in response, deciding to keep his mouth shut and just take another swig of his beer.

"Smart boy." Tsubaki spoke plainly, her nose now buried in a quantum physics book.

"Either way, once they're back at Kuoh, I'll have their Occult Research Club Uniforms pressed and ready for them." She then pressed her toes into Xenovia's back playfully. "Yours as well, Dear."

"Thank you, Ms. President." Xenovia commented graciously.

"Alright, alright. Everyone simmer down." Sammy insisted. "Our boy is about to take to the field."

After the Lindou Ladies finished their routine, their home team began filing out one by one as their jersey number and name was called out for the crowd. Until at last, the announcer's voice boomed over the field one final time.

"Number Sixty Six! The designated hitter of the Lindou Demons! Matsuda Komuro!"

Every Kuoh Citizen in attendance raised their voices for number Sixty Six as he made his way out onto the field. The Lindou Ladies all cheered and waved their pom poms while the Captain went so far as to blow him a kiss. Matsuda caught her kiss and winked back at her before waving to the crowd of adoring fans. It truly was the feel good story of the year. A prodigy hitter taken down by illness only to return in full force on the Japanese circuit.

"Do you think it's fair letting a genetically enhanced Demon play on the Pro Circuit?" Sammy asked curiously.

"Who the fuck cares?" Koneko commented bluntly. "At least he's not perving on women's locker rooms anymore."

"I see your point Sammy, but rest assured, we made it very clear to Matsuda he was only allowed to do this so long as he kept most of his power suppressed." Sona explained while adjusting her glasses.

After the last of the opening ceremonies concluded the Umpire performed the coin toss which the Demons one. Number Sixty Six was elected to start the batting lineup for what would be the first pitch in the new arena. The away team took their positions in the field and Matsuda stepped up to bat. The pitcher eyed Lindou's designated hitter warily before knocking the ball against his mit a few times. Matsuda choked up on the bat and gripped firmly, ready for whatever the pitcher would throw at him.

The crowd went dead quiet. First came the wind up...and then the pitch was thrown as the Kansai Panthers attempted to sneak a fastball past the Lindou Demons designated hitter.

Bad idea. Matsuda stepped into it and, with perfect timing, met the ball with the sweet spot of his bat, walloping it with everything he had. The sound of the bat colliding with the ball was likened to a cannon shot by those who heard it. The players on both benches jumped to their feet. The announcer shouted, "That's it!" The ball rose in a majestic laser-like drive, rocketing into the night toward the farthest confines of the stadium. The question was never whether it was a home run or not. The question was whether the ball was going to hit the back row or the second to back row. Either way, it was a foregone conclusion and Matsuda happily ran his bases while the crowd went wild.

Sammy damn near spit out his beer, choking on it instead. "Holy *cough* what the fuck?! You call that suppressed?! He just damn near sent that thing six hundred feet!"

Sona turned her head and narrowed her eyes at Rias suspiciously. "We DID agree he needed to have his powers reduced, did we not?"

The President of the ORC chortled devilishly to herself before nodding. "We did. By the parameters I've set for his enchantments, he should still be well within the competitive range for a human player." She then added with an equally mischievous grin. "He'll only be the top in the league by a VERY tiny margin."

The Honor's President groaned at her wearily with a hand on her forehead. "So much for maintaining a low profile. You realize he's going to blow up over this right?"

Rias shrugged. "The way I see it, we'll get a contract deal with the NPB over this, maybe some sponsorship revenue. This could be our ticket to opening the ORC up to a global market."

Jon couldn't help but chuckle at her in amusement. "You are one devious little bitch, you know that right?"

"Maybe so, but I'm YOUR devious little bitch." She responded before kissing his lips passionately.

Sona shook her head in disbelief. "So that was your plan. I guess I shouldn't be surprised you'd want to profit off of this in some way."

"You really shouldn't be." Rias insisted after finally managing to pry herself away from her Dragon. "And besides, I'd say the boy's earned it. Wouldn't you agree, Babe?"

Jon nodded. "He did kind of help save the world, I'd say he's entitled to some time in the limelight of the Japanese Pro Circuit."

"Point made…" Sona sighed before adjusting her glasses.

"I'm gonna go get a drink." Asia kissed Jon on the cheek before making her way to the kitchen.

Koneko hopped off of his lap and joined Asia. "I'll go with you."

Sensing a lull in the action, Jon leaned forward and brushed a hand through Akeno and Xenovia's hair. His Ju'Kara immediately smiled and leaned into his touch, sighing contently while Xenovia's heart began to beat madly in her chest and her face heated up.

Jon whispered into Akeno's ear and her smile turned into a wicked little grin. "I'm ready if you are, Master." He nodded to which she leaned over towards Xenovia and whispered their Master's words into her ear. The junior submissive went wide eyed and her back stiffened again.

"If that is my Master's wishes then of course I am ready." She assured.

Akeno giggled in amusement before taking Xenovia by the hair and standing her up. "Master, with your permission I'll find a suitable room for us."

"Go ahead, Ju'Kara." He swatted her playfully on the ass prompting Akeno to guide Xenovia up the stairs to one of the private rooms. He then kissed Rias and stood up. "Alright, looks like I'm heading upstairs."

"Already?" Rias asked him curiously. "It just started."

"Can you really blame me?" Jon insisted. "It's a slow ass game."

"Hey! You shut ya whore mouth, Hyodo." Sammy spoke up before pointing a dangerous finger at him. "This here is the sport of our people."

Jon quirked a brow and folded his arms in front of him. "Our people?"

"You're half Japanese half American just like me ain't ya?" The Overzealous Sitri Pawn challenged. "That's two countries who consider this game ta be their national pastime."

He smirked at Sammy. "Japan I can see, but America? I know a couple of states down south that might have to disagree with you there."

"Oooooooh, so it's gonna be like THAT is it?" Sammy raised his hands up in disbelief before standing up. "Let me educate ya here, Hyodo. Football may be more popular to have on the TV when ya curled up on ya oversized comforter stuffing your piehole. But Baseball ain't just a sport, it's a piece of U.S History. It's literally America's Pastime."

Jon shrugged at him. "Statistics don't argue. More people these days are watching football. And Baseball may be 'America's Pastime' but the NFL literally owns a day of the week."

Sammy turned away and sat back down, unable to believe what he was hearing. "Ya know what? Somebody stop me before I punch this man."

At that moment Tsubaki shut her book and tossed it aside before standing up and beckoning Sammy with a finger. "You. We're going upstairs to the bath."

"Baby, the game just started!" Sammy protested.

She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him dangerously. "Remember our agreement? When your Queen wants sex, your Queen gets sex. Now come along."

He slumped back in the couch and groaned. "Fiiiine."

"Atta boy." She spoke approvingly before motioning to Momo and Ruruko. "You two coming?"

They giggled mischievously and nodded before standing and stripping their clothes away, revealing a black bikini with white polka dots for Momo and a white bikini with black polka dots for Ruruko. Clearly, they came prepared.

"Tsubasa, you in or out?"

She shook her head before hopping up on the sofa. "Nah, I'm actually enjoying myself. You girls go have fun."

Tsubaki nodded and took Sammy by his lapel. "Will do." She blew a kiss to Sona who smirked and watched her Queen saunter off with her Pawn and half her Peerage.

Jon cortled to himself in amusement. "Talk about whipped…"

"Jon." Rias nudged him insistently. "Go take care of my Queen before she wonders where you are." She ordered.

He sighed before hanging his head, realizing he was no better. "Yes Dear…"

Jon left for the upstairs bedrooms. Meanwhile, Rias stood up and adjusted the bikini she was wearing under her blouse causing her breasts to bounce. "Kiba, will you be alright here by yourself?"

He smiled, his eyes firmly locked to the game. "You know something, Rias? I really like baseball."

She gave him a curious look. "Do you now?"

Kiba nodded. "I do. And you know something else?" He turned and smiled at her. "I'm really looking forward to figuring out what else I like about living too."

Rias smiled at him proudly. "Well...you just let me know if you find something that sticks."

With that, she left him to enjoy the game before going to find Asia and Koneko. If she knew those two as well as she felt like she did, they were already upstairs in the hot tub making out.

* * *

Upon entering the private, windowless, bedroom of the Skybox on the second floor, Jon shut and locked the door before cranking back the time dilator on the wall. The small black box looked like a regular thermostat but was in fact used to slow down the flow of time in a given room allowing minutes to pass by feeling like hours and giving Jon plenty of time with Akeno and Xenovia without missing too much.

This was easily Sona's greatest invention since awakening to her Space and Time magic as far as Jon was concerned. Sure it drained the magical reserves of everyone in the room, making it impractical for anything beyond slowing down time for longer sex and more cuddling but something like that was EXACTLY what Jon needed in his life right now what with needing to show attention and affection to five very needy ladies.

There was even talk of the ORC Headquarters getting some of these things installed. A decision he definitely supported.

"Master, I think your newest little playtoy is ready. I know I certainly am."

A massive grin spread over his lips. The lights in the room had been dimmed so he hadn't seen what Akeno and Xenovia were up to yet, but by how heated his Ju'Kara sounded, it was clear she had already been fooling around with Xenovia before he even got upstairs. Jon placed his watch in his jacket pocket before hanging it up on the nearby coat rack and rolling up his sleeves. Finally, he turned around to what awaited him.

Akeno did not disappoint, that was for sure. Xenovia was on her knees, her thighs spread and her jeweled pussy now on display for him. Her hands had been tied behind her back and then to her ankles and her bra was gone, revealing two jeweled nipples as well. She had piercings similar to Akeno's only with sapphires in place of diamonds.

Xenovia was breathing in slow, labored breaths. Her face heated and her body already quivering in arousal even as Akeno continued to delicately run her fingers across her skin.

"Now then, just like we practiced." Akeno whispered into her ear. "Tell him exactly what you want."

"I want…" Xenovia swallowed back her nerves and took a deep breath before speaking the exact words she had rehearsed. "My life...for yours. Master, this humble servant desires to be collared to you." She spoke, her voice heated and her words nervous. "I hereby submit myself to you mind and body and soul, same as your beloved Ju'Kara."

Jon walked over to them both and knelt down before turning Xenovia's gaze up to meet his. The girl blushed fiercely at his touch, a look of enchantment in her eyes as he peered into hers. The longer he stared into her two dark yellow eyes the faster her heart would race. He peered into her soul, seeing that serene sea of blue again that was so calming and utterly beautiful. But there was something new there, a blemish of doubt and hopelessness that he was certain didn't exist prior to them forming their bond. It made him nervous.

"Master your...eyes are making it difficult for me to breath." Xenovia confessed shamefully, her voice slightly shaky. "May I turn my head down please?"

He nodded. "You may."

She relaxed somewhat upon being allowed to stare at the floor again.

Akeno giggled at her. "Don't worry, you will get used to that feeling in time."

"There's something I want to ask you, Xenovia." Jon insisted. "And I want you to be honest with your answer."

"Of course, Master." She assured. "I could never lie to you."

"Your behavior has changed an awful lot since after our fight with Kokabiel. Why is that?"

She gasped before biting down on her lower lip nervously. Clearly, the answer frightened her.

"Remember what we said about honesty." Akeno kneeled down and spoke with a hint of severity into her ear. "Master deserves nothing but the absolute truth from you, Girl."

Xenovia took a deep breath before beginning. "Master...ever since I lost Irina, I've come to realize something. About myself, about my past...about you."

Jon nodded, allowing her to continue.

"I am nothing without my faith." She continued. "For so long I lived a lie I believed so feverishly that when I discovered the truth, it nearly destroyed me. Yet in my darkest moment...you were the one that brought me back from the brink, that gave me the strength to keep going." Boldly, she stared back up into Jon's eyes, becoming transfixed once more. "And I think I finally understand why that is."

Akeno smiled approvingly. "Well go ahead. Tell him."

"I...I…" Her lip began to quiver and her breath trembled. "I see God's eyes...in you...my Master."

Akeno's expression immediately changed to one of confusion. She shared a concerned look with Jon before allowing her to continue.

"You are the Red Dragon Emperor, one of the most powerful beings in existence." Xenovia explained. "And...I believe...God's chosen here on Earth."

A bright smile suddenly formed on her features.

"When I look into your eyes, I feel it." She nodded. "Yes...I feel it right now. His warmth, your warmth, enveloping me like a soft blanket. Protecting me from evil, just as his grace once did when I was with the Church. I believe that...through worshipping your words and your flesh...Great Red Divine One...I can rediscover my faith."

Jon was floored. This definitely had taken a turn he was not expecting. Neither, for that matter, did Akeno. Xenovia didn't just see him as her Dragon. To her...Jon was some sort of avatar for her Lord.

When she said worship, she wasn't kidding.

"Xenovia listen...I don't think that-"

"Please." She quietly begged, desperation seeping into her voice. "I...I beg of you to take me. I am lost without my faith, and you...my Master, my Divine One, you are my only hope of finding it again." Xenovia bowed her head as low as she could. "I have never felt closer to God than I do at this very moment. Please let me worship you. I submit myself entirely to your mercy. My life for yours."

By the look in Akeno's eyes she was thinking the same thing he was. There was no way in hell they could say no to her. This was simply too important to toss aside so casually. That being said, this was definitely something that was going to need to be addressed at a later date.

In the meantime, he would just trust in Sona and Akeno's training and take care of her as best he could.

"Akeno, please go get the collar."

She nodded. "Yes Master."

Xenovia gasped out the breath she'd been holding in. "Thank you, Master. Thank you."

As nervous as this made him, Jon would simply have to play along for now. He'd steer Xenovia on a brighter path alongside his Ju'Kara, but in the meantime, if her faith was in his hands, he would just have to protect it as best he could.

Akeno returned with the collar in question and knelt down next to her. "Look him in the eyes as I place it around your neck."

Xenovia gazed up into Jon's eyes, that same mesmerized look on her face as if she had just been hypnotized. For whatever reason, the look she was giving him disturbed him greatly. Nothing about this seemed right and he was all but certain it had something to do with that flaw he noticed in her soul.

As Akeno placed the collar around her neck, Jon pressed his thumb into the back of it, binding her to him forever.

"My life for yours, Master." Xenovia repeated. "Now and always."

* * *

When Jon next exited the bedroom, eight hours had passed inside while only about one and a half had passed in the real world. Xenovia and Akeno were fast asleep, exhausted after a particularly rowdy play session, leaving Jon with a lot on his mind. Not knowing what else to do, and not really feeling like watching the game, he went outside the Skybox for a quick smoke break.

Once outside, Jon took out his Newports, popped one in his mouth, and lit up. After taking a long drag of the smoke and blowing it into the air, he leaned against the bannister railing overlooking the city. Kuoh was slowly but surely coming back to life. It wouldn't be long before their city was stronger than ever.

Feeling just a touch sentimental, he dug into his pocket and pulled out a silver cross connected by rosary beads. Remembering the previous owner, and how she helped to save their city. With the cross in one hand, and his smoke in the other, Jon lost himself in his own thoughts.

That was until he heard someone's voice calling out his name. Jon turned around to see none other than Aldin Zefford, dressed in Lindou Demons fanwear he must have bought online, complete with a Number Sixty Six baseball cap.

"Fancy seeing you out here, Jon." Aldin spoke politely before joining him on the bannister.

He narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously. "Getting some fresh air, Mr. Zefford?"

Aldin scoffed before rolling his eyes and leaning against the bannister with his back pressed against it. "You still on about that? I thought I told you already…"

He adjusted his baseball cap.

"...just call me Al."

Jon took another drag of his smoke before flicking it over the railing. "You've sure gotten into the spirit of our local team." He observed. "Even got a private Skybox next to ours and everything."

Aldin shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a fan. That hitter of yours is especially impressive."

"Rias mentioned we had a rather unusually large bulk order of Number Sixty Six merchandise." Jon mentioned. "I take it that was your doing?"

He chuckled. "I get a little obsessive, I'll admit. It's rare for me to find a new pastime I enjoy. But I could definitely see myself becoming an avid Lindou Demons fan."

Rabid was more like it, Jon quietly thought to himself.

"Once I've started collecting something, I can't really stop." Aldin continued. "Be it fan merchandise, gaming consoles, a particular brand of yacht. If I own one piece in a collection, I have to own them all. Better to buy in bulk, I always say."

A devious grin spread over his lips.

"I'm often told I get completely immersed in whatever I'm collecting."

Silence fell over the top floor of the stadium, with only the occasional sound of cheering from the crowds below providing any noise between them.

"Is that right?" Jon finally spoke back, his gaze becoming increasingly more suspicious.

He nodded before turning around and heading back towards his Skybox. "But then again, I'm just an eccentric bored Billionaire. So I suppose that sort of behavior is normal for someone like me. Right?"

He only made it about halfway back before Jon breathed a heavy sigh and straightened his posture, glaring at Aldin with severe intensity.

"How long are we going to keep playing this little game of yours?"

Aldin stopped dead in his tracks but otherwise didn't turn around.

"I've been wondering why the Leader of the Grigori Council has taken such a firm interest in me for awhile now." Jon snarled, flaring black smoke through his nostrils. "You'd think a being like you would have higher priorities than buddying around with an archenemy. Or am I wrong...Azazel?"

The leader of the Grigori stood in stoic silence, his back still turned to Jon. After a moment, he slowly began to chuckle, building into a ruckus laugh that echoed throughout the halls of the Stadium's top level.

"You know...I was beginning to wonder if you would ever figure it out or not. And frankly, I'm kinda happy you did."

His fanwear vanished, replaced with robes of black and grey before ten black wings sprouted from his back. Azazel turned around, a dark grin on his features as he glared back at Jon.

"Now what's this about us being archenemies? Seems a touch dramatic if you ask me."

"Doesn't make it any less true." Jon replied, Devil's Colt appearing in his right hand. "Their were two names Raynare mentioned after she tried to murder Asia for her Twilight Healing. Yours was one of them."

He sighed wearily. "Yeah, a depressing story that. But hey, it worked out pretty well for you in the end, didn't it?"

"She stabbed me in the chest!" Jon barked.

"Look, I had nothing to do with that, okay?" Azazel insisted, now getting slightly annoyed. "I can't keep track of every single action every single one of my Fallen Comrades makes at all times."

"Clearly not if you're spending all your time bumming around Dragons and buying up baseball merchandise." Jon spoke through gritted teeth before cocking back on the hammer of his revolver. "Now I'm only going to ask you this one time. Why are you here? What is your interest in me?"

He raised his hands out in front of him in an attempt to defuse the situation. "Okay...before we do anything we're going to regret, how about we go ahead and uncock the revolver?"

Jon didn't budge an inch, his aura was murderous.

Azazel sighed wearily before placing his hands in the sleeves of his robe. "Okay, you're upset. I can understand that. You just lost someone very near and dear to you from a guy who has the same color and number of wings that I do. I get how you can put two and two together. But...if you're willing to talk civilly, I might be able to offer you some good news in that regard."

Jon's razor sharp gaze remained firmly on him. Until finally, slowly, he uncocked the revolver and vanished it.

"That's more like it." He offered a victorious grin. "To answer your question, I'm here because, after the incident involving Kokabiel, I thought I might help keep an eye on things."

"We've got the situation perfectly under control." Jon assured angrily. "In case you missed the memo, the Gremorys basically run this entire country now."

"Well...all the legal parts." Azazel quickly corrected. "That's what's great about making your fortune from a Criminal Empire. You gain access to places you don't normally have access to."

He narrowed his eyes at him murderously again.

"Oh relax, Jon. I'm not planning on starting a war with you." Azazel assured. "That's kind of the opposite of what we're going for. I assume you've heard of the Peace Summit coming up?"

"I might have." He admitted.

"Well...you should know it was my idea."

That threw him off guard. "You're the one who suggested it?"

He nodded. "Now why would I go through the trouble of getting Lucifer, Michael, and myself together in the same room if I was gonna just fuck it all up months before the Summit is scheduled to take place? And trust me...getting those stubborn pricks to listen to me was NOT easy."

"Fine…" Jon relented. "...I'll give ya that one. Now explain why you've been interested in me."

"Oh that's simple." Azazel spoke frankly. "I wanted to see for myself how much power you've gained. You've stirred up quite a buzz in the Underworld these past couple of years Jon. Word has it even Heaven has been keeping their eye on you."

"Gee, I'm flattered so many people hold me in such high self esteem." He responded sarcastically.

Azazel shrugged. "Hate to break it to ya, Mr. Hyodo, but this is simply the price you pay for you being you. So long as you continue to gain power at such an exponential rate, the Three Factions are going to have their eye on your every move."

Jon remained silent.

"Thing is, my interest in you is a little bit different." Azazel admitted. "The others will undoubtedly be watching you because they fear your power. Me? I'm just interested to see how you stack up against Albion. After watching you in action, I've gotta say, I'm impressed. The amount of potential you tapped into for how short a span of time you've been aware of your status as a Dragon is...well...frankly unheard of."

"Why do I sense there's a 'but' coming?"

He chuckled in amusement. "Clever...yes unfortunately at your current level of power you're still not a match for Albion. He's gotten quite the headstart on you, I'm afraid."

Jon felt a pit form in his stomach.

"But then again…" Azazel added while narrowing his eyes at him suspiciously. "...I once thought the same thing of Kokabiel and look how that turned out. There's still time for you to develop as a Dragon Jon. If you continue to gain power at the rate you're doing well...who knows what could happen?"

"You make it almost sound like you want us to fight."

"You WILL fight each other." He assured vehemently, his voice deathly serious. "A conflict between the two Dragon Emperors is as inevitable as the sun rising and falling in the sky. It's not something you can fight against Jon, anymore than you can fight against that urge to collect Treasures. It's instinct. Written in your DNA. A biological compulsion to tear out the throat of your polar opposite."

"Why?" Jon challenged. "Why do we do this? Why do we fight?"

Azazel laughed. "You mean you haven't figured it out? He's your opposite. The Boosted Dragon and the Divine Divider. Two polar forces. Push and pull. Positive and negative. An unstoppable force and an immovable object. So long as you exist, then he must exist, and so long as he exists, then you must exist." He explained. "You cancel each other out. Keep the balance of power in check. Sure one side may gain a temporary advantage over the other, but it always ends the same way."

He didn't like where this was going.

"Eventually, you both destroy each other." Azazel finished. "Not permanently, of course. You can't actually die in the same sense as the rest of us can. It's more like...you go to sleep. By attaching your soul to a host via the Sacred Gear, you extend your lifespan indefinitely. You allow their bloodline to use your powers until...eventually...inevitably, you reincarnate into whatever form the host's bloodline was composed of. In your case, that would be human."

"And what was Albion reincarnated as?" Jon asked nervously.

Azazel chuckled menacingly. "You sure you wanna know that? You're REALLY not gonna like it."

He clenched his fists and growled at him. "Just tell me, dammit!"

Azazel raised his hands and shrugged. "Well alright, but don't say I didn't warn you." An evil grin spread over his lips. "His name is Vali Lucifer. He's a direct descendant of the original Lucifer himself."

Jon's blood ran cold in his body.

"He had the powers of a Demigod BEFORE he awakened to his true nature as the White Dragon Emperor. And he's had centuries to master his abilities. I'd say this go around, Jon, he's got you soundly beat. That is unless you can pull off the major upset Sirzechs is hoping you will."

He took a moment to process this. Azazel was right, he certainly did NOT like that bit of info at all.

"But hey, even if you do fail this go around, there's always next time right?" Azazel encouraged.

It was then Jon realized something. "Except...something's different this time isn't it? The Balance of Powers ain't what it used to be."

"Well well, so you even figured out THAT detail." He sounded genuinely impressed. "Color me shocked."

"So there's every possibility that...this go around, one of us could go down for good." Jon surmised.

"Again, very well thought out. It's not something we can confirm yet, but given the state of the Balance of Powers with God's…" He struggled to say it. "...disappearance, and the death of the Four Great Satans, it's quite possible that, if either of you die this time...that's it. One of you will come out as the ultimate winner. Thereby completely eliminating the Balance once and for all. Whoever came out on top would be unstoppable….the new God, as it were."

"And by the sounds of things…" Jon glared daggers at him. "You're already expecting that to be Albion, right?"

"It's nothing personal, I assure you." Azazel spoke sincerely. "But I need Albion as a source of leverage over the other two factions. Sirzechs Lucifer and his ilk specifically."

"In other words, you're saying I have to die so you have more of a leg to stand on in this upcoming Peace Summit. That about the gist of things?"

"Again, I'm impressed with your powers of perception." He complimented, essentially giving Jon his answer.

The Dragon laughed angrily before baring his chest to him. "Hey if my death is that important to you then why wait? Take a shot at me right now and see how that goes for ya."

"Oh for fucks sake, I'm not even gonna dignify that with a retort." He waved his challenge off dismissively. "Look, I don't hate you Jon. I really don't. And I sure as hell don't want to start trouble with Lucifer months before we finally manage to achieve peace. But the conflict between you and Albion is axiomatic. It's inevitable. Lucifer understands this as much as I do. All I'm doing is betting on the horse I think is gonna win the race."

"And keeping your hands completely clean in the process." He finished for him. "Just like any respectable Mob Boss would."

"Hey, I resent that." Azazel insisted jokingly. "I much prefer the term Crime Lord, thank you very much."

"You can call yourself Dr. Evil for how much I give a shit." Jon snarled at him hatefully. "Doesn't change the fact your faction is the one that's always starting trouble. You know, when you're not too busy engaging in Human Trafficking and pitting Dragons against each other."

"Hey, the human trafficking was Kokabiel's thing. I never wanted to have anything to do with that." Azazel insisted. "I've always kept my vices to gun smuggling and drug running." He then added with a mischievous grin. "If girls were ever involved in my business I assure you they were there purely for MY sake."

"And that makes you the good guy here?" Jon challenged. "Get real, Azazel. You've been out for my blood and the blood of my allies since day one."

"You think Sirzechs doesn't have skeletons in his closet?" He retorted insistently. "No one gets to tack LUCIFER onto their name without having a body count the size of Jupiter. And I assure you, he hasn't told you everything regarding his plans. If he's told you anything at all."

Jon looked like he wanted to ask something but decided to bite his tongue. "I'll admit...I've questioned some of his decisions. But everything I've ever seen him do has been purely retaliatory." He pointed an accusing finger at Azazel. "You're always the instigator. Not us."

He scoffed at that before turning and walking back over to the railing. "Right. It's ALWAYS our fault, isn't it? Getting banished from our own realm, doing what we needed to to survive our magical addictions. None of that matters in the grand scheme of things because if there's one thing both Heaven and Hell can agree on it's that they both hate US even more than they hate each other." Azazel chuckled bitterly. "I'll bet the fact that I'm the one that came up with this Peace Summit makes them all sick to their stomachs." His smile faded as a dark aura suddenly hung over him. "We're all just monsters who deserve to be hunted down and slaughtered, aren't we? After all, you've made a career out of that your whole life. Hunting us, and the creatures we used to defend ourselves."

Jon laughed at him incredulously. "You can't be serious right now. You really expect me to believe YOU'RE the victim here?"

Azazel stared out over the horizon for a moment, getting lost in thought.

"I wasn't the first to fall, by any means." He finally spoke up. "The Great War is almost as old as the Earth itself. There were others before me. Older Angels, names you've probably never even heard of, all of whom were lost to time. They're gone now but...we remember them as best we can. I'm merely one of millions of 'failed' progeny that came before." Azazel gripped the rails until they almost bent. "Do you have any Earthly idea what it's like being the black sheep in a family where your Father is the literal creator of EVERYTHING?"

"I can only imagine…"

Azazel sighed glumly. "Still...I remember the good old days. Living my peaceful pious life in the Fifth Order of Heaven. Another loyal soldier in my Father's Crusade of Mercy." As he slipped off into old memories he was hit with nostalgia. "I remember being at a shoreline, watching a little grey fish heave itself up on the beach. And an older brother saying, 'Don't step on that fish Azazel, Dad's got big plans for that fish.' I remember the Tower of Babel, all thirty seven feet of it, which I suppose was impressive at the time. And when it fell the humans howled, 'Divine Wrath!' But come on, dried shit can only be stacked so high."

Jon remained silent, quietly taking in everything Azazel was saying.

"Through it all, I soldiered on. Playing my part, fulfilling my role, keeping all my personal doubts and insecurities to myself…" He turned back and looked at Jon. "...do you know how many Angels have actually SEEN God? Because I can only think of four, and I'm not one of them."

Again, he said nothing in response, so Azazel continued.

"We all had our doubts. Our own personal flaws, insecurities, lapses in judgement and faith, same as these little imperfect creatures that our 'Father' was oh so proud of." His face contorted into a sour angry frown. "The difference was we weren't ever allowed to show them. Humans were celebrated for being flawed, but us? We had to set the example. We buried our sinful urges. We didn't have the luxury of Confessionals."

He turned his head back out to the horizon.

"You wanna know what it was that finally did me in?" Azazel asked in a dull depressed tone. "The reason I finally fell?"

"What was it?" Jon asked despite his better judgement.

All was quiet save the rustling of the wind, until at last Azazel answered.

"I fell in love with one of God's little imperfect creatures."

At that, Jon had nothing. He opened his mouth several times to reply, but no words came out.

"She wasn't a Queen or an Empress, or an all powerful Sorceress either." He continued. "She was the daughter of a poor farmer. Rough hands, skinned knees, a face permanently stained with dirt from years of back breaking work. She was so completely ordinary and so...so perfect…" His voice filled with genuine emotion for the first time since Jon met him. "So perfect to me, and only me. Perfectly flawed, so beautifully beautifully flawed. I loved her more than I loved anything. And I'd have given my immortality as an Angel in a heartbeat, just to spend a DAY with her. But I was an Angel, and she was a human. And because of the rules put in place by God, our love was a big no no." Azazel turned and glared at him directly in the eyes again. "Now you tell me...if YOUR Father forbid you from ever seeing the one woman you ever truly loved above all else in your eons long lifespan, for the VERY brief amount of time that she would be truly alive, before being whisked away to Heaven to become just another content emotionless THING in his machine, then what would you have done? What would you have done in MY position?"

Again, he opened his mouth to speak before finally sighing and shaking his head in somber silence.

"I don't know…" He spoke quietly. "...Dragons don't feel love that way. This is exactly WHY they don't feel love that way."

Azazel laughed at that. "I'll say it again, Jon. I envy you. I wasn't lying about that. Most people who say they hate Dragons really just mean they're jealous of them. Because you represent something impossible. Something unattainable. A massive horde of Treasure with a big scary serpent guarding it." He cast his eyes up towards the sky and spoke as if talking to his Father at that very moment. "If only we ALL could have been born that lucky."

After a moment, Jon walked over to the railing and leaned against it alongside Azazel.

"Do you really think he's dead?"

He shook his head. "No. No I don't. I think the old man just got tired of our bullshit and left. I'd say good riddance but…"

Jon cast him a sympathetic look. "Losing your Dad is hard. Doesn't matter if you didn't always agree with each other. Believe me...I know."

"I don't think you ever mentioned your Dad." Azazel admitted. "Which is funny because I'm sure I asked about him at some point during one of our little pal sessions."

"I'm sure you did mention him. And I'm sure I gave you the same answer I would give anyone who tries to make me talk about him."

"Which is?"

Jon smirked. "Kiss my fucking ass, next question please."

Azazel laughed, finally slipping back into his old personality, if only for a moment. "Why? Was he really that awful?"

He shook his head, his eyes still cast up towards the stars. "No...he wasn't." Jon shrugged. "I think he was perfect but...then again, I'm biased."

"In what way?"

Jon smiled sadly. "In the way that all kids who lose their parents when they're young think that they had a perfect Mom and Dad. They weren't around long enough to make me think otherwise."

Finally, it was Azazel who was rendered silent. After a moment, he took a deep breath and sighed morosely.

"You're an okay guy, Jon. I wish to God that Albion didn't have to kill you."

A tense silence hung in the air.

"Welp, that's enough depressing talk for one day." Azazel clapped his hands together. "It won't be much longer before your Treasures put two and two together so Imma dip out while I can." With a self satisfactory grin he then added. "Think I'll watch the rest of the game on my Deluxe Home Theater System in my underwear. Now THAT'S how you watch baseball."

With that he turned to leave.

"Oh right!" He turned back around. "That thing I wanted to tell you about. Regarding Irina?"

He piqued Jon's intrigue yet again. "What about her?"

"Lucifer and I aren't the only ones who had eyes on you and your friends during the War for Kuoh." Azazel explained in a serious tone. "There was a third player who entered the game a little late...one who was VERY interested in your former Protege. Enough so to say...bring her back from the dead?"

He sat up from the rail and stared at Azazel with intense, deathly serious eyes. "Who?"

"Go to her grave." Azazel insisted, a patient smile on his face. "Trust me, you'll figure it out."

"What are you saying?" He whispered, trying to force back the hope welling up in his heart. "That Irina's…."

Azazel wrapped his wings around his body and began to spin rapidly in the air. Feathers went flying in all directions as he vanished in a burst of bright light.

"Azazel, wait! AZAZEL!" Jon shouted desperately.

But it was too late, he was already gone. With naught but a pile of black feathers spread across the floor left behind. Moments later, Rias, Asia, Koneko, and indeed ALL of Jon's Peerage came bursting out of the Skybox, weapons drawn and magic at the ready.

"Jon!" Rias ran up to him, immediately checking to make sure he was okay. "What happened?! We felt a sudden surge of incredibly powerful magic."

Kiba ran over to the nearby pile of feathers and knelt down, picking one up and inspecting it before scowling angrily. "Rias look...Fallen Angels."

"Dammit!" She cursed. "What the hell are they doing here? Jon? Jon!"

He didn't answer. Jon's mind was a million miles away. Back at the cemetery. Back where Irina was buried...where she was SUPPOSED to be buried. His gaze fell to the cross still clutched in his hand. He gripped it tightly and stared off into the horizon, back towards Kuoh Academy.

"There's something I have to do." He explained, a deathly serious tone in his voice.

"Jon...what is it?" Asia asked nervously. "If you need help with something we can-"

"Alone." He insisted severely before climbing the rail of the top floor.

"Jon, what are you doing?!"

Rias was about to grab him when he fell forward and leapt off the side of the massive Sportsdome. The entire Peerage ran to the railing and looked down.

"Is he crazy?!" Rias shouted angrily.

Moments later Jon swooped back into the sky on a pair of Dragon Wings before making a B Line towards the Academy.

"So...anyone got a clue what the hell THAT is all about?" Kiba asked.

"Clearly our Dragon has lost it." Koneko commented bluntly.

Rias narrowed her eyes at the rapidly fading visage of Jonathan Hyodo as he soared off into the distance.

"Not lost...found."

* * *

Jon's chopper roared down the streets of the small town where the old Monastery was located. After flying straight back to the ORC Headquarters, he grabbed his bike and took off before opening a portal directly to the cemetery where Irina was buried. After parking his bike he sprinted like a mad man into the gates of the old gravesite and ran straight for the plot of earth where she was put to rest.

His heart stopped dead in his chest along with his feet the moment he saw the now empty gravesite.

"What the fuck?" He whispered quietly to himself, his mind reeling from this new development. It looked like someone had come along, dug her up, and taken her from her resting place.

At least...that was his first thought. But then he remembered what Azazel told him. Upon closer inspection, he saw something glimmering at the very bottom of the dug up grave. Jon hopped down into the six foot hole in the Earth, intent on figuring out what the hell that thing was. Rias could bitch at him for ruining his three thousand dollar shoes later. This was far too important not to take full priority. He knelt down and sifted through the dirt a little before pulling out what it was that had been glimmering beneath all that soil.

In his hand he held a single pure white feather.

**::Final Note::**

**Well ladies and gentlemen, we're finally here. We made it. I'll be honest, there were times I thought I'd never get to this point. The more of Arc Three I wrote the longer it seemed to go on.**

**But honestly? That's only because of the support you all have given these writings. When I first started down this path, all I was really doing was writing what I felt like writing. Now? This story has been a challenge for my creative thought process in the best way possible. And it's been all the comments and feedback I've gotten that has helped make the Devil's Colt series what it is now.**

**That said, I never intended for Arc Three to go on for forty two friggin chapters. In hindsight, I probably could have gotten away with splitting this thing in half and making it two separate Arcs. But to be fair, I never intended to write as much as I did when I first started the Arc either. Especially when I had my bout of writer's block, I ended up adding WAY more content than I thought I would to the overall writing.**

**Will Arc Four be as long as Arc Three? I don't know. I did A LOT in this Arc in order to set up for the next one, so while I'm certain their will be plenty of content in Arc Four, I can't say for certain if it will necessarily be longer, shorter, or about the same. Honestly, with how crazy writing this Arc has been, anything's possible.**

**As always I'd like to thank my wonderful Fiancee for her support as well as all my readers, followers, reviewers, and commenters for helping me turn this project into what it has become. If you'd like to help support my writing as well as give me the opportunity to expand on this project and add new ones then go to my profile page to learn about how you can. I'd love a chance to start doing stuff like this full time for you guys.**

**Stay tuned for **_**The Devil's Colt: Wrath of the White One **_**which will be coming soon. I need to rewatch and reread the original canon before I start this project in full, so I'm not going to give a specific time frame for when you can expect to see the first chapter posted. But rest assured, I am actively working on it as we speak.**

**Jonathan Hyodo's journey is far from over my friends, until next time, I hope you all enjoyed this wild ride of an Arc. Thanks again.**

_**Megawrath.**_


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